A Kumo Cycles Build Journal: The Kumocommuter practical road bike

[BrakeFree]

Due to popular demand I am gonna have a go at documenting a frame build.

Note: this is not a how too, I will not go into the minutiae of brazing, mitering, measuring, fit and all the shit that makes framebuilding harder than it looks. If you want to build your own frame go out and do the legwork, It was over a year of research and practice before I put my arse on a bike I had made.

This bike is my no excuses winter/commuter/travel bike, I intend to ride to work every day this winter (~37k return) and with this bike I shall have no excuses not to ride!

The frame will be made from KVA stainless steel, damn expensive stuff, and damn hard to work with, it will be a 60x58cm with:
-S&S couplers for travel duty
-Brake bosses for Paul Racer M brakes
-fender and rack mounts
-internally routed wires for the front and rear dynamo lights
-entirely made from stainless, except the fork, which will be replaced with a stainless one when KVA release their stainless blades

The whole thing will be peened with glass beads to give a nice satin finish

Step #1:
First things first is to brainstorm how I wanted the bike to function and handle:
-Stable
-Fast
-able to carry small loads
-look bitchin
-dynamooo
-able to break down easily for travel

Taking this into consideration I have built a stable, low centre of gravity road bike with nimble handling characteristics coupled with good road tracking and versitility.

- 75mm BB drop
-430mm CS length
- 375mm A-C fork for clearance with a 45mm rake

It is important to draw up even just a sketch to make sure everything works together. This is a 1/2 scale drawing to get everything to fit nice



You can see two big 660mm squares on the drawing, these are the fit templates for packing the bike down in an S&S case, the yellow highlighted zones are where the couplers can be installed.

Right, so stay tuned for progress on the build, with piccytures, it will either start this afternoon or tomorrow morning depending on how I go finishing the bike that is before it on the list.

[dubrat]

Awesome.... Stoked your starting from the first step... The planning stage.

[JimmyJ]

Isn't there are "scouring the internet for images stage" first?

[BrakeFree]

Isn't there are "scouring the internet for images stage" first?

No

I do design everything in my head first, especially when I am riding. I always carry a notepad with me

[mr_dylan]

Ahhh so we get to see the master at work!

As a testimony to how awesome you are, I am trying to figure out how long it will take me to get enough cash to replace all my bikes with Kumo frames.

[El Kabong]

I really like the spec so far --- but I've got a few 'planning stage' questions:-

Why centrepull brakes? Why not disc brakes, or dual pivot calliper brakes, or mini-Vs, or cantilever brakes?

What type of drive-train? Fixed gear? Single speed? Flip-flop? Hub gears? Derailleurs? If derailleurs, then front and rear, or rear only? Or, will you build the frame so that it can be used either FG/SS or with derailleurs?

What type of bars? Drops? Risers? Flat bar? Something more exotic?

What sort of foot retention?

Wheelset? 700c? 650c? 650b? High profile or low?

[BrakeFree]

Centrepulls: cause I've never used em before. And they will do the job

Drivetrain: 10am campy veloce

Bars: Nitto drops

Retention: SPD

Wheelset: 700c, TB14 to CK rear, SON Edelux front

[JP]

Whoa! all stainless... great
I'm interested in the headtube angle and trail of the fork (and what sized tires are you building for?)
One of my favourite things about custom bikes is custom racks, no adjustment, just a solid rack (glass peened stainless, of course) that bolts on and off for travel. Are you planning on one?
And which lights will you use? Will you integrate rear light into the frame/rack/fender/direct mount onto any of them? Knowing which front light you will use also means being able to build in a direct mount somewhere, so there are no clamps or struts or other stuff that non-custom bikes have to live with.

[John Kennedy]

Also very interested to see what you can do to integrate dynamo lights and their wiring.

[BrakeFree]

73 deg HT
I'll pull the rake off the drawing when I have finished lunch

I am planning on making a front and rear stainless rack, TIG welded. Front will be mostly just there are a light/fender mount and for a small bag. Similar to the nitto M18

I have a supernova E3 front and rear light, both mounted on integrated fittings on the racks