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Technical & Reference Section => Tech and Restoration => Topic started by: Mikku on July 25, 2019, 12:04 AM
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A bit of an odd one this. So much so that I wasn't sure whether to post it in the new school section or here, but in the end decided that some of the interesting tech, not to mention the rarity value of this thing deserves a wider audience! So what is it? It's a prototype race frame made by Quamen, the now defunct flatland brand. Still sporting a raw finish, it was made in or around 2010. Made from good ol' 4130 (more on that later), the frame's main design feature is the seat tube, which is offset by 5/8" as Quamen were experimenting with different ideas for rear-end stiffness. A good or bad idea I'm not sure but it's certainly different! Check out the pics below and judge for yourself. More later! :daumenhoch:
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When I bought the frame I knew that it was chromoly (that was one of the reasons I wanted it) but when I finally got my hands on the frame I noticed that the stamping can still be seen on the tubing. That confirmed that it’s actually made of ProMoly, which was a new one for me. Turns out that ProMoly is made by Plymouth Tube Company out of Illinois and according to the factory blurb, exceeds industry specs for 4130 and is the preferred choice for various chassis builders including rally cars and dragsters. Not sure how that translates for the humble BMX frame but it’s another interesting feature of this one. :daumenhoch:
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Great to see something different. I know absolutely nothing about bikes like this so I am most definately in to be educated and, hopefully, inspired to try something new.
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Thanks mate - i’ll do my best but...
I know absolutely nothing about bikes like this
...you and me both!! ;D
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One of the other frames I was looking at was Enigma, another now-defunct brand which was originally started by renowned frame-builder Woody Woodruff. I twice nearly bought one of these but it wasn't until yesterday, when I saw another one over on the Museum that I noticed that the seat tube is also setback a bit. Check out the comparison pics below! Obviously the BBs are different so it's difficult to compare them but there's definitely a similarity! I wonder if Quamen was in any way influenced by the Enigma design or possibly another? :D
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I first spotted the Quamen over in the Museum in March 2018. Never released or put into production, it had been ridden by team members until 2013 when it was auctioned off on eBay, apparently by someone at or connected with Quamen, who was clearing out a bunch of their stuff. It was bought by a BMX Museum member who built it up in several guises before hanging it up on the wall. I loved the quirky design and raw finish plus being a prototype added to the attraction. I didn’t think it would ever be for sale but in May this year I saw it advertised then quickly sell before I had time to do anything. I commented on the for sale thread and the buyer said that, like me, he’d coveted the frame and was surprised to see it for sale. A couple of weeks later the new owner messaged me to ask if I was interested in buying it as he didn’t think he’d get round to building it up for some time. Even better, he only wanted the same price that he’d paid for it! Having been on the look out for an interesting, chromoly, race frame for some time, naturally I said yes, plus was also able to buy a few more parts from him including some Profile cranks and a Tribute Bikes stem. I wasn’t so familiar with the stem, so contacted the owner of Tribute to check the bolt size and not only did he send me some replacements for free, he also chucked in a t-shirt! Unbeknown to me, there was also a tie-in with Quamen, who apparently supplied Tribute with headtubes for some of their frames. Some things are just meant to be! :daumenhoch:
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Liking this - reminds me of that Pashley frame I had that looked like a prototype.
I would have liked one of those Hidden Nation Akira frames :angel:
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yup, top stuff MIck, like the lesser known stuff me :daumenhoch:
yes Ed, top mention Hidden Nation 8), did the Azreal frame ever get made , park/trails version ?
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Thanks gents! :daumenhoch:
I seem to remember a nice-looking Hidden Nation popping up on the bay within the last 12 months or so. Did anyone on here pick it up??
