| http://www.desperadocycles.com | |
| Necessity is the mother of invention. A need for a high
performance frame that can be taken apart and fit in a suitcase for travel
is the need and
the “Travelight” is the answer. Especially if you do a lot
of air travel.
The prototype is
over 2 years old and I have ridden it on both road and off road conditions.
The AMP Research suspension design for has been proven in the Desperado’s circle for over ten years now. I have basically taken the same idea and eliminated the shock and instead of connecting the seat stays to the top tube I have connected them to a ‘Mono-Strut’ off the back end of the seat tube. I have custom fabricated the entire bottom bracket attachment out of stainless to be both corrosion proof and to allow very tight tolerances for integrity. Any of my frames listed can be modified for an additional $275 American, or as always I can create a total custom! The OS-Link (Open Source) kit comes in 2 sizes: A 15 inch and a 17 inch seat tube running 26" rims and cantilever brakes. The advantage of the 17 is the ability to have Paul’s Motto brakes that allow the use of anywhere from 26” mountain rims to 700c with cantilevers or fit riders who's traditional size of 56cm on up. If you are using a set of road brakes, prefer a tight rear triangle and and ride a 54cm or smaller seat tube size, the 15” will more than fit the bill. In my design of which I called the OS-Link (Open Source) the seat cluster
becomes a critical issue for high stressors caused from a long seatpost
due to short seat tubes. When building a small frame for a tall riders,
the seatpost extends beyond what is normal for road frame. The seatpost
then acts as a leverage bar on the seat cluster causing the area of the
top tube to have issues with cracking at the join. Azul The “Doc.” has a plane that he uses for work and pleasure. The family was getting to take the majority of the passenger area and there was some indication from folks that the bike needed to go into the luggage compartment. The creation of a high performance bike was in the making! The Doc needed some extra in the areas of the head tube/Down Tube junction and at the bottom bracket. I created internal reinforcement sleeves to double the wall thickness because the rider weight limit for the True Temper S3 tube set is 190lbs and the Doc. is right on the money for pushing the limits. The shims also increased the rigidity to help with the riding style of the owner whom likes to do a lot of out of the saddle hill climbing.
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| The "Travelight" and its “Stay2tite©” seat cluster using 45% Cadmium Free Silver brazing material. | Do you wish to have a closer look? 3136x1996 pix at 800k |
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Shown here is a "Tinned" sleeve that will be inserted into the seat tube at the bottom bracket junction to increase the strength of the join and increase the strength of the seat tube itself.
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The “Stay2tite©” seat cluster is created to increase the strength of the top tube/seat tube/seat stay junction due to the increase of leverage of a long seat post and post a minimum of stress on the tubing due to heat during joining. The 45% cadmium free silver is perfect for this type of joint. Perfect penetration can be seen here before it gets capped. |
26" atb
rims and Ritchey 1.4
tires. |
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Pictured
with 700c wheels. |
This
option can be done with the use of Palul's Moto Lite Cantilever brakes
that can be adjusted for either 26" to 700c. |
| The imagination is a great thing, and once again it is used in the shop to solve minor difficulties. Here is a pin that needs to be pulled to allow the removal of the rear triangle. A simple mod to a wine cork puller is slick and works double time as a bottle opener! | ![]() |
| http://www.desperadocycles.com Email To:jalonhawk@desperadocycles.com |