CR#8
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By far, CR#8 is my most-ridden home-built bike. In the 4
years that I had it, I did 4 tours and lots of riding on it. In total, I put about 8000km
on it, half of which was fully loaded, with 50lb of gear on the bike. It was constructed
from a 2" diameter mild steel tube brazed onto the end of a chromoly MTB rear
triangle, the first bike with some chromoly content. I was inspired by a picture of a
German bent with both set of panniers behind the seat. While the bare bike was not light
it was a joy to ride. It was built from the start to use a suspension fork, which
certainly did a lot for the ride comfort and control.
After the first tour I did, I discovered hairline cracks at the base of the seat
support tube, which was reinforced. The original seat was in two pieces, so that it could
be folded to make it smaller in the event I would ship it somewhere. This seat failed at
the top support and I built a one piece seat to replace it. The bike was 21 speed, but was
upgraded to 24 speeds. The gearing was regular MTB setup. As a tourist, I almost never use
the highest gear, since I prefer to spin along in a medium high gear. I liked this bike so
much that it took me 4 years to decide on what an improved version would be, that bike was
number 20.
Specs:
Wheels 20"/26"
Wheelbase 38"
Head angle 72 degrees
BB height 28.5"
Seat height 25"
Weight 44lb.s (with fenders, front & rear
racks, generator, 3 waterbottles)
Seat angle: 45 degrees
Completed: October 1994
Fate: Sent seat & frame to Pedro Bedard in Winnipeg (Jan.
1999)