Back to things beginning with Q, there’s a cool Japanese tie-in with this frame. Or at least one like it. Thanks to the power of the internet, I found pics of another prototype race frame that was sent over to Quamen Japan in late 2009/early 2010 and tested over here by one of their team riders. Below are some pics of the complete bike. Unfortunately I don't have the forks! :(
According to an old Quamen Japan blog post, the white frame you see in the pics is RF-3, namely Race Frame #3, which followed on from RF-1 and RF-2. That ties in with another internet find - a picture of Quamen owner Zenta Sugimura (yet another Japanese connection) holding a similar-looking frame at Quamen's LA premises. The pic quality isn't great but you can see that the "Zenta frame" has a few differences to mine (including the dropouts and where the top tube meets the seat tube) and given that mine looks more similar to the white frame, I would hazard a guess at mine being RF-2 and the Zenta frame RF-1. This is all just supposition on my part but I'm trying to contact the Japanese test rider (who's still in the bmx scene over here), so will update this thread as and when anything else comes to light. In the meantime I need to crack on and build the bloody thing! :D
Update: Upon closer inspection and looking at other Quamen frames, I think that Zenta Sugimura is holding a Cyphr frame rather than something like mine. I haven’t yet been able to find out anything else but at the very least, I think I am fairly safe in saying that my frame is one of the first 2 of the 3 prototypes made. Maybe! Probably!! ;)
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lovin this stuff :4_17_5:
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Me too! :daumenhoch: As you know well Dave, I'm not the most quickest of decision-makers when it comes to buying BMX (or anything else for that matter) but when I unexpectedly got the chance to buy this, I couldn't resist!! Thereafter it's just got more and more interesting, finding out about this, that and the other. Just hope I can do it some sort of justice, albeit on a fairly limited budget, bearing in mind that I’ve already paid for the additional shipping over to this side of the world! ;)
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Gotta be said I love a bit of unusual newschool Mick - this looks like a cracker :daumenhoch:
Keep the updates coming mate :coolsmiley:
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Great thread Mick - love it :daumenhoch:
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Thanks guys! Below are some pics of where I am at the moment. To make the most of a frame-sized box being shipped over to Japan, I picked up a few other parts from the US. I tried to choose a variety of good quality but interesting parts, all without breaking the bank. This involved posting WTB ads and plenty of to-ing and fro-ing between various Museum members, as I tried to find each piece of the puzzle. I also picked up some cool parts in a trade deal. Here’s a quick run down of what I’ve got so far:-
Odyssey Pro Thermal 41 race forks;
Standard Strip bars;
Tribute Bikes stem;
Profile Racing cranks;
Shimano Saint pedals;
FSA sprocket & headset;
Avid/Shimano Deore brakeset;
Tioga seat and alloy post
Cult/Vans grips
Still need a few more parts but I’m in no particular hurry, so will take my time finishing it off. As posted elsewhere, I'm also thinking about getting some decals made up for the frame, so will be dropping Del a line any time soon. :daumenhoch:
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Nice forks, my Directors were made from that Thermal 41 and had a lifetime gaurentee :smitten:
What's with that scaffold tube length seat-post though :shocked:
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Yeah, love the forks. I think these ones are more mid-school than new school but I was after a raw set and these came up at the right time and price. :daumenhoch:
As for the seat post, I'm an old school rider with an old school rider's back, so need a longer post that I can actually use to sit down on! I'll lower it though for photos! ;D
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When I first decided to build up another race bike, I thought I'd use all the spare parts that I've gradually accumulated as part of the continuing upgrade of the Crupi. That includes forks, stem, brakes, grips, seat, clamp, chain, chainwheel, pedals and wheels!!! However, when I snagged the Quamen, most of my parts didn't match the image that I had in mind for the build! One exception is the wheels, which are unbranded alloy rims and hubs that will go well with the black and raw look that I'm going for. These will be upgraded with a Halo Clickster freewheel that I bought and never fitted. Supposedly it's super-loud, as well as having more points of engagement than the generic one that's on there at the moment. I also intend to re-use the KMC chain that was on the Crupi. Aside from a brake cable, that's probably about it. Probably! :daumenhoch:
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For various reasons this build has completely stalled, even though I have most of the parts to get it up and running! ::)
