Rob English's Trans Am bike

[Spaceman Spiff]

This thing is incredible: http://www.englishcycles.com/custombikes/robs-transam-race-bike/

Custom in every sens of the word!

http://www.englishcycles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ta1-1-207x136.jpg

[false_Aest]

Rob is a cut above in every sense.

At least a half dozen times I've thought about fabbing something "new" only to find that Rob did it first and did it better . . . and I think that's ****ing awesome!

[ORMojo]

That is insane! And all coming in just under 22 pounds, including bags, lights, pump, etc. Crazy.

http://www.englishcycles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ta1-1.jpg

[ColonelJLloyd]

That's pretty slick.

I plan to cheer on a few racers at a spot or two on the route.

[Mzilliox]

What a mad man, i love it!

[54ny77]

hot damn that thing is amazing.

an english frame is on the bucket list one day.

[zap]

Nice.........but not allowed on some paceliners paceline rides.

[beeatnik]

English is legit.

[ColonelJLloyd]

English is legit.

Very "modern day Rene Herse". That thing is integrated AF.

[beeatnik]

Ah, just saw the third bottle cage and frame bag, um, connectors. Nice

[kppolich]

Love the rear light integration on that bag and honestly, the disc break covers don't look half bad. All in all the front bag setup tied into the aero bars does it for me, but would have liked to see the front light get a mount as well! What do you think he carries in the rear bag? Mounting looks pretty light-duty. Rain Gear? Sweet rig!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4268/34372585170_4b54038a0d_o.png
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4163/34757453815_6270e26633_o.png
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4220/34372585980_f800643a7b_o.png

[Tickdoc]

Is that bag a Louis Vuitton?

Ultra cool build and crazy lightweight.

[crankles]

This. He is one clever, creative cat.
Rob is a cut above in every sense.

At least a half dozen times I've thought about fabbing something "new" only to find that Rob did it first and did it better . . . and I think that's ****ing awesome!

[fiamme red]

What is the weight limit on that bag/rack set-up?

[54ny77]

nice bottle of rioja, a quarter pound of jamon iberico, a wedge of manchego, and some cantaloupe. maybe a few paper towels.

perfection.

What is the weight limit on that bag/rack set-up?

[Jad]

Very cool--love the pictures of the built up head tube.

[Wolfman]

Of course, you all saw the googly eyes stuck to the seat bag. I suppose if you're gonna do that race/ride, you've got to be a bit of a character!

[Tony Edwards]

That is sheer badass-ery.

[adub]

I like the carbon beer cooler!

[R3awak3n]

Rob is just on a whole other level. Just keeps pushing what can be done with steel and he has to be a little cooks which is a great thing.

Also ts pretty amazing that he builds bikes and races them, and now he is racing the trans am?


I am very lucky to have one of his bikes, coolest bike I have ever had, by far.

[Flying Pigeon]

Also a big Rob English owner and fan.. I think that is awesome and I want one.

I'd take hydro brakes and a big Trans Am "screaming chicken" on mine. :p

[Lanternrouge]

My only "issue" is how the rider will deal with recharging batteries during the event, especially if not bringing multiple spares.

[Black Dog]

My only "issue" is how the rider will deal with recharging batteries during the event, especially if not bringing multiple spares.

The batteries should last the whole event. No?

[ColonelJLloyd]

The batteries should last the whole event. No?

4300 miles. 17-30 days.

That headlight takes 6 hours to charge for 3 hours of high power beam? I guess in an event like this the additional drag of a dynamo hub really adds up. But, the life of that headlight would seem to create logistical issues.

[R3awak3n]

4300 miles. 17-30 days.

That headlight takes 6 hours to charge for 3 hours of high power beam? I guess in an event like this the additional drag of a dynamo hub really adds up. But, the life of that headlight would seem to create logistical issues.

Well he will have to bring an external bat, a 20 000 mah might not even be enough and its heavy. I don't think the dynamo really would be a bad idea, its heavier and some drag but he won't have to bring external batteries.

[guido]

That is one delightful solution to those very demanding set of requirements. I think Mike Hall would be smiling.

[ORMojo]

If you read the comments on Rob's post, he graciously answers the battery charging question too many times over (for all the other readers that didn't read the previous comments and questions!).

"I will be stopping at a motel every night, so will have power for charging."

I too am on my second English bike, and they have not been exceeded by any other.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Rob's responses regarding the battery life were not present when I read the comments earlier today.

A little research shows those with an eye on winning are using a mix of dynamo and battery powered lighting (2016 winner Wilcox employed a SP dynamo). I'm not clear on charging, but suspect they're using supplemental power supplies that they charge along with the headlight batteries themselves when and where they stop to sleep that isn't a tree at the side of the road.

[Lanternrouge]

The batteries should last the whole event. No?
I was just thinking about the eTap batteries, though as I've now read, the rider will be stopping frequently enough at a motel to recharge everything.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Rob's responses regarding the battery life were not present when I read the comments earlier today.

A little research shows those with an eye on winning are using a mix of dynamo and battery powered lighting (2016 winner Wilcox employed a SP dynamo). I'm not clear on charging, but suspect they're using supplemental power supplies that they charge along with the headlight batteries themselves when and where they stop to sleep that isn't a tree at the side of the road.
Here's a great write up/interview about Lael Wilcox's Trans Am ride: http://www.bikepacking.com/plog/lael-wilcox-trans-am/

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[Black Dog]

4300 miles. 17-30 days.

That headlight takes 6 hours to charge for 3 hours of high power beam? I guess in an event like this the additional drag of a dynamo hub really adds up. But, the life of that headlight would seem to create logistical issues.

