New Delancy finally arrived

[regularguy412]

The second coat of Frame Saver is drying as this is being written. I took the opportunity to weigh the 54 cm ( 55 cm TT ) Tange Prestige frame and Tange Infinity fork before assembly. The frame, with 4 bottle screws installed, came in at 4 lbs. 1 oz. The fork was 1 lb. 14 ozs. , uncut steerer. That's not too bad, considering it's an approx. $800 USD list frame / fork combo. However, light weight was not really a high priority when choosing this setup for a fixed gear. I was more interested in good ride quality, a reasonable price and that the geo. looked appropriate.

I'm not sure I really needed to Frame Saver the tubes. It appeared that the inside of the frame had been painted, or at least it had a black glossy surface, not just bare metal. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the paint. There are no drips or runs and the color appears to be applied evenly and is quite thick. There's even a clear coat on top to protect the paint and decals.

The headset is now installed and I finished building the wheels yesterday. Just waiting until tonight to start the build. Pix as soon as I can, in the gallery.

Mike in AR

[jemoryl]

Just curious: is Tange still a going concern making tubing or is this NOS stuff?

[stevep]

. The frame, with 4 bottle screws installed, came in at 4 lbs. 1 oz.

mike,
you gotta weigh it without the bolts.
you might get under 4 pounds.

[Grant McLean]

Just curious: is Tange still a going concern making tubing or is this NOS stuff?

still around:

http://www.tange-design.com/tange_2007/tubes.htm

-g

[jemoryl]

still around:

http://www.tange-design.com/tange_2007/tubes.htm

-g

Thanks for the link. Some interesting things on that site - never saw a Tange carbon fork or wheelset! Odd that they give no contact information whatsoever.

[Blue Jays]

Sweet ride, regularguy412. I've been toggling back and forth in my mind between a Soma Delancey (http://www.somafab.com/delancey.html) and a Soma Rush (http://www.somafab.com/rush.html) fixie as a winter project.

[Grant McLean]

Odd that they give no contact information whatsoever.

contacting Japanese firms can be frustrating at best.
I've never had an email reply even from guys like sugino,
or other mid sized companies. i'm sure it's a language thing.

-g

[regularguy412]

Sweet ride, regularguy412. I've been toggling back and forth in my mind between a Soma Delancey (http://www.somafab.com/delancey.html) and a Soma Rush (http://www.somafab.com/rush.html) fixie as a winter project.


If you look at the geo., the Rush has a shorter head tube and slightly shorter stays. It appears to be more of a true track bike. The Delancey with its new geo. seems to be more of a 'road bike' with track fork ends and a higher BB to facilitate pedaling through corners. Mine came with top tube rear brake cable split stops and a BB with derailleur cable guides built in. I couldn't find those details in any of the online literature. There are no downtube shifter bosses, even though parts of the literature states that all the frames have them ( for a 'retro build', etc. )

Mike in AR

[regularguy412]

mike,
you gotta weigh it without the bolts.
you might get under 4 pounds.


:p
Yeah. I know I shoulda taken those out !

It's interesting that my refurbed CSI frame came in at 3 lbs in size 56 square and the Delancey is 54 x 55(tt). Definitely a difference in tubing, lugs, brazing,, well,, EVERYTHING. I'll get it built tonight. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it rides.

Mike in AR

[Blue Jays]

regularguy412, one of the other nice things about the Soma Delancey is that it uses a 1-1/8" head tube, which will make finding contemporary components a bit easier. I'm absolutely going to put brakes on my fixie, too.

[Grant McLean]

If you look at the geo., the Rush has a shorter head tube and slightly shorter stays. It appears to be more of a true track bike.
Mike in AR

agreed.
but even the Rush still has quite a bit of room around the brakes,
and should take fenders no problem.

-g

[regularguy412]

Here's a link to the thread in the Gallery:

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?p=436648#post436648

Mike in AR

[michael white]

I haven't seen one in person, and can't really get a handle on the color. Is it metallic gray, gray-green, or how would you describe it? really, just curious.

best,
mw

[regularguy412]

I haven't seen one in person, and can't really get a handle on the color. Is it metallic gray, gray-green, or how would you describe it? really, just curious.

best,
mw

They call it Seaweed Green. I was a bit skeptical when I decided to order it, since that is the only color available. However now that I see it in person, I really like it. The gold and silver paint accents the dark green color and picks up the gold metal flake that is in the paint. I tried to get the sun just right to pick up the metal flake. It was difficult today, since the sun was playing hide n' seek with the clouds.

Mike in AR

[michael white]

thanks, sounds nice.

[regularguy412]

FINALLY able to get outside on the Delancey. Rain, cold and general yuck just never seemed to let up. I just refuse to take the maiden voyage on a new bike in bad weather.

It's a really nice riding bike. It's smooth and predictable. However, I'm still getting used to the higher center of gravity. I've never ridden a bike with a BB this high (58mm drop). I'm most of all pleased with the way the wheels turned out. The Revolution spokes perform just as I had hoped, cushioning stiffness of the high flange hubs and aero section RR 1.2 rims just the right amount.

Any cyclist wishing to build up a fixed gear or single speed could find much worse frames upon which to spend their money.

Mike in AR