Bugs

Bugs, everyone at my house is suffering from bugs. Or do you call them colds. This has been the winter from hell as regards our basic health.

Anyway, things are progressing slowly in the shop. Most of the sanding of filets is done. Tonight should finish up everything but the BB cable guides. After the guides it will be on to the paint shop.

Speaking of guides, I purchased 1 - 3/16x6" stainless steel tube, 1 - 5/32x6" stainless steel tube, 1 - 3/16x36" brass tube, 1 - 5/32x36" brass tube, and 1 - 3/16X36" aluminum tube. All of these are intended for experiments in BB guides. I'm not sure yet which will go on the bike. Part of the issue is what is required fit this into the couplings that bisect the base of the chainstay.

The 5 little pieces of metal came to a bit over $36. The lady ringing things up at the hardware store did a double take, and asked me if I was sure I wanted all these tubes given their price? I said, no that everything was OK. But, boy are those little suckers expensive at the hardware. Once I have things sorted out, I'll have to purchase quantity from an industrial source.

What I want to try is to flare the end of a tube so that it "fills" the hole in the bushing I've placed in the top of the chain stay. Then I'd like to bend the tube as it exits the lower bushing and epoxy the tube to both bushings and at the front to the bottom of the bottom bracket.

An alternative under consideration is a stainless sheet bent around the bottom of the bottom bracket, which is glued and riveted to the BB. With a rolled edge, the cables should stay on this sheet, and the front of the chainstay tube could be brazed (off the bike) to this plate. The sheet would serve to keep the cables from digging into and damaging the carbon around the BB.

All of this should be the subject of some fiddling tonight. I'll keep you posted on progress.