A couple of days ago, I posted that I was approaching the finish line on building my new bike and asked around for a name. Thanks to Philip, meet Grey Fox!
(Click the images to zoom) Some features to note: The gear rati0 is 46:12. No front derailleur. Eight speeds on the rear and a big old school friction thumb shifter distorted and Dremeled into working on road bars. The brakes are time trial/triathalon levers and Tektro Oryx cantilevers. The back wheel is a Mavic laced onto a generic hub. The front is a DT Swiss laced onto a cheap Shimano hub. The frame is a Trek 7300 with frankly insufficient paint to have any real durability.
Right now, it’s got a top gear of a paltry 97.3 gear inches.I haven’t yet switched the chainring in from the Iron Monkey, which will give it a top gear of 121.4 gear inches. That is, the wheel will go 1/3 further around for each time I pedal. The Yellowjacket’s top gear is 108. That is, it should haul ass.
The shifter and right brake lever. Note the clever “TAPE OVER IT” technique. Those tires were a trash find, by the way.
The powertrain. I like those cranks and I can not lie. But they don’t fit a big chainring. So they’re going to move over to the Iron Monkey and the Grey Fox will get the big ring and old Dura Ace cranks. The Tektro Oryx brakes are nearly as good as V brakes. Pretty impressive. You may also note the seat clamp from the Iron Monkey. I gotta get a permanent solution for the Grey Fox.
Awesome. The paint isn’t holding up, though?
Not really. I mean, I dropped an 8mm hex on it and it chipped through both grey and orange. But it’s not a big deal. I like dings.
Next time, though, I’m gonna look into powdercoating. If I need details, I’ll add them with masking paint or tape.
Is it comfortable? That stem looks hella long in the one side pic. It looks like it could haul ass, but might not be the most comfortable ride…
We need a first ride review!
Indeed, the stem is too long by about 5cm, which is just what we measured in the basement. I’m hunting around Ebay for an appropriate one now.
The bike’s really comfortable otherwise. That saddle’s fantastic. Maybe the best I’ve ever ridden. The stem pulls me too far forward on it, but once that’s settled, it’ll be great.
It’s really fun to accelerate on it. I’m used to having a suspension tapping my energy and this just accelerates away. The wee, skinny 23mm tires are speedy, too. I’m surprised by how much shock absorption they give. I think the carbon fork helps, though I’m not certain.
The shifter’s surprisingly functional. I want to see if I can rotate it around the bar a little bit, but the way the bolt holds it together interferes with the brake cable if I go too far around.
All told, success!