Author Topic: Where to get a fly bikes knarp? (Read 4769 times)

Dr.Robotnik · « **on:** January 27, 2011, 11:34 AM »

Hey guys,

Does anyone know anywhere to buy/or anyone with a Fly bikes knarp? I need one to get my brake going and IMG don't have them.

Please help.

Cheers

pickle · « **Reply #1 on:** January 27, 2011, 11:36 AM »

Have you tried Dave at the radshop?

Dr.Robotnik · « **Reply #2 on:** January 27, 2011, 11:47 AM »

Quote from: pickle on January 27, 2011, 11:36 AM

Have you tried Dave at the radshop?

Just did! Dah dah dah, Radshop to the rescue....cheers guys.

Dr.Robotnik · « **Reply #3 on:** February 02, 2011, 10:03 PM »

Cheers Stodgy. The parts arrived the other day and I'm well chuffed, it fits like a dream and now I have no straddle cable but spokes, super awesome braking....

If only I didn't lose the grub screw out of the custom made cable hanger while fitting it...

SaMAlex · « **Reply #4 on:** February 02, 2011, 10:13 PM »

Quote from: Dr.Robotnik on February 02, 2011, 10:03 PM

now I have no straddle cable but spokes, super awesome braking....

Ooh, ive been thinking about replacing my straddle cable with spokes. Can i see a photo of how you did it? Ive got a few ideas im playing with.

Dr.Robotnik · « **Reply #5 on:** February 03, 2011, 09:16 AM »

Well I didn't make it, a friend in the US did. He runs Zodiac Engineering.

http://zodiaceng.com/

It's basically similar shape to an old Fly hanger but with the option of spokes as well as a wire if I didn't like the feel as this is the first time I've run it. I now have a DT swiss straddle! Mine should have a grub screw in it to stop the cable but I dropped that and have had to temporarily replace it with a cap head which looks massive and ugly. Just imagine it's not there

I was going to buy one of these but I don't like the bolt used...

Also new Fly style....

Dr.Robotnik · « **Reply #6 on:** February 03, 2011, 09:20 AM »

Oh and a chain straddle is the way to go if you are a real man....

SaMAlex · « **Reply #7 on:** February 03, 2011, 09:44 AM »

I like your fly one, but Im not sure about the directon of the spokes. They dont "pivot" and you are bending the spokes when you pull the brake. Looks nice tho.

Those ones you were going to buy are totally what I was thinking of making, starting with a normal hanger and cutting off the folded bit. I wanted to use the spoke ends as a pivot. Really neat. I see what you mean about the ugly bolt but I could live with that. I esp like the smaller ones. Where can you get those from (although I might just make one). The only problem is that i have a fly brake and the stupid "bent arms" mean that the pinch bolts are an a different angle to the cable, so the pivot of the pinchbolts in the arm will be all on the piss. Its "OK" with cables but spokes wont bend as easy, so it might just lock up. i love fly brakes, but HATE the bent arms.

Finally, that chain stradle cable is amazing. Ive never seen that before, I LOVE it. I HAVE to do that one a bike now.

Dr.Robotnik · « **Reply #8 on:** February 03, 2011, 04:57 PM »

Hi all,

The fit in the straddle (Zodiac Eng, not Fly) is pretty good and the heads are countersunk allowing them to move. They don't need to move much you know as the pivot happens at the knarp end. I don't think they'll bind at all to be honest.

You can get the spoke straddles from Steven Webb on steven underscore cankles at hotmail dot com that was a few years ago mind. He's from Oz and I saw the pictures on bikeguide.

Small ones are for behind the seat tube and big ones for in front.

I'd make my own personally with a grub screw and a similar design if I were you.

The spoke mod in mine was a surprise so I thought I'd try it out but have been thinking about it for ages.

Wow, I let the cat out of the bag with the chain straddle huh?

I'm working on one right now myself to go on my Progression.

Here's another...a Frankenbraker model

Dr.Robotnik · « **Reply #9 on:** February 03, 2011, 05:02 PM »

Oh if you like light/custom stuff, look closely at the first pic and you can check out my custom Titanium and alloy barrel adjuster for the cable tension!

Dr.Robotnik · « **Reply #10 on:** February 03, 2011, 05:08 PM »

OK just thought about my straddle again.

The hanger has up and down float for the spokes and the knarp end has side to side float for the spokes. Hope that makes sense, but that's why it's done this way to stop binding.

I like my Fly brake, it was free you see, but it does rattle a tad from being worn.

SaMAlex · « **Reply #11 on:** February 03, 2011, 07:46 PM »

Quote from: Dr.Robotnik on February 03, 2011, 04:57 PM

I'd make my own personally with a grub screw and a similar design if I were you.

