I took delivery of the Ebisu All Purpose a little more than 2 weeks ago. It took me a week to put it together. Here is its current configuration:- Ebisu All-Purpose frameset; 650b wheel-size, 45mm trail with 40mm tires, braze-ons for fenders, racks; greyish blue; the diameters are: seat tube 1 1/8", top tub 1", down tube 1 1/4"
- Custom front rack/handlebar bag support
- Stronglight A9 headset; 1" threaded
- Ritchey front cable hanger
- Nitto Pearl stem 10cm
- Nitto Randonneur bar by Jitensha Studio; 45cm wide
- Soma thick n zesty tan bar tape
- Tektro R200 brake levers
- Shimano XT high-profile cantilever brakes with salmon cartrige shoes
- Silver downtube friction shifters
- Sugino XD500 "old logo" triple crankset; 165mm; 48/36/26
- MKS touring pedals with half clips
- SRAM 890 8-speed chain with powerlink
- Shimano 105 triple front derailleur; 28.6 clamp
- Shimano Ultegra long cage rear derailleur (RD-6500)
- Shimano XT 11-30 8-speed cassette
- Velocity Synergy 650b 36h laced to Ultegra RD-6600 rear hub and Suntour XC Comp front hub
- Grand Bois Hetre tires; current measured at 39.5mm after close to 100 miles
- Shimano Ultegra seatpost
- Brooks B17 honey saddle; broken in
- Honjo fluted fenders for 650b "50mm"; measured at 48.5mm
- Brass bell
- Rivendell Nigel Smyth little loafer
I have done two short and hilly rides, one short and flat ride, and one ride that's hilly and of moderate distance. The ride report is next. I started out with Grenouille cantilever brakes that I got from Velo Orange. The combination somehow didn't produce enough braking power for me. I swapped them out for the XT high profile brakes and now the bike has good stopping performance. I also swapped out the VO Zeplin fenders on it for the Honjo fenders. Don't get me wrong, I like the Zeplins, and will probably use them for my Kogswell. However, since they come pre-drilled and with fork crown L-bracket pre-installed, they are actually not as suitable for the Ebisu with all the integrated braze-ons for fenders. The Honjos lead to very tight (but I think sufficient) clearance on this bike. They look fabulous and are slightly lighter than the zeplins. I am currently using MKS touring pedals with MKS half clips. They work well mostly, except when I am using my stiff-sole shimano mountain bike shoes and riding off the saddle, my shoes tend to slip off the saddle on the side. I am considering getting full toe clips or go to clipless (crank brothers).I am trying to create a hack a la Alex Wetmore for the Inujirushi bag. Basically it involved using off-the-shelf Ortlieb bag rail-and-hook system at the bottom of the bag. In conjunction with the back sleeve, the boxy bag should sit on top of the front rack without too much movement. Since the days are longer now, I am not in a hurry to swap out the front wheel for the SON20 wheel I have sitting around, although it's awfully tempting since the B&M IQ Cyo I ordered from Peter White Cycles arrived already. I may install the light and the wheel for when I do my next brevet.
Other pictures of the Ebisu.
4 comments:
hey franklyn - gorgeous bike.
I wondered if you might comment more on the choice to go with 650b wheels.
I ride a similar size frame that you do (58st 56tt) and I've never been quite sure if the 650b makes sense aesthetically or functionally on larger size bikes... Although I must admit your bike looks pretty flawless!
Any feelings on 650b for bigger frames now that you've lived with it for a while?
I think for my size, 650b still have two major advantages. The first is absence of toe-clip-overlap. Currently, with MKS half clip, 45-size shoes, and honjo fenders in the front (and 40mm hetre tire under it), my feet never are in danger of touching the fenders. Since I do quite of bit of low-speed steep climbs, and start and stop in traffic (on my 650b, 59cm Kogswell P/R), the absence of toeclip overlap is a great plus.
Second main advantage is the ability to use wide tires without making significant design compromises. I am currently using 40mm tires on both of my bikes (both are 650b), and I can pump them up to 50psi and get comfort and virtually no drop in performance(especially with the Hetres). There are a few 700c bikes that can do that--Riv's A. Homer Hilson comes to mind. However, when you pair 700c with such wide tires, the diameter of the combination of wheel and tire becomes quite significantly large. To gain that clearance, certain measure has to be taken in geometry and bike design--no trivial matter and I am not sure if there is any penalties.
Franklyn
just stumbled onto your bike here as i am currently looking to build a 650b of my own. such a lovely bike! hope all is well with it (and you)
Andy,
thanks. Good luck with your build. Share some pics once you are done!
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