I did, however, pick up a box of race spares recently which included some parts that I can put to good use on this, namely some Maxxis tyres and the pictured Eclat seat/post combo, which should please Spen! :daumenhoch:
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New Year's Resolution No.3 - finish this bloody build!!! I'd started the ball rolling with Del but have been having second thoughts about some of the parts, hence the procrastination! I do, however, have some time off work next month, so have vowed to crack on with this then! :daumenhoch:
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Following on from last month's post, here's a February update. Actually, that's not a bad idea to keep me focussed - post at least one update a month. I like it! :daumenhoch:
Anyway, I've been changing up a few things with Project Q! Firstly, I've just pulled the trigger on some sweet-looking, rawed out Profile cranks, as pictured below. These will replace the rather long 182mm chrome ones that came with the frame and will look great with the raw forks and bars. Plus I managed to pick up a Supercross spider from the same seller which means that I can use the Renthal chainring that was on my Crupi. I love that thing, so am more than happy to use it again for this build! In a similar move, I've decided to re-use the VP platform peds that were also on my Crupi. A pic of both when mounted on the Crupi is below. The NOS Shimano Saints that I bought for the Quamen are, like the FSA sprocket, very nice but I've decided to keep the amount of new stuff to a minimum, which I think is more in keeping with the frame. That also means I can try to sell those shiny new parts to recoup some funds! :daumenhoch:
In other news, I've also been in touch with Del and hope to have some decals done soon. So no spanner-work to report this month but some progress at least. Or should I say, at last! More next month! :D
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I'm following fistblump
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It's March, so it must be time for an update! Things are finally starting to move with this build. Del has come up trumps again with some frame decals. The frame came to me naked, except for a “QB” on the headtube, as shown below. I decided to add a few decals, more specifically two for the downtube and a third for the seat tube - all in the same silver/grey to match the headtube one. Since this frame seems to use narrower tubing than the downtubes on Quamen’s flatland frames, the decals had to be downsized to fit. As usual, Del did a great job with both the sizing and colour match. I want to apply them now but am going to resist, and wait until the build is finished to see how they look on the bike as a whole.
I also got the Nervar freewheel replaced. I thought this was going to be fairly straightforward until I discovered that the Nervar had no obvious tool fitment, such as the "normal" 4-notch design that I'm used to. I watched a few YouTube vids and was going to have a go at removing aka destroying the bugger myself but thought better of it and took it to a lbs instead. An interesting place in itself, with older mid-school and flatland BMX in there, some of it very cool, the owner removed the Nervar and replaced it with the Halo Clickster that I had picked up from the US a couple of years ago. I also bought an innertube and put on an old Maxxis tyre that I have lying about, so the wheels are about ready to roll! :daumenhoch:
Am still waiting on the cranks to arrive (they've landed in Japan and are now in customs), so to save a bit of time, yesterday I mounted the Vans/Cult grips onto the Standard bars, remembering to put the Avid brake lever on there first! Am getting there. Slowly but surely. ;D
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Some more goodies arrived today. First of all the cranks and spider arrived from the States. Well chuffed with them! :smitten:
Then the rust protector/treatment spray that I ordered yesterday arrived. Have decided to give the inside of the frame and forks a good clean before I start building. Have never done this before on any of my frames but then I've never had a prototype frame before! Also, I live in a big, old Japanese house not far from the coast, so things easily rust away here. Once the Quamen's built, I'm definitely going to give the same treatment to the Laserlite, which was already suffering from corrosion when I bought it.
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Forgot to take any pictures but sprayed the inside of the frame and forks with 3-36 today. I did take a photo though! :daumenhoch:
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It might help if I mounted the spider the right way round! ::) ;D
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A bit more progress. Was hoping to get the front end sorted out this weekend but have run into some fork problems. Star nuts! ::)
More about that later. In the meantime, I shelved my plans to buy a new brake cable after I found a spare inner cable in my spares box, possibly a Jagwire but I can't remember now. I therefore went to a local mtb/road bike shop and bought a strip of Shimano outer cable in "high tech grey" - sorted! :daumenhoch:
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A crackin read that. Can't wait to see it put together.
