tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820430141970983578.post7259555606376237341..comments2023-06-20T06:06:34.260-05:00Comments on Ellis Cycles: Ellis Dropouts / StrengthDave Wageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04031530028833357768noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820430141970983578.post-78573242179778582702012-04-21T15:02:25.933-05:002012-04-21T15:02:25.933-05:00As I look back over the years I have designed a go...As I look back over the years I have designed a good number of dropouts for several companies. Along the way I made some mistakes, and when you make a mistake on dropouts they do break. I am not going into the details of dropout design but I do not see any of the mistakes I made in these dropouts. They are beautiful and well designed. Keep up the good work!Curtis Odomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15745509542592045511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820430141970983578.post-46969531408229641842011-02-17T21:16:46.953-06:002011-02-17T21:16:46.953-06:00I wish I'd read this before I purchased my sec...I wish I'd read this before I purchased my second Surly Cross Check frame. <br /><br />Although, I have to say I put the first one to a real test. 20,000 miles, mostly fixed wheel, in hilly Duluth. I hit thousands of potholes and bumps on our rough local streets and never broke a dropout. Lots of slow grinds out of the saddle up Duluth's hills. Maybe I was just lucky.Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09090802854306112252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820430141970983578.post-29180532071834730452011-02-17T08:34:08.702-06:002011-02-17T08:34:08.702-06:00Broken Surly Dropout.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/iconoclasst1/2512281179/sizes/o/in/photostream/" rel="nofollow">Broken Surly Dropout</a>.AteMrYeatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02570239965572930246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820430141970983578.post-68866266136509773182011-02-16T10:56:18.139-06:002011-02-16T10:56:18.139-06:00Joel, it's funny that you mention that split s...Joel, it's funny that you mention that split spacing configuration, originally a Rivendell idea, (I think), because I occasionally get a customer who thinks they'd like this. For obvious reasons, I really don't like this setup, and most folks put one wheel in the bike and never change, so you just have a frame that never fits your wheel right, and that's guaranteed!Dave Wageshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04031530028833357768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820430141970983578.post-12886453147809138432011-02-15T23:39:54.790-06:002011-02-15T23:39:54.790-06:00Great post, Dave. I wonder if Surly has had any p...Great post, Dave. I wonder if Surly has had any problems with their Cross Checks being spaced at 132.5mm? It's only +/-2.5mm, but they guaranteed every hub would be the wrong size.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820430141970983578.post-6381270659858795232011-02-14T22:10:52.815-06:002011-02-14T22:10:52.815-06:00Hey gobucky, there are no dumb questions! I don&#...Hey gobucky, there are no dumb questions! I don't know if you're right, but I think the interesting thing is that my dropouts probably have almost as much metal as the Ritchey's, it's just looks less substantial since they have the large windows on each tab. If the material were compressed, my dropouts would easily have more metal than many "stock" dropouts out there, and the 17/4 stainless is much stronger than the cast steel that most dropouts use.Dave Wageshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04031530028833357768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820430141970983578.post-16320755875527756472011-02-14T20:51:36.967-06:002011-02-14T20:51:36.967-06:00I might sound dumb, but do you think the dropouts ...I might sound dumb, but do you think the dropouts you designed are also less subject to stress because of having less material (ie they have "windows" that for example a Ritchey doesn't have)?gobuckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11253538811778981017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820430141970983578.post-31727570241679656372011-02-14T10:34:50.557-06:002011-02-14T10:34:50.557-06:00I agree that alot of breakage occurs around the bo...I agree that alot of breakage occurs around the bottom bracket, but I was trying to address some of the concerns folks have raised to me about my dropouts. In upcoming posts, I'm going to try and explain some more about my design philosophy and why I use certain materials and parts for Ellis frames. Stay tunedDave Wageshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04031530028833357768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820430141970983578.post-16555549984034678252011-02-13T22:10:20.476-06:002011-02-13T22:10:20.476-06:00Very interesting. I must say that I am surprised t...Very interesting. I must say that I am surprised that this would top someone's concerns about a frame. I am not a frame builder, but I worked in a bike shop for quite a few years during the steel era (hmm, I sound a bit like "not a doctor but play one on tv.") Most of the stress breakage I remember was around the bottom bracket. But I am not doubting you one iota - quite the opposite. Just saying that I've always thought of the dropouts as the strongest part of the mix, and that by spreading the rear spacing, one was more likely to damage the brake or chain stay bridges or kink a seat or chain stay. So like I said, interesting.J Akehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12677734258550410728noreply@blogger.com