You have got me thinking now. I think ive come up with a nice design of hanger that'd use simple vertical holes for spokes but with an inbuilt grub screw pinchbolt for the main cable. Im even wondering if I'd be able to straighten the arms on my fly brake (using heat and a vice) so the spoke movement/knarp pivot was parallel with the arm movemet.

The only problem is that I was going to start using a gyro again soon, and I want to try using twin lower cables, so I wouldn't need a stradle cable or hanger anyway!!!

Dr.Robotnik · « **Reply #12 on:** February 03, 2011, 08:04 PM »

Quote from: S&MAlex on February 03, 2011, 07:46 PM

Im even wondering if I'd be able to straighten the arms on my fly brake (using heat and a vice) so the spoke movement/knarp pivot was parallel with the arm movemet.

I think you are asking for a snapped arm personally if you do that. Maybe if they were forged but they are CNC'd so will be cut across the metal grain boundaries anyway. I'd sell it and by the correct one if I were you.

There is a seat stay, chain stay and front Fly brakes all with different angles.

Also I think Diacompe do an extremely similar one now for less.

SaMAlex · « **Reply #13 on:** February 03, 2011, 08:20 PM »

Yeah, im not sure bending them straight is a good idea either. Its such a shame, i love the fly brake, i jsut wish the arms were straight. I wont sell the brake. Apart from that I dont sell anything, it works really really well. I know you can get 2 angles. "bad", and "worse"! haha. And I sure dont wanna spent £70 on "less" of a problem

I had a look at other, straight armed brakes a few months ago but non are quite as nice as the fly brake. I tried a Suelo brake, which is almost exactly the same as the fly, but without the bend. The problem was that cos its a front brake, the "hook" of the arms isnt designed to have the a stradle cable, and the knarps kept unhooking (yes, right in the middle of a FuFan once!!).

pickle · « **Reply #14 on:** February 04, 2011, 07:22 AM »

I've been running one of those Diatech U Box brakes and they're superb! BMXCity do them for about £25 i think which is a bargain as they were £60 RRP when they were first sold

generallee · « **Reply #15 on:** February 04, 2011, 12:00 PM »

I do the AD999 brake at that price too - they are bloody brilliant really.
alex, Old Fools' very own Mikie Richardon form cornwall [ Mi16kie on Rad] did a spoke conversion on his U brake years and years ago - early 90s I think - and ended up doing it for a whole load of people - If im right he was the first person to do it - ask Tim Ruck - he credit's Mikie with that one.
I'll copy Mikie in on this so he can comment.
steve

SaMAlex · « **Reply #16 on:** February 04, 2011, 12:03 PM »

Quote from: generallee on February 04, 2011, 12:00 PM

Alex, Old Fools' very own Mikie Richardon form cornwall [ Mi16kie on Rad] did a spoke conversion on his U brake years and years ago - early 90s I think - and ended up doing it for a whole load of people - If im right he was the first person to do it - ask Tim Ruck - he credit's Mikie with that one.
I'll copy Mikie in on this so he can comment.
steve

Oh, I know. I remember seeing it, and loved it back then. He used a few inches of seatpost for the brake hanger, which I think looked horrid, but Ive wanted to used spokes for the straddle cable ever since I saw his.

TwoBobRob · « **Reply #17 on:** February 04, 2011, 05:19 PM »

I have a question. Sorry if it's a daft one...

The only spoke conversion I ever saw in the flesh simply used a single spoke bent in half. Knarps at the ends, and bent around a regular straddle hangar in't middle.

Does it need to be more complicated than that?

SaMAlex · « **Reply #18 on:** February 04, 2011, 08:12 PM »

Rob- Dont underestimate how much the cable (or spoke) needs to change angle at the hanger as the brake pulls. Its less if the hanger is far away from the brake (ie, the other side of the seat tube) but if its close then there is quite a bit of rotation/pivot going on.

TwoBobRob · « **Reply #19 on:** February 04, 2011, 08:51 PM »

Use a bloody long spoke?

SaMAlex · « **Reply #20 on:** February 04, 2011, 09:49 PM »

I run a chainstay brake, hole in the seat tube, short straddle cable .... like it SHOULD be!
(dont get me started on that one!!)

TwoBobRob · « **Reply #21 on:** February 04, 2011, 10:34 PM »

I'm pretty sure that's a twitch you're developing there me old mucker.......

JT71 · « **Reply #22 on:** February 08, 2011, 09:00 PM »

Rob's totally right

i had a spoke for a while a couple of years back, bent around the hanger, through the stops, same ones on both sides then bent over and trimmed. tighten the grubs screws, worked peachy.

i'll try to find a piccy.

JT71 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 08, 2011, 09:21 PM »

not got any more detailed pics, but basically it's bent threaded thrugh the hanger and tightened into two stops. ends bent in case it comes out of the stops. when you know where the stops tighten, they leave a mark you can put a little dent in the spoke for the grub screw to bite into.