Del's work is the best - them rub on's look the mutt's nuts :daumenhoch:
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Thanks man! I'm getting there, though encountered a few fork and headset problems over the weekend. The first was the compression bolt, which I soon realised was the wrong one! You can see from the pics that the threads inside the steerer tube start below the actual length of the bolt! :idiot2: Thankfully the FSA headset came with a star nut, so I could use that and the FSA cap instead. :daumenhoch:
The other headache was the integrated headset bearings, both of which wouldn’t fit into the headtube cups, which was not a big surprise as the bottom cup has a little ding on it and of course, this is a prototype rather than production frame, so I wasn’t expecting it to be perfect. I therefore “massaged” the bearings in with a rubber mallet and piece of cardboard, though am still not sure about the bottom bearing. If you look at the photos, the fork crown race can still be seen. Am not sure if these forks came with a built in race or one was added, but I decided to leave that rather than try to fit the FSA one that came with the headset. Not sure if this was a good idea or not, judging from the pics. What do you think? Maybe this is the excuse I've been looking for to buy one of those Lizard Skins covers! ::)
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One of these...
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:) Do you have the correct headset or know what size bearings the frame takes? Most are 45/45 ACB but some are 36/45 ACB.The 36 degree bearings are 0.5mm wider than the 45 degree bearings which may explain the tight fit.Your crown race also looks a bit off-is the one supplied with the headset?
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Thanks for the reply. :daumenhoch:
The frame takes campy 45/45 headsets and I'm fairly sure that's what the FSA is. I should have checked before installing the bearings and they're now "massaged" into the cups, so I'm reluctant to massage them out!! ::)
The crown race is the one that was on the forks already, so I left that one instead of removing it and fitting the shiny new FSA one, pictured below. Have also got another pic of the fork race, which does indeed look a little off, though it could be the camera lighting. I'm hoping that it all snugs up when I tighten up all the bolts, which I've yet to do.
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Aside from headset/fork and other problems (fooked-up rear axle threads, wrong-sized cones, lack of a Profile crank installation tool), I did manage to take some mock-up pics. Think it's going to look good as and when finally done! :daumenhoch:
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Thanks for the reply. :daumenhoch:
The frame takes campy 45/45 headsets and I'm fairly sure that's what the FSA is. I should have checked before installing the bearings and they're now "massaged" into the cups, so I'm reluctant to massage them out!! ::)
The crown race is the one that was on the forks already, so I left that one instead of removing it and fitting the shiny new FSA one, pictured below. Have also got another pic of the fork race, which does indeed look a little off, though it could be the camera lighting. I'm hoping that it all snugs up when I tighten up all the bolts, which I've yet to do.
Is it my eyes or does that installed crown race have a slight radius on it ?
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Not sure mate! I didn't notice it when I took the pic and the lighting is crap, so it's difficult to see! I know I should check it again but I don't want to lose the momentum I've now got going with this, so am going to keep going with the build and if it runs ok when it's done then I'll leave it be. Otherwise I'll whip off the forks and switch out the races. :daumenhoch:
Popped out to a hardware store today to pick up some M10 washers to get round the rear axle issues, which meant I could finally get the wheels on, as pictured below. Next up are the cranks, which I'm going to have to ask for help with, since I don't have the right tools for either the Profile BB or cranks! ::)
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Excellent thread and love the 'raw' look of this fistblump. Always running into these small problems myself when i build, things not quite fitting etc, half the fun i guess! :)
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Looking good mate.... how about a nice set of new school tan walls on her ? :coolsmiley:
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A pair of Odyssey Path tyres will look ace on that.. 20x2.1 & 20x1.85... similar tread to an old snake belly.
