Cutting up a 1998 Seven Sola
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About 2 years ago, I discovered that the fork I had on the bike had seized to the upper locknut of the headset, most likely because of galvanic corrosion. I could have left it as it was, or I could attempt to hammer the fork out.
Since the bike was a travel bike, leaving the fork permanently attached wasn’t an option, in case I needed to pack the bike into its suitcase. Hammering the fork out was likely to damage the steerer, which meant that I needed a replacement fork. A decent fork in 1 1/8” steerer had begun to look rarer than hen’s teeth, so another solution had to be found.
I decided to bite the bullet and send the frame to TiCycles for the head tube to be cut out and replaced with one that took a tapered steerer, thereby future proofing the bike.
Since major surgery was going to be done, why not go the whole hog? I decided to install disc brake mounts. I also took the opportunity to repair a dent on the top tube.
In the course of disassembling the frame, I discovered that the aluminium rivnuts had also corroded (again, galvanic corrosion), so I had them replaced with stainless steel ones.
Pics of the dent below
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Since the bike was a travel bike, leaving the fork permanently attached wasn’t an option, in case I needed to pack the bike into its suitcase. Hammering the fork out was likely to damage the steerer, which meant that I needed a replacement fork. A decent fork in 1 1/8” steerer had begun to look rarer than hen’s teeth, so another solution had to be found.
I decided to bite the bullet and send the frame to TiCycles for the head tube to be cut out and replaced with one that took a tapered steerer, thereby future proofing the bike.
Since major surgery was going to be done, why not go the whole hog? I decided to install disc brake mounts. I also took the opportunity to repair a dent on the top tube.
In the course of disassembling the frame, I discovered that the aluminium rivnuts had also corroded (again, galvanic corrosion), so I had them replaced with stainless steel ones.
Pics of the dent below
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The modification process went smoothly enough, until it didn’t…
After I received the frame back from TiCycles, I began to build the bike up again. The first order of the day was to install the disc brakes. This was going to be a parts-bin special, so some of the other bikes in the stable were relieved of their parts.
Disaster!
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After I received the frame back from TiCycles, I began to build the bike up again. The first order of the day was to install the disc brakes. This was going to be a parts-bin special, so some of the other bikes in the stable were relieved of their parts.
Disaster!
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The 160mm disc rotor interfered with the new brake bridge and the seat stay! Bricks were shat.
Long story short, it was sorted out in end, which involved me sending the rear triangle back to Portland for the bridge and stay to be dimpled. TiCycles refused to reimburse me the extra shipping costs, which was not insubstantial. I was of the view that they ought to have (both in law and ethically), but I have come to terms with this. I wasn’t about to pour energy into a dispute and decided to move on.
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Long story short, it was sorted out in end, which involved me sending the rear triangle back to Portland for the bridge and stay to be dimpled. TiCycles refused to reimburse me the extra shipping costs, which was not insubstantial. I was of the view that they ought to have (both in law and ethically), but I have come to terms with this. I wasn’t about to pour energy into a dispute and decided to move on.
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I was not yet 30 when I got the frame in 1998. I am now over fifty. So the frame has a lot of sentimental value to me, but also a lot of utility, as I occasionally bring it with me when I travel abroad.
When it was built, it was a long, racing and adventuring machine. Seven cycles at the time offered custom builds as a no-cost option. It had just been set up by employees who had left Merlin the year previously.
In that time, my ambitions and ability has waned as a rider… except probably in my mind. I didn’t need the bike to be so long and low-slung anymore. I was thinking that slacking the bike out might be a good idea.
Just for giggles, I put a 150mm fork on to see what it would look like. Erm, no.
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When it was built, it was a long, racing and adventuring machine. Seven cycles at the time offered custom builds as a no-cost option. It had just been set up by employees who had left Merlin the year previously.
In that time, my ambitions and ability has waned as a rider… except probably in my mind. I didn’t need the bike to be so long and low-slung anymore. I was thinking that slacking the bike out might be a good idea.
Just for giggles, I put a 150mm fork on to see what it would look like. Erm, no.
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I decided to install a 29” Fox 32 SC, but running a 27.5” wheel, which allows me to run a 2.4” front tyre.
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The bike had a high BB to begin with, and with the taller front end, there is no BB drop—it has BB rise!!
I didn’t know if this would be a problem. Personally, I prefer more ground clearance for the jungle single track where I live. I had thought long about it, and was not convinced that the high centre of gravity would have a negative impact on the bike’s handling, at least for the trails that I ride.
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The bike had a high BB to begin with, and with the taller front end, there is no BB drop—it has BB rise!!
I didn’t know if this would be a problem. Personally, I prefer more ground clearance for the jungle single track where I live. I had thought long about it, and was not convinced that the high centre of gravity would have a negative impact on the bike’s handling, at least for the trails that I ride.
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I would have liked to have been able to keep the bike “retro” rather than “restomod”, but somehow the circumstances pushed me in this direction.
The idea was to conjure out of this 20+ year old frame a short travel hardtail with an aggressively slack head angle that is light, durable and versatile.
I used to ride with a 120mm stem with 550mm wide bar. For the rebuild, I started out with a 50mm Wren stem with a 710mm Mt Zoom bar. There was little backsweep on the bar, which made it uncomfortable.
I was able to find a Chinese manufacturer on eBay that makes swaged bars to custom backsweep angles and widths. I ordered a very reasonably priced 700mm 8 deg bar, which I am very happy with.
The stem in the photo is an Intend XC stem, with negative rise and 65mm length. The slack seat tube angle meant that I needed to keep the front end low for climbing.
The top headset bearing is the Intend Stiffmaster. Heavy, but more than worth the weight, because this design maximizes the rigidity of the front end, which is going to be important for a bike with slack angles and a Fox 32 chassis.
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Brass top cap from Bentley Components.
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The idea was to conjure out of this 20+ year old frame a short travel hardtail with an aggressively slack head angle that is light, durable and versatile.
I used to ride with a 120mm stem with 550mm wide bar. For the rebuild, I started out with a 50mm Wren stem with a 710mm Mt Zoom bar. There was little backsweep on the bar, which made it uncomfortable.
I was able to find a Chinese manufacturer on eBay that makes swaged bars to custom backsweep angles and widths. I ordered a very reasonably priced 700mm 8 deg bar, which I am very happy with.
The stem in the photo is an Intend XC stem, with negative rise and 65mm length. The slack seat tube angle meant that I needed to keep the front end low for climbing.
The top headset bearing is the Intend Stiffmaster. Heavy, but more than worth the weight, because this design maximizes the rigidity of the front end, which is going to be important for a bike with slack angles and a Fox 32 chassis.
Brass top cap from Bentley Components.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Oh my, small aluminum fastner in Ti is pretty much a worst case for galvanic corrosion! I believe its worse than aluminum in stainless.
I would have done, had I been able to. The calipers were spaced for 160mm rotors, which meant that the post mounts were 10mm too far from the axle to work with 140mm rotors.
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Before and after shots of the dent
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Dave Levy from TiCycles did a great job getting most of the dent out. It’s barely perceptible now, and you’d only know it is there if it was pointed out to you.
Of course, this type of repair was only possible because the frame uses S&S couplings, allowing a mandrel to be inserted into the tube.
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Dave Levy from TiCycles did a great job getting most of the dent out. It’s barely perceptible now, and you’d only know it is there if it was pointed out to you.
Of course, this type of repair was only possible because the frame uses S&S couplings, allowing a mandrel to be inserted into the tube.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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