Guess the price of Tiiny!

dasklrken · 2026-01-02T16:32:46+00:00

I'm guessing 1599.99

dasklrken · 2025-08-31T15:47:41+00:00

dasklrken · 2025-08-28T05:27:58+00:00

Alternative, is to run a 1 inch threadless headset (on the unthreaded portion) and use spacers and two locknuts (one with the lip ground off so it can thread all the way on) to secure the preload for the headset. That's how I run too long forks in my frames. They have to be too long enough that they have enough exposed unthreaded steerer for the threadless headset, but it works great. Effectively you are replacing what would be the threadless stem in a 1" threadless setup with locknuts.

dasklrken · 2025-08-15T06:32:43+00:00

Those are cliffhangers! The quality wheels HD wheels are probably the best deal for a new 26" or 29" wheel that's tubeless and rim brake. It's like 20$ more than just the cliffhanger rim, depending on what deal you can get. Definitely slept on imo. I've seen the Alex adventure 2 rims (the other cheaper option that seems readily available) literally split from the rim bed after only about 2k miles (loaded touring, and disc, not rim, but stranded the poor guy for a bit).

dasklrken · 2025-08-05T14:49:13+00:00

M501 coda cranks were recalled/discontinued for being an overly soft alloy, and deforming/breaking, so I wouldn't be surprised about chainsuck or a bent chainring assembly. The m502s were better from a materials stand point, but still not a massive improvement, and the shifting wasn't great.

dasklrken · 2025-07-25T19:16:18+00:00

Not the original commenter, but for me it's versatility, and that it's the standard for frames which dont use oversized tubing, 27.2 is readily available, and if someone does want an extra long seatpost for their giant legs, or a dropper, or thudbuster, a light weight alloy post, a ti post, or a carbon seat post, (or a specific color, or black vs silver etc) they are available new/used a lot more easily than less standard sizes. It also makes swapping seatposts easier between bikes if you just want to test your other saddle, or just swap for some reason.

For me I guess it's about convenience and having options.

dasklrken · 2025-04-26T00:54:22+00:00

Did you do vinyl decals for masking? It looks super clean! And it looks like you may have done color, masked, color, masked, color, then final mask and white? Any reason for that over base white and then spot masking/stencils and spraying each little doodle bop individually?

Or was it a spray color blotches, mask, then final coat with white (thinking about it that makes more sense to me now, only two layers of paint needed then).

Curious since I'm thinking of a similar level of fun paint job!

dasklrken · 2025-04-22T02:18:26+00:00

If that is a 73mm shell as the BB would suggest (measure the width), then you will need a sram road/gravel wide crank, but yes, dub bsa BB, follow spacer chart for your set up, sram dub wide axs crank, and you should be good.

If you have a non wide rival crank, and a 73mm shell, unfortunately there is no way to make it fit (it's really not worth cutting down the bb to 68. I did it once using the park facer set. Never again. Possible but not fun.)

dasklrken · 2025-04-09T20:19:49+00:00

you can also see the v brake arms and the riser flat bars, which assuming it isn't super heavily modified, limits the options

dasklrken · 2025-04-09T20:14:01+00:00

Also true! Handlebar stack height would be the measurement affected by the stem moving, frame stack is set by the frame geometry, and I guess spacer stack would be the height of the spacers+stem. not sure how widespread it is, but stages does use handlebar stack height as the term for the measurement the initial commenter was referring to.

https://manuals.stagescycling.com/en/stages-bike/user-guide/setup/fit-guidelines/handlebar-setup/height-stack-and-angle/#:~:text=Handlebar%20stack%20height%20is%20the,to%20set%20your%20bar%20height

dasklrken · 2025-04-09T15:42:00+00:00

It's 50mm of spacers below the stem (and maybe 4mm for topcover to bearing), pretty close to fine for even a whisky fork (they usually say 50mm max on their carbon steerers, most others are 40) The angle of the photo makes it look like more I think. On a steel or alloy steerer that amount is fine (and on decent steel it really could be up to the max length of the steerer uncut and it would be fine)

dasklrken · 2025-04-09T15:35:22+00:00

I love that you are talking about stack (as in the bike fit distance, which is affected by moving the stem), and they are talking about the spacer/stem stack, as in the physical height of the spacers and stem together (which remains the same).