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Thanks for the comments guys! I picked up a box of spare race parts last year which, as well as the Eclat seat/post combo, included a pile of tyres including my favourite race tyre, the Maxxis DTH. Although they're 20 x 1.5s rather than the 1.75s I run on my Crupi, these rims have a fairly narrow width, so take a 1.5 no probs. I have 2 used ones and a new one to play with, but at the moment have put a used one on the back and left the larger 1.75 Maxxis Holy Roller on the front, giving it a fat/skinny vibe! Plus the yellow Maxxis label matches the yellow Eclat script on the seat. :daumenhoch:
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Have been distracted by other stuff but finally did some spannering on Project Q yesterday. Got the Profile BB on and test-fitted the spider/chainring but that was about as far as I got, because I couldn't get the bloody cranks arms on the spindle! ::) I need to be more brutal with it, so that's the plan today! In the meantime, here are a few progress pics, the last of which gives an idea of what it's going to look like as and when done! :daumenhoch:
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Didn't get much further yesterday, despite resorting to high tech means! Got the driveside arm on about halfway following a few thwacks with the hammer and wood shown in the pics but that was about it, so the plan is to install the spindle bolt and tighten the arm on that way. The problem with that idea is that the standard bolts have been replaced with titanium versions which look great (as pictured) but need a 7/32" allen key. Which I haven't got! ::)
Time to practice my social distancing at today's trip to the home centre! :daumenhoch:
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Starting to come together :)
That chainring looks cool ;)
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Thanks man! fistblump
Went to a couple of home centres (face mask firmly in place) in search of a 7/32" allen key but could only find single ones in metric sizes, so was forced to buy an imperial set! Now tooled up and ready for action, I had another crack at the Profiles. I was reluctant to tighten the ti bolt too much for fear of breaking it (they're supposedly not to be overtightened), so before I broke anything, I tried one more time with the hammer but this time using blocks of wood at both ends of the spindle. Thankfully this did the trick and the driveside arm FINALLY went on. Brute force (and email advice from Dave - thanks mate) wins the day!! The non-driveside arm was much easier, going on with a dozen or so hits with the rubber mallet. Pics below! :daumenhoch:
Apart from now needing to buy yet another tool to tighten-up the BB cups, I'm almost there. I need to install the brakes, apply Del's decals then sort out all the shake-down ride stuff but that's about it. Hopefully! At this rate I'll get it done for April's BOTM! Maybe! :D
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That is looking sweet. :daumenhoch:
I've seen those Profile BBs advertised but never seen one fitted on a CR-MO frame with Profile cranks, very interesting. :)
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That is looking sweet. :daumenhoch:
I've seen those Profile BBs advertised but never seen one fitted on a CR-MO frame with Profile cranks, very interesting. :)
I've gt the same bb fitted to my Kappa Brutus frame.... nice bb's
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It seems ok so far, though I've yet to ride the bike in anger. Actually bought it by chance rather than choice, picking it up in a deal with some other parts that I wanted/needed for this build, namely the brakes and chain adjusters/dropout protectors. Talking of dropouts, I have always thought these ones look like some sort of dinosaur's head, so for a bit of fun, did a bit of searching around online and came up with the pics below. Perhaps I should rename this thread Project Q-saurus and ask Del to knock me up some more decals! :daumenhoch:
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Shimano Deore caliper and Promax pads all ready to go on!
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Dinosaur dropouts ;D
Cool 8)
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So I got the brakes on, after various fiddling around with pad washers. Before I cut the cable and make everything look neat and tidy, I'm not sure about the cable length. From the rider's view it looks a little long (sticking out the front of the bike too much for my liking) but I could live with that. However, when I look at it from the side, the cable bow (for want of a better word to describe the curvature of the cable around the headtube) looks too big and too low. What say you Radsters? Leave as is or take it all apart and cut a couple of inches off the bugger? ::)
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Looks great Mick :coolsmiley:
Cut the cable unless you're planning to do bar-spins on it :shocked:
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I'd say trim it down sir imho, coming together nicely though :daumenhoch:
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Thanks guys! I knew the answer before posting but was in denial! ;D The same applies to the fork crown race. ::)
Hey ho, 2 steps forward and one step back. At least that's better than 1 step forward and 2 steps back! :daumenhoch:
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Hey ho, 2 steps forward and one step back. At least that’s better than 1 step forward and 2 steps back! :daumenhoch:
I think that's the case with most builds, or at least it is with mine :-[
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That's why they take so long! :LolLolLolLol:
Wish I had the skills, not to mention tools and facilities but to be fair, I never had any of those bitd, so nothing's changed! :2funny:
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Had another crack at the brakes today, cutting off 17cm of cable. Hopefully you'll agree that it looks much better. Also got my hands on a BB wrench, so could tighten up the BB cups. That meant with both brakes and BB in working order, I could take the bike out for a quick spin. :daumenhoch:
First impressions are... it's bloody loud. The Halo Clickster, that is, though with a name like that, perhaps that's no surprise. ;D
Also, whilst I like the look of the Eclat all-in-one seat/post combo, it means that I can't sit down, which is a pain in the arse knee, literally given my current knee problem. I may therefore switch out the seat for something I can actually sit down on for a proper shakedown ride. In the meantime, I'm going to have a crack at applying Del's decals!! :D
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Mikku,
That cable setup looks much better now buddy :4_17_5:
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Thanks man! Yeah, I was just being a lazy fooker, and in reality it only took about 10 minutes to shorten up. :uglystupid2:
Pissing down with rain here today, so may have to have a go at those decals!! :daumenhoch:
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Thankfully Del included a couple of spares because it took me a couple of goes to get it right, well, acceptable (to me) at any rate! Think they look great (despite the air bubbles)! :daumenhoch:
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Nice 8)
Del = Decal Jedi Master
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& a top guy to boot! Not literally, of course! ;)
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This thread is well in need of an update, mainly because the bike's finished. Well, sort of. I took it for a test ride and apart from the normal re-tightening up of nuts and bolts, everything looks ok, excluding the fork/headset combo, which still doesn't look quite right but since there's no play there, I've continued to ride it a couple of times a week, with the intention of whipping off the fork and replacing the crown race (with the new FSA one) as and when, and certainly before I take the bike to a track, which is the intention. However, work has now kicked in big time, so that "final" job is going to have to wait for another day. I did, however, switch out the Eclat all-in-one seat/post combo for something that I could actually sit down on. Anyway, enough chit-chat, here's some "finished" pics. :daumenhoch:
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& a couple more with the useable seat set-up! :daumenhoch:
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Good stuff mate :daumenhoch:
How does she ride ?
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Looking Tidy Mick, loving the raw look :daumenhoch:
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Tasty that , preferred it with the slammed seat though fistblump
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^^^ what zz-top said ^^^ 8)
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Thanks guys! Yeah, for looks and racing the Eclat seat combo wins hands down but for cruising round the rice fields, it's the Tioga all the way. It rides really well, though the acid test will be on track. Can't wait to see how it compares to the Crupi! It's certainly louder. If anyone runs a Halo Clickster, they'll know what I'm talking about! :daumenhoch:
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Was toying with the idea of a day trip out to a bmx track that re-opened yesterday, with a view to testing the Quamen (and my knee) but decided it was too far (250km each way) too soon! So today I had a tinkering with bmx day instead including sorting out the fork crown race on Project Q!! Below is a pic of the protruding race as mounted followed by what it looks like after I removed it, as compared to the shiny FSA race on the right. As you can see, they're a completely different size! Which explains a lot! I can't tell you what the bike looks like now because although the FSA race is on, the frame now sits lower on the fork, so there's more steerer tube on display which means...I need another spacer! Since I don't want to cut the steerer tube, I'll therefore pop into my lbs this week to see if I can bag a spacer or two, otherwise I'll check out an mtb shop or hit up Amazon. Two steps forward, one step back, and STILL not finished! ::)
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Picked up a spacer, so will try to get this done today! Famous last words! ::)
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All done, as per the pics below. Also decided to change the 1.75 Maxxis Holy Roller on the front to a 1.5 DTH. This is with a view to a bit of a track session which I'm planning next weekend, weather permitting. I've sometimes used the knobblier Holy Roller on the tracks with dirt berms, especially when it's been damp but otherwise the DTH offers a much smoother and faster ride, especially through the rhythm sections. We'll see what happens next Sunday! :daumenhoch:
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Race bikes need a race plate, so with the bike now running sweetly, I've turned my attention to a number plate. I was originally thinking of re-using my Pryme race plate from last year but although I like the front, the sticker-bombed back is a bit over the top for this build and I don't want to waste all those stickers but taking them off! I then saw and quickly picked up the "homemade number plate" shown below. Further investigation revealed that it was a 2-cycle Michael's custom plate that had been repainted by the seller. It's been done well and the colour and shape is perfect for Project Q, particularly if I do end up racing it. I may have to change out some of those stickers for something more in keeping with the bike (anyone got any Standard or Eclat stickers they want to offload??) and just in case I want to sticker-bomb the back, as is my way on race plates, I've also got various black and white stickers with a few red ones to throw on. What do you think?
