Hampsten Cycles

[DCT]

steve,

ive been thinking a lot lately about your bikes. my first hampsten experience was awesome. the communication, the ETA of the bike, the build, the look, the professionalism, and everything else.
i'm not sure there is another builder that has more repeat customers than you. you have a few offerings and they all hit the spot. more importantly, you make the process so easy and delivery such an awesome product.

im psyched for my new hampsten ti di2 this summmer.

[Yodelinpol]

Steve,

I was going to email this question to you but decided to post it here.

I notice that a few Hampstens have quite lengthy seat tube extensions. Almost like an ISP.

Is this for style, structure, or ride feel or combination of these?

Is this spec'd by you or customer request/preference?

Thanks,

Kenny

[cody.wms]

Hey Steve,

You mentioned two products you are developing with Enve in Watoni's thread in General Discussion. Can you talk a little bit about them?

Now that we've cleared out your stash of CS-25s, what long-reach carbon forks are you liking these days (besides the Wound-Up)? How's that Co-Motion fork? I haven't seen much about it.

[hampco]

Steve,

I was going to email this question to you but decided to post it here.

I notice that a few Hampstens have quite lengthy seat tube extensions. Almost like an ISP.

Is this for style, structure, or ride feel or combination of these?

Is this spec'd by you or customer request/preference?

Thanks,

Kenny

Kenny,

I think it's only been two frames with the ISP-like thingy and those were both built for me to my specs. One, the MAX bike, is sold to a good customer; the other, a Gran Paradiso Titanio, is my current go-fast bike. I can't tell if the ISP does anything or not but it sure makes shipping more difficult and shimming the seat tube on the ti frame was a real chore. Our stock welded frames usually have 20mm of ST extension to give the seat clamp plenny o' room.

Hey Steve,

You mentioned two products you are developing with Enve in Watoni's thread in General Discussion. Can you talk a little bit about them?

Now that we've cleared out your stash of CS-25s, what long-reach carbon forks are you liking these days (besides the Wound-Up)? How's that Co-Motion fork? I haven't seen much about it.

The two new projects that have me excited are:

Long-reach fork! Two months ago, Enve told me that I was the only one asking for this - boo hoo. Now I hear it's the most-requested item for them to develop - thanks all who asked, our wishes may be granted. 2 rakes, fender clearance for 40mm fenders, and eyelets are all I request - is that so much?

30.6mm seat post. Here at the Towers we use the Columbus Life seat tube on a number of lugged and welded projects. And the new lugs from e-Richie and Dazza use the same-or-similar seat tube which has a nominal 30.7mm ID before brazing or welding but usually ends up at 30.5 or 30.6mm after torch time. But no sexy posts exist yet; Enve is helping me with a couple for the short term but it sounds like a longer term solution is coming. All hail OOS!

And speaking of Enve, how about a Smoked Out featuring Jim or Carl from that great company? I just wanna say that they have consistently been a pleasure to work with from day one.

The Co-Mo fork... I think it's essentially a re-purposed road fork for short-reach calipers that has either had the legs or the dropouts extended. It's a fine fork but the clearance for 35mm fenders is tight, Clarence, which means a 30mm tire is snug. It's tall but not very wide. I have a Seven fork coming in and we may see one of the new Serotta forks soon - but I'm counting on this Enve fork to Do It All.

Another project on the horizon is a steel fork crown for straight blades with 50mm between the blades, which would work perfect using the Paul Racer M brakes - and for cyclo cross. And there may be some new fork blades coming from a pal with a different shape/profile...

Finally, we need a better/nicer/expensiver 57mm-reach caliper brake than what currently exist. Any ideas?

[cody.wms]

The new fork sounds fantastic. I'm still glad you had a CS-25 left when I called.

Finally, we need a better/nicer/expensiver 57mm-reach caliper brake than what currently exist. Any ideas?

What about the Grand-Cru brakes from Velo-OrangeLINK HERE. The copy states that they are mo-stiffer than others. Not sure which brakes they were comparing there.

[hampco]

What about the Grand-Cru brakes from Velo-OrangeLINK HERE. The copy states that they are mo-stiffer than others. Not sure which brakes they were comparing there.

They're fine, I'm assembling a bike now with these. They're still pretty basic and don't seem much like an improvement over Shimano - and they're simply a re-badged Token brake. But they work well...

[Yodelinpol]

"We don't need no stinkin' re-badges"

What and how would you improve over the Shimanos? Is it performance or mostly style?