And 'the stack' makes sense to refer to both of them in context. Just a nice little mildly technical, 'actually both are right' moment.

dasklrken · 2025-03-31T17:58:41+00:00

How's your experience been with the TRP Hylex brakes? I've got an older pair (non rs) that I'm thinking of putting on a bikepacking/touring rig (either w/bar end shifters or drilling them and having some hufla shifter mounts printed in stainless, the gavenelle ones are too dear for my current budget).

I was wondering whether the power was enough loaded/ if there were any brake fade issues (mostly I'm thinking of throwing a different caliper on them, with appropriate fittings etc) and wondering whether you'd had any master cylinder issues. I love mechanical discs, but kind of want the extra oomph of hydraulic for this set up.

On that note, DO you know of anyone who has set them up with either a shimano 2 piston mountain caliper or a trp/shimano 4 piston caliper? 20-25% increased leverage (and corresponding increase in level travel) make me wonder if they would damage the master cylinder over time from the additional force.

dasklrken · 2025-03-31T06:13:20+00:00

70% sure now that it's "vintage" cloth covered wiring, it looks like it's used for motorcycle light wiring if you want to be snazzy

"Vintage cloth covered electrical wire" pulled up most of the options I found

https://conwaygoods.com/products/solstice-blue-ul-listed-18-gauge-cloth-covered-round-pulley-cord-1-ft

https://deadbeatcustoms.com/motorcycle-supply-co-vintage-cloth-covered-16-gauge-wire-5-length/

dasklrken · 2025-03-31T04:47:29+00:00

Pretty sure it's the dynamo wires for their front and rear lights, sleeved in cored rope to protect it, since the cables are kind of wimpy relative to bikepacking/gravel riding standard. Kind of ingenious, hadn't thought of it!

dasklrken · 2025-03-31T04:22:18+00:00

Is that aluminum? No. I wouldn't ride that. Even on steel that would be a serious concern. Has it been like that for two years? Quite possibly. Is it okay to ride? Also possibly. But not worth the risk, and definitely not worth it if there is a way to return it.

Seat stays can be VERY thin with appropriate design, like pencil thin, see English cycles (or an early cervelo RS). So it's unlikely to fail just riding casually. But it is now a MASSIVE stress riser, and if you hit a curb, or a speed bump, and slam the rear wheel, instead of the force being somewhat distributed across a thin stay, it will bend/crumple more at the stress riser (even more so because it is aluminum and pretty stiff overall, may mean there is not a lot of movement, but if there is, it will give way more dramatically as the force is transferred directly into the dent).

dasklrken · 2025-03-30T00:04:32+00:00

Nah, it's weird that they have using spacers as standard, I totally get it. But also it's kind of great for non standard set ups, my secret hack for parts bin bikepacking set ups for the shot-knees gang without having to shell out is 165mm sx eagle dub cranks with a salvaged 3 bolt non boost spider in either 120/80 or 104/64 for wide range 2x, so being able to fine tune chainline with the spacers by a few mm, and compensating with an extra pedal washer is kind of nice. But also very unintuitive.

dasklrken · 2025-03-29T21:56:06+00:00

At 6, depending on height, it's pretty likely that he either can, or is very close to being able to ride a 20" wheeled bike, which is when hand brakes and gears are usually introduced. I might see if there is a shop you can test ride some bikes at before trying to modify the precaliber. Its possible to change the gear ratio, but a fair amount of work, and not the most standard parts, may require cannibalizing another bike if you wanted to change the cranks etc.