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I gave the Quamen its track debut on Sunday, at the amusingly-named Gonzo Park track in Mie Prefecture, about 100 miles from home. As expected, it felt smaller than the Crupi and as a result, less stable in all areas. I didn't dislike it, it just felt different to what I'm used to. The more I rode it, the better it felt but as soon as I went back to the Crupi, I instantly felt more comfortable and confident. I'm not giving up on the Quamen just yet, as I'd like to try it out on a track that I know well. That said, I didn't buy the frame with the intention of racing it, so if it doesn't replace the Crupi as my race rig, I won't be disappointed.
On the plus side, the Quamen did get a lot of attention. A few of my regular rivals were there and one of them came over for a closer look and to take some pictures. He knew the brand and when I explained the story behind it, he said he knew the Japanese rider who had the white one mentioned earlier in this thread. He therefore sent one of his pictures to him, so I'll ask him what he said when I next see him. By this time a few other riders including some kids had gathered around to see what all the fuss was about. When the kids found out that it was chromoly, not alloy, they said that it must be heavy, which made us older guys laugh!! They did, however, like the raw finish, so partly redeemed themselves! Anyway, below is a pic of Project Q in action!
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Good stuff Mick :daumenhoch:
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The Quamen has currently taken over the role as my training bike, which means hooning it around my local rice paddies! :daumenhoch: Having already switched out the Eclat seat post/seat combo for the Tioga D-Spyder (so that I can actually sit down on the thing), I've just made a third seat change. Although quite a comfortable seat for short rides, the Tioga was doing my arse no favours on longer rides, so I started looking for something more user-friendly! The result is better described here:-
http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,196122.0.html
I actually like the look of the San Marco and think it goes better with the rest of the bike than the Tioga. More importantly, it's more comfortable. Not by much, I hasten to add, but at least the different shape of the seat will give my sore parts a bit of a respite! :daumenhoch:
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Beautiful ride.
I will do a raw bike one day now !
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Thanks man! I've wanted to do a raw bike for a few years now, so am glad to have finally had the chance with this. Plus I don't have to worry about the paintwork - a subject you know well! :daumenhoch:
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I've been using the Quamen as my regular rice-field rider for a few months now but have decided to swap out the Renthal chainring for a Profile Elite. Mainly because I want the Renthal for my UB2 but I actually think that the nickel-finish Profile looks great on Project Q! :daumenhoch:
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Is it ever possible to actually finish a bike?! I'm loathe to throw money at bikes, especially when they work fine but I've been unhappy with the look of the Avid brake lever since it was on there. I like the lever it's just too new and bright for the rest of the bike (the same can be said for the alloy seatpost but that's another story for another post), so have been looking for a suitably cheap replacement. I finally found this SRAM lever today and grabbed it pdq. So far as I know, the SRAM levers (or at least this one) is the same as my Avid one but this one has a titanium finish which is (hopefully) a much better match for the raw finish on the Standard bars. Will find out when it arrives in the New Year, which gives me more time to find a suitable seatpost! :daumenhoch:
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That will look great when it's fitted :daumenhoch:
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Nope, a bike is never finished. Not ever.
If you can find one look out for a TRP Donnie Robinson carbon lever. Yeah, it's *that* Donnie Robinson. I absolutely love mine !
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Yeah, one of those would look great but they aint cheap! Thumbs down
I have the caliper on my Crupi though, and it's a nice set-up for sure.
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I've received the lever and I think it'll look great... when I get round to fitting it!! ::) I'll need to remove the grip for that which, as we all know, is a royal pita, so that's going to have to wait until the weather warms up! Talking of which, I took the bike out for a spin the other day - my first of the New Year. Bloody cold but great to blow away the winter cobwebs from both bike and rider! :daumenhoch:
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More late night purchases on Yahoo Auctions Japan! ::)
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Fitted the post this afternoon. It's got scratches, paint loss and surface rust - it's perfect!!! 8)
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Love it 8). Suits it perfectly Mick.