[hampco]

style, finish - and price. it's hard to put a pair of $100 calipers on a Red, Record, or Dura Ace bike

[Jklash]

Steve is right, it sounds snobbish, but standard reach brakes exist in a sorta mid-priced ghetto. All three, Shimano, Tektro, and Gran Cru are good products, but they do look a little down market for top tier groups. I think the Gran Crus has the nicest finish of the three, but Tektros quick release is the best for big tires. Both look fine on my Chorus equipped bikes, but they wouldn't quite match the high-end groups. Also, I suspect it's a limitation caused by the longer arms, but as a big dude, I would love a swanky standard reach brake with the same confidence inspiring feel of Campy Record or Dura Ace calipers. I would gladly pay a significant premium for a nicely finished brake with outstanding stopping power.

Hey Steve- What ever happen to the Feather project?

It's sorta the same with carbon forks for the same application. There are now at least a few options on the market, which is a huge improvement over a few years ago, but they still leave a little to be desired. I get that both of these (forks and brakes) are still niche products, but I it'd be nice if we could get a consistent supplier that will tap into this market. I had high hopes for the True Temper long reach forks, but they came and went pretty quickly. Here's hoping that Enve fork will make it to and stay in production for a while. In the mean time, at least there's always steel!!

[grscha]

Long-reach fork! Two months ago, Enve told me that I was the only one asking for this - boo hoo. Now I hear it's the most-requested item for them to develop - thanks all who asked, our wishes may be granted. 2 rakes, fender clearance for 40mm fenders, and eyelets are all I request - is that so much?
...
The Co-Mo fork... I think it's essentially a re-purposed road fork for short-reach calipers that has either had the legs or the dropouts extended. It's a fine fork but the clearance for 35mm fenders is tight, Clarence, which means a 30mm tire is snug. It's tall but not very wide. I have a Seven fork coming in and we may see one of the new Serotta forks soon - but I'm counting on this Enve fork to Do It All.
...
Another project on the horizon is a steel fork crown for straight blades with 50mm between the blades, which would work perfect using the Paul Racer M brakes - and for cyclo cross. And there may be some new fork blades coming from a pal with a different shape/profile...

Hi Steve,

What fork(s) are you using for current long-reach-brake projects?

Thanks.

[hampco]

Hi Steve,

What fork(s) are you using for current long-reach-brake projects?

Thanks.

currently:

co-motion

wound up

steel hampco

i'm missing those cs25 forks...

[mschol17]

Doesn't Serotta offer custom carbon forks for builders?

[hampco]

Doesn't Serotta offer custom carbon forks for builders?

They do sell forks... their long-reach fork is simply a road fork with a 10mm extension added to the dropouts - still tall and narrow.

Hey Steve- What ever happen to the Feather project?

meh - went nowhere. they sound busy.

[cody.wms]

I keep staring at the Dario4Andy bike that you posted. Now that Dario is back in good health and making a sizable dent in his que, is there a chance this project will happen?

[hampco]

I keep staring at the Dario4Andy bike that you posted. Now that Dario is back in good health and making a sizable dent in his queue, is there a chance this project will happen?

jeez, i wish - that was seriously a very sweet ride. maybe if enough people asked for it he might build some. but i think gita (the importer) would need to be involved or it simply wouldn't happen

the genius of that frame - aside from the incredible graphics - is that it's simply a welded frame using standard dimension tubes and a brazed fork. it seems so simple (and it rides great) but it's a combination that so few builders offer. and i think it fits the Pegoretti catalog nicely as an alternative to his the over-size tubed frames with carbon forks - or as an alternative for those who want a Luigino but not the lugs.

[fixednwinter]

MAX vs MiniMAX

Steve, have you built up and ridden any of your frames built with MiniMAX? Did it ride as you predicted on your blog? And is it a Night vs Day difference when compared to a MAX frame with the same geometry and fork?

[roguedog]

i think steve's having a lovely time in italy atm. he's drinking good wine and eating good food. riding round in the lovely italian countryside

. or maybe he's back? was checking this thread for this very reason... wonder who minds the shop while he out galavanting about.

[hampco]

still in italy for a couple more days, then paris for two. the riding, food, and wine here do not disappoint and i'll blog and post when i return.

martin and max are also on vacation, my gun-nut cousin and his rottweiler are staying at hampco towers to answer the phone and doorbell.

[hampco]

MAX vs MiniMAX

Steve, have you built up and ridden any of your frames built with MiniMAX? Did it ride as you predicted on your blog? And is it a Night vs Day difference when compared to a MAX frame with the same geometry and fork?

i have a minimax frame in my size and i plan to ride it this fall and winter. but it's with my photographer and i'm out of town so a ride report will be a couple of weeks out. i'm expecting it to be cushier than the MAX frame, probably more like the welded spirit-for-lugs frames we do.

[e-RICHIE]

we heart the hamp atmo -