M5
Carbon Frame
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| View of
M5. A most extraordinary piece of manufacturing. Even if this bike is too
extreme for my use, I will mount it on a pedestal, put it in my living
room, and drink scotch while staring at it and listening to The Beatles.
The finish is superb and it seems as stiff, if not stiffer, than my
Barron. I cannot wait to complete and ride it. |
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| Right side
view of M5. |
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Comparison
of the M5 Carbon and the Yellowbike Baron. Notice that the M5 is a longer
bike, even though the nose must be cut down for my leg length. |
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| Front view
left. |
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| Front view
right. |
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| Front view
above right. |
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| Me on
bike. It is obvious that a neck support is necessary. I have the one from
M5 but I don't think it will work in this application. Also notice that my
line of sight is not as clear as it is on the Baron. I don't know if this
will be a problem at this time, only riding can tell. |
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| Another
view of me on bike. |
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| The nose
piece is supposed to be glued into place. Notice the bracket I constructed
on the boom so that I can hold the nosepiece in place temporarily by
friction after I'm sure of the correct length. |
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| Clamp was
built by me by laying layers of carbon around the waxed boom tube. This
will not be a permanent fixture after the correct length is
established. |
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| Left rear
view of bike. |
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| Right rear
view of bike. |
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| View of
tiller and handlebars. This tiller was supplied by M5. I experimented with
a different tiller that you will see below, but came back to this one.
Notice that I extended the handlebars (aluminum attachment) because I'm
not sure I am ready for the aggressive narrow geometry. Besides, I have no
room for my heart monitor and computer. After some experience I may remove
the aluminum extension. |
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| Side view
of handlebars and tiller. |
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| Front view
of same. |
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| Front view
from riders position. |
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| Shown in
my hand is a commercially available adjustable tiller. It weighed 340
grams and was unacceptable. I lightened it to 220 grams, but it is still
too heavy. |
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| Closer
view of piece. I have more work to do to lighten it even further. The good
feature about this item is that it is adjustable from -10 degrees to +40
degrees. |
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| This break
lever is supplied by M5. A very beautiful piece of CNC machining. The
normal way to use this piece is to mount it between the handlebars. A
carbon fiber bridge will be attached so that both hands can depress the
lever and actuate the breaks. This will be a future attachment after I get
used to the bike. |
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| Correct
location of break lever. |
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| Fuzzy shot
of rear drop outs. |
| Added
February 18, 2002: |
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| View of
completed bike with custom headrest. |
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| Showing
the position of body incline on bike. |
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| A headrest
was needed (at least for me) to allow sight over handlebars and to see the
road. |
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| The
headrest was constructed from M5 headrest attached to bike and foam added.
A cover (black) is being made along with a cover for the seat pad. |
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| A side
view of headrest which can be removed from bike. Weight is 270 grams. |
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| Front view
of headrest. |
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| Rear view
of headrest. The starting basis was the M5 carbon piece and the foam was
added to achieve form. Lightening holes were cut. |
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| A view
showing relationship of brake and fork. |
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| Another
view of same. |
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| M5 Carbon:
Even too much for Lhasa Apsos! |
| Added May
27, 2002: |
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| In dialing
the bike to my torso, I found I sat too far down and it was uncomfortable.
I made a new headrest which brought my head more upright. The first try
had too much foam below the neck and some material was removed. Therefore,
it took 3 tries to get the correct comfort zone. |
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| New
headrest on left, old on right. |
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| Shown
relative to each other. |
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| Because my
body angle was changed, I am no longer comfortable with the epoxied bottom
bracket length. I fabricated a outer boom tube which will slide on the
original boom. |
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| Shown is
the slider boom. I will have to grind off the nose piece on the bike and
re-epoxy to the slider boom. I will then have a fully adjustable boom
length. |
