Some build questions

[Andrei Petrov]

I am finally assembling my 2.0 and it's not going as badly as I thought it would. Still, there are a couple of things I am unsure about:

1. The headset is a little loose after assembly. I double checked and all the washers and spacers appear to be in place. Can the steerer column be just a little too tall? Is it best to file of the excess 0.5 - 1mm, or find more spacers?
2. The scissor jacks are probably the most fiddly part of the assembly (so far). Are they supposed to be pressing against the bare metal of the headrest tubes, or the rubber bands?
3. There seem to be 4 excess plastic clamps matching the headrest tube diameter that I can't figure out. Where do they go?
4. The carbon chainstays have a couple deep chips going all the way through the lacquer, but the carbon fiber seems to be unaffected. Should I leave them be, or fill in with epoxy? This probably occured in shipping as the chainstays were only wrapped in old newspaper for some reason, all other components were properly wrapped in plastic and bubble film.
5. Do you adjust leg length the same way as on a DF bike, i.e. heel to the pedal? This will be my first recumbent
6. Any news on silvio-specific luggage rack or tail bag in the past 3 months?)

The thing is a beauty. Do the CroMo nuts and bolts corrode eventually? Would be great to use titanium here, or stainless

Andrei

 

[ratz]

Happy build time....

1. It is normal on any bike build to potentially have to file down the steerer column or add a spacer. Either will work.

2. Against the rubber bands and yes it's fiddly

3. Those are optional for attaching the top of the seat to the head rest polls. They are for those people that don't trust the velcro. Most of us appear to have not bothered and haven't had any problems

4. Clear Fingernail polish will work just find to fill those in.

5. Depends on where you put your clipless cleat on your shoe many recumbent riders like a heal-ward placement. Go with 95% leg extension for now; if you are like most riders you will slouch and slide forward more as you get comfortabl. Therefore you'll have to lengthen the boom within the first 20 rides. Besure to trim the Derailleur cable and break cable longer than normal so that you can lengthen the boom without re-cabling.

6. Good question, many threads, lots of compromises; depends on your goals.

 

[Andrew 1973]

CrMo Bolts

"Do the CroMo nuts and bolts corrode eventually? Would be great to use titanium here, or stainless"

Yes, they will corrode beginning in the hex socket where the plating is thinnest. I would recommend Camapagnolo binder bolts for the attachment of the carboyoke to the frame and Ti or SS elsewhere.

That's just my 2 cents.

 

[mzweili]

Titanium Hardware

I would never recommend titanium hardware.
Titanium on titanium will seize before you have tightened your assembly correctly.
To prevent seizing the treads have to be roll-formed and silver coated.

 

[Andrei Petrov]

Thanks, this is very helpful.

Thanks, this is very helpful. I finally went through your build diary, great help as well.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Andrei - Thanks, this is very

Andrei - Thanks, this is very helpful. I finally went through your build diary, great help as well.

+1 - Bob's build diary came in very handy for me as well, highly recommend reading it for anyone building up a Silvio!!!

 

[Andrei Petrov]

Leaning to ride on the lawn

Leaning to ride on the lawn now - easier to get to then an empty parking lot for me. Front wheel spin going uphil teaches ou a lot about how to control this thing!

A few issues arose in testriding

1 (minor) - the seat is quite creaky, particularly when you sit up for hard pedalling. I sspose the 2-part construction is to blame, but would be curious if anyone found a remedy beyond silicone spray
2 (not so minor) I've installed 28mm Hutchinson Secteur tyres on wide-ish 25 mm rims, and this leaves absolutely no clearance in the front. In fact, when I was rolling on the chassis before the components went on, I saw perhaps 0.5 -1 mm of clearance, but now with everything on the tyre started to rub on the bottom of the fork. The strange thing is that the rub is on the front edge of the fork, and bigger clearance has opened up on the rear (rider-facing) side. I wonder if the steerer is not sompletely straight after final assembly, and will try to loosen everything and put back together to relieve any unwanted stress in the front triangle, but I am also mentally preparing myself for filing some of that excess aluminium. The tyre isn't perfectly round - it rubs over about 1/4 of circumference - so maybe I'll massage it first, too.

So heads up - 28mm tyres at 85 psi on 25mm rims is the max front clearance.

 

[Robert Holler]

I recommend no larger that

I recommend no larger that 25mm tires on these forks. If you do any intense riding those tires will expand and rub if fully inflated.

Robert

 

[iow]

i think it depends on the

i think it depends on the tyre - i've run 28mm vittoria rubino pro's and currently 28mm schwalbe ultremo zx's with no rubbing issues. ( both on wide rims - h plus son archetype's)

 

[ratz]

Know your rim (wheel width 101)

Iow good observation.

Yes they do very; depends on how wide you rim is; If it's 15-17 mm inside width the tire will be taller than if the rim is 17-19mm inside width. I tinkered with the combinations this winter with some tires and wheels I had on hand. I was looking for a good old tire to run on the training; and quickly discovered I'd have problems with my older rims and some of my spare tires.

For wheels with a 15.5mm inside (15c) I found that a 28mm Durano won't fit on the Silvio 2. Width a more modern rim with 17.5mm inside width (17c) the 28mm Durano will fit but it's tight depending on the brake choice. Then it matters on the tire too. The Ultremo ZX fit on the old 15c rim but it was tight; and on the new rim 17c it was just fine.

It's still good to have some gap. I personally find a 25mm tire on a 17.5mm rim about as tight a fit as I'm comfortable with; so we went with tubless 25mm on a 17c rim and I find it rides equal to a 28mm.

-YMMV-

Interesting you'll notice (on the table below) that on a 17c tire which is the "NEW" norm on high end wheels, schwalbe recommends the smallest tire at 25mm; that's because the outer width of the rim is 23mm. So basically if you run modern rims you are likely to be getting 17c; and that's going to really dictate that the only 2 safe tire sizes to run on the Silvio are 25mm and 28mm and I wouldn't do the 28mm myself except on high end tires which usually are Squatter (but you'll need to test). If you have an older wheelset or you select thinner rims (likely 15c) then you can run 23mm and 25mm; and 28mm again if you have the right tire and you are brave.

I don't know what size the Cruzbike rims are but I would assume they are 15c.

When I was a roadie; rim width was something most if the FREDS never bothered to understand; like tire/tube size; it really is important that you know what size your rims are before you drop $75+ dollars on high end tires.

This is an old chart some wheel and tire combinations allow for a 23mm out width; and a 23mm tire; most of those are Tubless ready rims that have a tight tire and aggressive bead; Figureing that out is left for a homework exercise. (Aka call the manufacturer if there is any doubt).

 

[Robert Holler]

Best setup:
23mm rim and a

Best setup:

23mm rim and a 25c tire. Smooooth and handles wonderfully.

 

[iow]

my brake blocks are in the


my brake blocks are in the middle of the caliper slots - so another 4 or 5 mm of clearance could be achieved with a longer fork, even with standard (short) reach calipers.
i appreciate that it's not that simple though - the change in geometry may require a complete front end re-design.

 

[Andrei Petrov]

Good point on the difference

Good point on the difference between different tyre brands of the same nominal size.

Regarding the impact of the rim width - my understanding is that a wider rim will actually result in a taller tyre profile, at least up until a certain point.

I am enjoying my learning curve with the Silvio and look forward to the days when I can finally go fast. It still seems incredible though)