Marvinator rims with Quando track hubs

Last week I picked up a Marvinator wheelset from Gear Brisbane. The wheels are Gear Brisbane’s bottom-of-the-range wheels (and do not currently appear on their web site). The Marvinator rims from Colossi are built up with Quando hubs with sealed bearings. I am not sure what the spokes are. The Quando hub is a flip/flop hub.

Apparently the wheels are handbuilt in Brisbane by their “master wheel builder”. Pretty good value wheels for $230.

I weighed the Marvinator wheelset at 1048 grams for the front wheel and 1129 grams for the rear wheel, without rim tape or a sprocket/freewheel.

Marvinator wheelset still in their plastic wrap

Marvinator wheelset

I am planning to put these wheels on my orange Cell Fixie frame, Wonder Woman, moving the wheelset from that bike to Project Beetlejuice.

Cycling Deal fixie/track frame TF-56W — Project Beetlejuice update

A few people have asked me what is happening with Project Beetlejuice — my bike build using a Cycling Deal fixie/track frame TF-56W.

In short, Project Beetlejuice has been on the backburner for a few months. Over Christmas, my wife gave me a Wabi Cycles Special. (For more posts on my Wabi Special, explore the Bloke’s Lens Tigger tag, or Bloke’s Post Tigger tag.)

The Wabi Special is a much nicer bike than the Cycling Deal fixie/track frame TF-56W was ever going to be. The Wabi is probably lighter, even though it has a steel frame (high quality Reynolds 725 steel, mind you) and more comfortable geometry than the Cycling Deal frame.

I have therefore changed the focus of the Project Beetlejuice build. I had originally been building a budget bike, but spending money on a few key nice parts, such as wheels. The aluminium Cycling Deal frame is now going to become my rain bike. I may end up renaming the build at some point — I just need to find a more appropriate name!

I have fitted the headset, but done a bit of a dodgy job of it. Both the bearings and the seat were painted. I probably should have removed this paint before trying to fit the headset because the bearings were a stupidly tight fit. I am hoping that I have not damaged the frame or bearings in the process of trying to fit them. I will take some photos, but I have been unable to get the bottom bearing to sit square. I am hoping that a few hundred kilometres of road vibrations will sort it out.

A parts update for the Cycling Deal fixie/track frame TF-56W:

The Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio Flow saddle has been borrowed for use on my Wabi Special
The OEM saddle on the Wabi Special will be used on the Cycling Deal frame.
The OEM tyres on the Wabi Special were Kenda Koncept tyres and Kenda tubes — on removing and inspecting them, they actually are pretty decent tyres and tubes, so I will reuse them on this bike.
I am planning to replace the handle bars on my orange Cell Bikes singlespeed with a set of wide bars in keeping with the original intent of Wonder Woman being a townie bike. The riser bars on Wonder Woman will make their way to this bike.
In keeping with Wonder Woman’s town bike style, I plan to also remove the deep dish wheels and fit them to the Cycling Deal frame.

That should then only leave cranks, chainring, pedals, stem, brake levers and calipers, and a chain to complete this build.

For more posts on the Cycling Deal fixie/track frame TF-56W bike build, explore the Project Beetlejuice tag.

Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio Flow saddle and Continental Grand Prix 4000S tyres

I have started the process of customising my Wabi Special from Wabi Cycles. I have replaced the front tyre with a Continental Grand Prix 4000S. I plan to replace the rear tyre when my new freewheel, chain and chain ring arrive.

The original tyres on the Wabi Special were Kenda Koncept tyres. My previous experience with Kenda bicycle tyres had not been particularly good, so I was keen to replace them. According to my wife’s digital kitchen scales, the Kenda Koncept tyres weighed in at 221 grams, with the Kenda tube at 94 grams.

The Continental Grade Prix 4000S weighed in 213 grams, while the Vittora Ultralight tube I fitted was 82 grams. Curiously, a second set of identical Continental/Vittoria tyres/tubes weighed at the same time tipped the scales at 217 grams and 92 grams respectively. I have saved the heavier tyre/tube set for fitting to the rear wheel.

In retrospect, the Kenda Koncept tyres actually were pretty good value and quite okay as OEM equipment. The difference in weight is only 20 grams comparing the Kenda tyre/tube set with the lightest Continental/Vittoria tyre/tube set. The road feel of the Continental tyres was not noticeably superior to the Kenda tyre either. Unless you are a serious weight weeny, the Kenda Koncept tyres are quite okay as OEM equipment. Wear them out and then replace them with your favourite set of rubber. For me, the Kenda Koncept tyres will be used on a new bike build, Project Beetlejuice.

Continental Grand Prix 4000S fitted to Wabi Special

I have fitted the Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio Flow saddle to my Wabi Special. There was nothing wrong with the original saddle from Wabi Cycles, but I use the Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio Flow saddle on my other bikes, so I have also fitted it to my Wabi. More info on the saddles is here. I am planning to use the OEM saddle also on Project Beetlejuice.

Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio Flow saddle on my Wabi Special

For more posts on my Wabi Special, explore the Bloke’s Lens Tigger tag, or Bloke’s Post Tigger tag.

White Industries ENO freewheel 17 tooth

I am collecting parts to customise my Wabi Special from Wabi Cycles. This is a 17 tooth White Industries ENO freewheel. I could not justify spending $110 on a freewheel on my other cheap singlespeeds, Bumblebee and Wonder Woman; but I can on my beautiful Wabi Special that I have named Tigger. Thanks to Gear Shop Brisbane for supplying the freewheel.

My plan is to mate the 17 tooth freewheel with a 52 tooth chainring. The 52/17 combination will effectively give me the same gear ratio (80.4 gear inches) as using a 46/15 chainring/freewheel combination (80.6 gear inches). This is one tooth up on the 46/16 combination that I am currently riding. Freewheels generally only come in 16/17/18 teeth, so purchasing a 15 tooth freewheel was not an option.

For the record, the 17 tooth White Industries ENO freewheel weighs in at 174 grams on my wife’s kitchen scales.

White Industries ENO freewheel 17 tooth

Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio Flow saddle

I am customising my Wabi Special from Wabi Cycles, that I have named Tigger. First off is to replace the saddle with a Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio Flow saddle.

I have ‘borrowed’ this saddle from Project Beetlejuice, which is on the backburner now that I have the beautiful Wabi Special in my fleet.

There is nothing wrong with the standard Wabi Cycles black racing saddle. The saddle is perfectly okay for its intended purpose and is quite comfortable for rides several hours in length. I just prefer the Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio Flow saddle as I am using the same saddle on some of my other bikes.

For the record, the original Wabi saddle weighed in at 262 grams; the Selle Italia SLS weighed in at 215 grams on my wife’s kitchen scales.