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Thanks mate! I think it's got just about the right level of "patina" for the Mad Max look of this bike! :daumenhoch:
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Got up nice and early this morning, so went for a ride around the rice paddies. Then thought I'd switch out the brake lever but gave up after about 40 minutes fighting with the plastic bar end! I eventually prised off the fooker but not before ripping off half of my thumb nail! Grrrr!! Tomorrow I'll have a go at the grip, hopefully will less pain but you know how these things go! :daumenhoch:
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Yesterday I finally got round to swapping out the Avid lever on the Quamen! Man, I'd forgotten what a pita non-locking grips are to get on and off. So much so that I'm seriously thinking of getting something else before I put the Cult/Vans one back on. Watch this space! :daumenhoch:
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Yeah it's a pain if you don't have a compressor and use air. I don't, so I never look forward to it.
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Got up nice and early this morning, so went for a ride around the rice paddies. Then thought I'd switch out the brake lever but gave up after about 40 minutes fighting with the plastic bar end! I eventually prised off the fooker but not before ripping off half of my thumb nail! Grrrr!! Tomorrow I'll have a go at the grip, hopefully will less pain but you know how these things go! :daumenhoch:
lovin the early morning pics
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Was outbid on these last night. Shame as they would have been just the ticket. I have a Plan B though. :daumenhoch:
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Have been neglecting this recently, mainly because I'm back at work but also because I've taken to riding the UB2 as much as I can. However, I "whipped" off the other Cult/Vans gip today (whipped = 15 minutes of fun and games with water and elbow grease) and in the absence of any other Yahoo Auction Japan purchases, resorted to Plan B! B stands for the box of spare parts that was given to me by an American guy who was returning to the States and wanted to off-load BMX stuff before he left. That box included the Eclat seat and post combo (that went on Project Q for the original build pics) and a few pairs of grips, including some old, dirty, blue ODi Ruffians. So old and dirty in fact that I thought they might actually work on the Quamen, at least until I find another pair of used alternatives. Sounds like a crap idea but hey, they're free and I actually they think that they look ok. Oh, and I like the new lever too! Pics below! :daumenhoch:
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Sometimes I wish I just had one bike. Would make life a whole lot easier :LolLolLolLol:
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Easier but not as much fun!! :daumenhoch:
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Decided to go for a long Sunday ride yesterday, so thought I?d dust down the Quamen for its first outing in a while. That gave me the excuse to fit the Maxxis Holy Roller that I picked up to give me a matching tyre set. I liked the smaller DTH that was on the back but it was used when I got it and has worn some more since then, so thought it was about time to replace it. I must admit to preferring the look of the fat/skinny set-up but it's nice to have the extra grip. Pics below. :daumenhoch:
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Always wanted to go to Japan. Had this mad thing about Japanese birds when I was a teen. Beautiful scenery there dude !
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Always wanted to go to Japan. Had this mad thing about Japanese birds when I was a teen. Beautiful scenery there dude !
Well I live in a big ol' house in the Japanese countryside, so you're welcome to stay over if you ever make it here. Plus, as you know, I have several BMX you could use to cruise around the rice paddies. :daumenhoch:
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I now realise that those old, ODi Ruffians were taken off for a reason - they'd gone gummy! Even with gloves on, the feeling was still meh, so even though I liked the look of them, they had to go. I therefore replaced them with these Northshore ones by Lizard Skins. They were missing the plastic end caps but I had some unused Odyssey Par Ends lying around, so paired them up with those. They're a much chunkier grip than I'm used to and the trade-off for that extra cushioning is less feel. Fine for hooning it around the rice paddies but I'm not sure I'd like to race with them. Anyway, I think they look good, so they're staying. :daumenhoch:
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I was racing last weekend and one of the elite riders was the ex-Quamen pro that had the white "RF3" prototype mentioned earlier in this thread. I therefore took the chance to introduce myself and told him about my Quamen. He was understandably surprised and Airdropped some of my photos of the bike. He also said that he still had his Quamen at home! That means that at least two of the three prototypes are in Japan! :daumenhoch:
He also has his own bike park/race track and invited me to visit sometime. I said that I'd go and would also take the Quamen along, so that's the plan for later in the year! :)
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Stunning pics as ever mate.
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Thanks man! Now if I can just snap some shots of the two prototype frames together, I'll be a happy chappy! :D