Spotted sometimes on Newbury Street, this bike always makes my husband stop for a second look. Those green and yellow rims are even the Indy Fab colors.
One thing that's made clear by this rusting steel washer and nut next to a pristine seat stay - a titanium frame makes some sense for an all-season bike like this one. Expensive for all of us who don't work at IndyFab, but certainly practical in Boston!
I love the idea of a titanium frame being "practical" : ))
ReplyDeleteGiven the colour of the wheels, I wonder whether the frame belongs to someone who works at IF.
V,
ReplyDeleteI'm 100% certain it must be a past or present employee.
I used to have a Teledyne Titan. I also used to be a racer and traded it in on a steel Cinelli which I could ride faster.
ReplyDeleteNow that I no longer race I wish I could have it back. It had a lovely smooth ride and was absolutely indifferent to the weather.
the way i see it, a rust-resistant (or -proof) frame is only as practical as the hardware that connects parts to it. sure, hardware can be replaced, but rusting hardware can still cause problems. for rust-proof city bikes, i like using stainless steel hardware wherever possible.
ReplyDeletekfg,
ReplyDeleteWOW, that looks like quite the bike!
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/USA/Teledyne/Teledyne_titan.htm
Somervillain, absolutely, and rusty bits drive me crazy. I'm steaming mad that the chain that connects my brand new Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub has rusted. There is no excuse for that nowadays.
Obviously the only solution is titanium axle bolts! :)
ReplyDeleteI need to break down and place a bulk order of SS 5mm bolts, nuts and washers, it seems like I go through them at an impressive rate- although that may have been during bike construction times- and they're neither cheap nor available at every hardware store.
Small Parts, Inc, is one source of exotic nuts-N-bolts.
ReplyDeleteYou can get titanium bolts from them, but only in archaic measurements. SS, they have in metric.
For example: metric SS allen-head screws
Charlotte, re Chains, how about this one?
ReplyDeleteWipperman, nickel plated, anti-rust, 1/2x3/32
My plan is to see how far into the winter my current chain will last before it fails the wear-O-meter (assuming it has not already...) Maybe I upgrade to something fancy then.