IP-106 on the way

[Vipassana]

You don't need that running to run the cables at a later date. Go ahead and pull it out. In fact, the two IP-256SL frames I built up with custom paint from Iplay didn't even come with the hoses in the frame.  It's perhaps a bit more difficult, but at least on the IP-256SL, you can look down the down tube and fish the cable down to the aces panel under the BB. From there, going up to the seat post or down the chain stay was easy.  The IP-106 might be more difficult though.  If you do pull the tubing, keep it in the tool box, don't pitch it.

[carbonazza]

I plan to put a telescopic seatpost on my 256.
I replaced the front derailleur white hose by a brake cable..

One end of the cable is waiting high in the seat tube.
The other end is out, taped on the top side of the frame.

The day I place the seatpost.
Hopefully, I will just have to attach the command hose to my cable, and pull it in through the frame up to the seatpost.
Without having to dismantle the BB or the headset.

[seat_boy]

So the box came through A-OK:


And the frame was well packed:


I ship quite a few frames, due to all my buying and selling, and I have to admit the iplay does a better job packing frames than I do.

So light even a small child can lift it one handed!


I also got a fork, headset, matching spacers, and a spare derailer hanger:


Tip: the frame doesn't include a seat clamp, so order one of those when you place your order. I stole one from my Sette.

Time to break out this guy:


Also, there's some carbon paste in the background.

I spent Thursday night stripping down my Razzo and cleaning those parts, and setting up my wheels and tires. I couldn't do any real work on my new frame, since I didn't have a hex attachment for my torque wrench, and thus couldn't even torque down the seat post to clamp it in my work stand. Tonight I got the major parts set up:


Enough on there to set my bar height and cut the steerer tube, but it was already getting late at this point. I didn't want to break out the miter box with the kids sleeping above me. Save that for Friday, which also gives me time to really, really make sure I'm good with this position (or shorter). My understanding with carbon steerers is that the stem should clamp around the expansion plug, so you can't just stack spacers above the stem to have future steerer tube length like you can with metal steerer tubes. Someone please tell me if I'm wrong here.

I was happy to see that the frame had adequate clearance for my 2.4" Vee Mission 4 tire on a 35mm wide rim at the rear. I knew the fork could clear my Knard, but the drawing wasn't as clear for the rear clearance.

[brmeyer135]

There is a recommended height limit for spacers on a carbon steerer...40mm?

[seat_boy]

I asked Iplay about this, and they didn't give me a real answer. Whiskey and some other carbon fork makers recommend 50mm as a max.

This is kind of misleading, because if you couple this with a riser bar and a riser stem, you're still introducing a greater bending moment onto the steerer tube.

[brmeyer135]

Just went and looked at Niner and their 'rules'

Do not exceed 40mm spacer stack height.
Do not place spacers above the stem. The stem must clamp the area
reinforced by the compression adjustment plug installed in step 5.1
Do not use tall crown races or place spacers under the crown race to
adjust head angle.
Do not grease the carbon steerer tube.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/NinerDocs/NIN_OWNERS_UNIVERS.pdf

I think the manufactures are limiting it to 40 or 50 with the thought of stem and bar on their putting a load....and to cover their butts.

[seat_boy]

Yeah, this is kind of a worry for me for a carbon steerer tube. With 10mm more spacers than shown in the above photo, I was able to get my bars at seat height. Since the IP-106's head tube is about as long as it gets, it's hard for us taller guys to get the bars up and use a carbon steerer.

I start thinking about steerer tube spacers limits, plus stem rise, stem length (probably more significant for loading than spacer amount, although no one talks about it), and bar rise, and it makes me a little nervous about how much factor of safety was built into these forks.

I'll give this fork a try, but it may end up being too low for me. The selection of long, rigid forks with tapered, metal steerers is very limited. Carver sells one, but only with a QR15 axle, which my Shimano hubs won't fit.

[seat_boy]

I was able to finish the build up on Friday night. I started by cutting the steerer tube down:


and then again as it was still just a bit too long...

I intended to use my somewhat new hyrdo brakes on this build, but the frame I got turned out to have full internal routing, not external brakes as it was earlier spec'd for. That means I would have to cut my hoses, etc, which was too much hassle late on Friday night. I put my old but trusty Shimano mechanicals on there instead. They work fine.

Here's my initial build:


I took it up and down the street and around my tiny (1/3 mile) test track, and determined that the bar is too high and too close. The next morning I simply flipped the stem, and that felt a lot better:

This:


went to this:


Unfortunately (for test riding purposes), Saturday was filled with family activities, and my planned ride on Sunday morning got rained out. I hope to get out this afternoon if the clear weather holds.

One thing I did notice on my brief test ride is that this frame didn't seem to have the smooth, responsive feeling of my Sette frame. Odd, because the frame tubes of the IP-106 look so much more manipulated to give a smooth ride. I'll have to see if this impression holds.

I intended to spend part of the rainy afternoon yesterday patching up slow leaks in my tubes, only to find my glue was dry in every patch kit. The finally pushed me to try my Stans tubeless kit. I had to use the compressor to get the Knard to seat on the Blunt rim, but after adding additional sealant yesterday, it surprisingly seems to be holding air this morning.

[adym]

Looks good! Have you got an overall built weight?

[seat_boy]

No idea on the weight. I used to have a cheap fish scale, but it died a few months back. It's not as light as you would think, due to the heavy Knard up front, and the somewhat heavy duty wheels.

Looks good! Have you got an overall built weight?

[seat_boy]

So I was able to get out after dinner for a quick ride tonight. The trails were nice and dry, just one puddle on the whole lap.

I immediately noticed a handling difference compared to my old Razzo. Between the slightly shorter chainstays (5mm shorter) and the shorter front center (~20mm shorter), it seems I was able to lift up the front wheel quite a bit more easily. Perhaps this was also due to the lighter carbon fork. Steering was pretty sharp as well.

On the downside, it still didn't feel as smooth as the Razzo, and there's a pedal induced creak I need to track down. Also, I'm not sure on the fit, I'll have to see how my back does with a longer ride.

[seat_boy]

So I've been putting some more miles on the IP-106, riding among other places at Caesar's Creek:


Two routes to choose:


Of course, I choose the "Most Difficult" path... Caesar's Creek is an old enough trail system that it still has a few fall line sections:


I've also hit my local trail at Alum Creek:


at Alum, I was riding the IP back to back with my other carbon frame, a Sette Razzo:


Finally, I still find the IP a little more flickable than the Razzo, but the Razzo is smoother. I like the Razzo a bit better, overall.

[MTB2223]

Nice bike! Beautiful place to ride.

[seat_boy]

It's no riding mecca, but it's awfully nice here in the fall.