Doh! I thought you were referring to the etap. Totally missed the lighting issue. However, don't the trans am riders have mail drops along the route for food etc? However I bet he will just have a small USB charger and plug in wherever he can.

[Tickdoc]

Doh! I thought you were referring to the etap. Totally missed the lighting issue. However, don't the trans am riders have mail drops along the route for food etc? However I bet he will just have a small USB charger and plug in wherever he can.

Solar charger seems like a viable option. I have one similar to this that hangs on back of backpack to charge devices and that would work fine, with the only real weight being the battery pack it charges. Would be easy to incorporate it into the top of that nifty rear bag.

It generates enough power to charge a phone iPad and even power a laptop after about four hours of sun.

http://solarpanels2go.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/anker-8w-solar-panel-charger-2.jpg

[ColonelJLloyd]

However, don't the trans am riders have mail drops along the route for food etc?

It's totally unsupported so it seems everyone does things the way they see best.

[Catman]

Solar charger seems like a viable option. I have one similar to this that hangs on back of backpack to charge devices and that would work fine, with the only real weight being the battery pack it charges. Would be easy to incorporate it into the top of that nifty rear bag.



It generates enough power to charge a phone iPad and even power a laptop after about four hours of sun.



http://solarpanels2go.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/anker-8w-solar-panel-charger-2.jpg



That looks cool. I'd bet you'll start to see this sort of thing built into bags before too long.


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[gdw]

They're currently too big to be built into bags and be practical. Most experienced racers that plan to ride through the night in events like this and the Tour Divide use dynahub setups that allow them to recharge their auxiliary batteries and electric devices during the day.

[Catman]

Yes, exactly... but the tech keeping better so a year or two down the road, who knows 🤷🏻*♂️...


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[unterhausen]

so, he's really looking at it as a fast tour. Nothing wrong with that, I knew someone that did that last year.

[ColonelJLloyd]

https://trackleaders.com/transam17i.php?name=Rob_English

[guido]

Rob is hanging with the big boys... Very impressive so far.

[unterhausen]

looking at pictures of racers, there are a lot of normal hubs. I am curious how they are doing that, lots of spares? I know they carry a big external battery, but that is going to die sooner or later. I don't think a dyno is enough of a drag to be worth worrying about batteries.


Rob is doing really well, I don't think he's staying at a hotel every night.

I see the person I know that rode last year is doing it again. Talk about a glutton for punishment

[ColonelJLloyd]

I don't think a dyno is enough of a drag to be worth worrying about batteries.

If the results of these tests (http://www.cyclingabout.com/dynamo-hub-drag-lab-testing/) are worth using then it sounds like the 2016 winner could have finished in .973-.985 of ~352 hours of riding (she used a dynamo hub). That's somewhere between 5 and 10 hours of saddle time over 18 days.

[moose8]

It is so cool that someone can build their own beautiful bike and race it across america. That's an amazing set of skills.

[godukes]

It is so cool that someone can build their own beautiful bike and race it across america. That's an amazing set of skills.

Second.

[jumphigher]

That is insane! And all coming in just under 22 pounds, including bags, lights, pump, etc. Crazy.

http://www.englishcycles.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ta1-1.jpg

I agree, amazing weight.

[gemship]

first time seeing a spoiler for the front brake calipers. Must be some aero benefit, pretty trick.

[ptourkin]

Rob called it in Montana.
Lots of early drops this year. It's hard to predict how the body is going to respond to that kind of repeated daily effort even before the big mountains.

http://www.englishcycles.com/news/trans-am-update-2/

[R3awak3n]

It was a smart decision. I am sure Rob will attempt it again, and probably make a new awesome bike for it

[old fat man]

Bummer. Hope he's not stuck in Darby, MT for too long.

[unterhausen]

that's too bad, I saw that he had turned around at one point.

I think a lot of the riders would be well-served to ride a 1200k randonnee beforehand to see what that kind of effort is like. One rider posted on FB that he was feeling really fast on his 50 mile training rides, but fell apart in the first 200 miles of TABR. This is the kind of thing that's pretty easy to try out.

Not saying this would have helped Rob, he was hammering.

[ptourkin]

that's too bad, I saw that he had turned around at one point.

I think a lot of the riders would be well-served to ride a 1200k randonnee beforehand to see what that kind of effort is like. One rider posted on FB that he was feeling really fast on his 50 mile training rides, but fell apart in the first 200 miles of TABR. This is the kind of thing that's pretty easy to try out.

Not saying this would have helped Rob, he was hammering.

Agree about the 1200, especially for the mid to back of the pack. On a 600k you can ride into the second morning pretty loose but getting out there on day 3 etc... of a longer effort, you start to feel the cumulative effect of the struggle.

I was also surprised at some of what I read in the Facebook group this year. It's in the popular consciousness because of the movie and Mike but it seems like some of the ambitious folks who were considering it would have been better served by a shorter touring pace ride (not referring to Rob either.) Kudos for trying.

I was registered for this race in the past but when I computed how many consecutive double+ I'd have to ride, along with some safety concerns... well, it's not something you can just jump into.

[crankles]

Second.

Third. So much respect for builders who hang it out there.

[ripvanrando]

I am sorry to see any racer drop out but sometimes it makes sense.

I finished the race last year. Lots of challenges.

I have read about 50 mile training rides and longest ride ever of 200 miles. from racers and thought, "Oh my"

I'll say this. My Charly Miller PBP ride was a walk in the park.

I have the utmost respect for anyone rolling up to the line. For what? What do they gain.

I used batteries. No problems.