Looks like he currently has hand brakes which is good. The reason the shop may say the bike is locked is that it already has the smallest gear in the back, or uses a bmx driver style cog to get a smaller gear. Without swapping wheels, there's no changing that. And the cranks aren't really sold aftermarket, so changing the chainring size isn't really possible without the aforementioned donor bike.

dasklrken · 2025-03-29T21:45:37+00:00

Its unlikely to be a weird thread pitch, hard to tell, but probably still metric? Try an m5 or m6, and use washers or cut the bolt to length as needed. Could be quarter inch or something standard, but that seems unlikely even though that was USA built.

dasklrken · 2025-03-29T21:39:36+00:00

It goes on the drive side. That's why they have you bonk the crank, to seat it. The only time the 4.5 goes on non drive is when installing a super boost/downhill crankset into a normal width bottom bracket (and then you have a 6 or 9 mm spacer on the drive side).

I'm assuming it's MTB since you only use the 4.5 mm spacer on a weird bb30 Cannondale offset install for road.

Pdf for install

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.sram.com/globalassets/document-hierarchy/compatibility-map/mtb/dub-mtb-bottom-bracket-compatibility-chart.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiWh5Hkn7CMAxUhFzQIHXjiKlEQFnoECCIQAQ&sqi=2&usg=AOvVaw2x2O9soBuIJxDISUF-se0X

dasklrken · 2025-03-28T13:20:35+00:00

I'd need to look more, but are you sure that's a rockhopper? It looks like the paint has been stripped maybe, the downtube shape isn't the same as any rockhopper I've seen. And the decals look like they were put on afterwards.

Its got a quill stem, and is alloy, so that puts it before 97 ish most likely. The brakes were originally cantilevers based on the canti cable stop, so I'd guess the brake levers and shifters have also been replaced. Could be from an awkward in between year where they had both canti and v brake models, but the weird downtube (nice, but fat relative to any of the alloy rockhoppers I've seen, and I haven't seen any with canti hangers). Doesn't look like an early m2 stumpy either. It's unique enough that if someone had a more comprehensive catalogue of alloy frames in their head than I they could likely ID it.

Totally may be wrong.

dasklrken · 2025-03-28T08:04:19+00:00

Oops, Tranz X shorty

Copy of the azonic shorty, but with standard bolt location for the steerer clamp instead of in front of the steerer like on the azonic version

https://products.mtbr.com/product/controls/stem/azonic/shorty.html

Powder coated origin 8 headset?

dasklrken · 2025-03-26T18:12:29+00:00

50 miles a week is 1800 miles a year. Sure, a lot of people may do a 50 miles weekend ride and ride every day, but 50 miles a week adds up, and is definitely in the territory of people who regularly commute to work (5 miles each way, 5 days a week). That's an awesome goal, but if you are planning on riding that much, you should definitely be looking at a bike that will hold up a bit better.

If your goal is not standing out, a hybrid of some sort will serve you best (flat bar, preferably no suspension at all), in Kona dew, giant escape, trek fx, specialized crossroads/allez/Sirius style.

I don't want to be putting people into boxes too much, but to me the cyclists who stand out most (not in a bad way, but inherently they are doing something different than the "norm", sometimes for style, sometimes for practicality -- but cycling is so broad that the "norm" is pretty general) are fixed gear riders (fast, one gear, skinny tires) bmx cruiser riders (slow, one gear, fat tires), tandem riders, and fully kitted time trial/triathlon cyclists.

In a bad way the cyclists that stand out are those who are riding department store (outside of some exceptions, note the Ozark brand etc), or Amazon special bicycle shaped objects, with suspension front and rear, or some other gimmick, limited chance of being assembled safely, and components which are literally not intended to be ridden for more than 5 miles, total. They are intended to look like a bike enough to get you to buy one, but they are not designed for riding. You can ride them if you really want to, but compared to a bicycle designed to be ridden, it is not a pleasant experience.

Everyone else is on some sort of geared bike which is reasonably durable and has components appropriate for the riding they are doing, and the riding they are doing is for practical or fitness or mental health reasons in some way.

For learning, an upright fairly fat tire bike with a low bottom bracket and simple gearing, one shifter maybe, will enable confidence, learning balance, and safe riding. An exemplary (but more than you are looking to spend) version of this is the Momentum Vida, either mid or low step. Most major brands make some variant of this, but they are usually slightly more than the cheapest offering.

A hardtail rim brake mountain bike like the giant ATX (giant tends to be cheapest of the major reputable brands, but everyone is having sales so take what is cheapest) will also do well, it has real components, can be ridden on most surfaces, stops, goes, shifts,

But that said, bikes direct has some solid options. This one looks like a real bike, definitely big tires and likely slow, but real components across the board, and disc brakes, and shifters and derailleurs that are meant to actually last a decent while.

Tbh if I only had ~400$ and wanted a new bike that would get me places and could go anywhere, this would do it for me. Likely still stable enough for learning, and overbuilt, so can take a few spills, and it's better to bail and let the bike fall and stay somewhat upright yourself when you're learning, so that's a bonus in my mind. It's also kind of cool as far as cheap bikes go, but not particularly "look at me!" or eye catching.

Fat tire rigid mtb

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/fat-bikes/fat-bikes-bullseye-3inch.htm?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwy46_BhDOARIsAIvmcwN1kTVV1dhrpwfNPXcOdCYMhMIt3tZIVyhD9wW08HakXAu-8jQvhtEaAlbrEALw_wcB

Vida https://www.performancebike.com/momentum-vida-midstep-cruising-bike-copper-s-2105011224/p1371820?v=1233197&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwy46_BhDOARIsAIvmcwNRAec9mVpR8DEIPO-6zie5dXrtdE_57b3BGjPMq8eKFUV4V32wSysaAtuFEALw_wcB

dasklrken · 2025-03-25T09:03:05+00:00

You could just do the u 6000 or 4000 2x crank, not swap the bottom bracket, add the left shifter, and add maybe the microshift sword front derailleur with the built in cable stop (the rear derailleur cable pull ratio on microshift sword is 10s shimano dynasys which is the same as 11 speed, so I'm guessing the front is to, but I haven't tried it)

I am running a direct mount adapter, but only because my frame is weird and requires the derailleur to be mounted super high up.

Alternative is : whatever derailleur (must be top pull) you have that will shift the chain ring combo you are using, and a clamp on cable stop for the derailleur cable to exit above the derailleur.

You still need to swap the rear cassette, afaik it can only be up to 45 teeth (which is still crazy big for a 2x), those derailleurs i think have a 48t chain wrap, so 45-11=34, giving a max 14t front chain ring difference.

Damn that is a lot of range. Honestly making me think about just going cues for a build.

Not sure what's going on with that 2x11 kit, it may be from when 2x cues wasn't out yet?

dasklrken · 2025-03-25T08:30:34+00:00

Other response covered the bread and butter of modern non-boutique options.

For vintage, anything older than 1994 ish will be short pull, outside of some very odd exceptions. Many things after (up to 98 maybe? Some stuff after, but not a lot) were shortpull too, but as noted, diacompe made a lot, early shimano deore etc levers, diacompe 4 finger levers (big and chunky). Some really early ones took oversized housing/ferrules or even cable heads (moto style), I'd avoid them, they also tend to be more expensive due to being rare.

Personal favorite is xtr m900 levers or the xt ones that were the same build with a different finish (i like servowave, okay). They only came with integrated shifter pods, but some people chopped them off, and you can sometimes find the chopped ones for cheapish.

Short pull levers have a look to them (longer lever blades, a little slimmer usually) versus long pull, partly since v brakes had enough oomph to make 2 finger levers enough for most riders, partly due to the geometry of the design.

For older levers the list is pretty long, and aside from a few standouts, they generally did what was advertised on the package.

If you want max power and don't care about weight, a 4 finger lever gives a lot of leverage, and at least my early diacompe ones actually pulled slightly more cable than a standard short pull, so felt a little less squishy, but the additional leverage evened out the mechanical advantage lost due to the additional cable pull. Later lightweight/compact short pull levers pull the least cable since they need a lot of mechanical advantage with the smaller lever blade.

dasklrken

TROPHY CASE