New TRA = Victory

[funklab]

You may want to look into helicopter tape for your frame. Would probably be easier and cleaner looking than paracording your whole frame. A friend of mine wrapped his, there is a video on youtube. You can remove some of those screws from your seat pan if you need to fit your bag strap under it. My carbon seat pan isn't bolted at all, just velcro and it has never moved. Also, if your only swapping one or two spokes out you can probably true it yourself. Just lay your chair on its side so you can spin the wheel freely and tighten/loosen the new spokes until it doesn't wobble (replace/balance one at a time). I swapped all 6 outside spokes on each of my wheels and had to have a bike shop balance it, but if it was just a few it may have been manageable. You can always try yourself first, then take it in. Good looking chair by the way

Thanks, I haven't heard of helicopter tape before. I just youtubed it, definitely looks easier than my paracord method, but I wonder if the tape wont just end up getting scratched as well. I'm envisioning this chair getting slung across rough concrete by accident several times... it seems unlikely the tape would be up to that job. I'll probably just waste my time and wrap the heck out of it with paracord, then after I get used to the transfers for a couple months and I'm not dropping it often I'll start removing the paracord. I don't mind keeping a bit of paracord wrap on it, especially on the "knee" part of the downtube with this skinny frame, gives my hand more to grab onto when I'm transfering, and plus if I need a couple dozen feet of paracord for some reason I can always quickly whip off the paracord wrap (as if that would ever happen).

That's a good point about the spokes. I might as well give it a shot. Worst case scenario I just do what I was gong to do anyway and take it to a bike shop.

[Thaynes]

Congrats on the chair. I think the color scheme looks fantastic. I'm doing the insurance/DME thing right now for a new chair ... hope I can land something similar.

[pfcs49]

Congratulations! It's pretty much what I got through SS after a year and a half of bullshit!

I don't see the FrogsLegs? The casters look like mine which is how I ended up despite ordering and paying up for FrogsLegs which are not available to fit the newer style chassis. I finally, after months of dickering was refunded about $200. I really wanted a ZRA which is basically what my other 2005 chair is but no way would they allow me to order titanium and pay up the difference. Very frustrating! Note: those big tubular caster heads add about an inch of space to what the titanium ZRA has compared to the AeroZ I got.. They dig into the plastic rocker-panel of my GTI and when I transfer, the car comes down hard on it (I'm 200 lbs) and the chair actually sticks when I go to lift it. Over time this has resulted in a hole in the plastic.

I cut off the protruding portion of the axle mounts. More than the slight extra weight, they stick way out and hit my chest when fishing the frame into the car.

For your spokes, you might look into spiral wraps for electronics wiring. Blue and red are probably available, a cheap and quick fix at least for now.

I cut down the original side guards so they are lower than the outside of the tires. They still keep my pants off the tires but now if I come down on something, it's the tire and not the relatively sharp edge of the guards.

[funklab]

Congratulations! It's pretty much what I got through SS after a year and a half of bullshit!

I don't see the FrogsLegs? The casters look like mine which is how I ended up despite ordering and paying up for FrogsLegs which are not available to fit the newer style chassis. I finally, after months of dickering was refunded about $200. I really wanted a ZRA which is basically what my other 2005 chair is but no way would they allow me to order titanium and pay up the difference. Very frustrating! Note: those big tubular caster heads add about an inch of space to what the titanium ZRA has compared to the AeroZ I got.. They dig into the plastic rocker-panel of my GTI and when I transfer, the car comes down hard on it (I'm 200 lbs) and the chair actually sticks when I go to lift it. Over time this has resulted in a hole in the plastic.

I cut off the protruding portion of the axle mounts. More than the slight extra weight, they stick way out and hit my chest when fishing the frame into the car.

For your spokes, you might look into spiral wraps for electronics wiring. Blue and red are probably available, a cheap and quick fix at least for now.

I cut down the original side guards so they are lower than the outside of the tires. They still keep my pants off the tires but now if I come down on something, it's the tire and not the relatively sharp edge of the guards.

What did you use to cut off the protruding portions of the axle mounts? I've got a lot of excess there, and I think it looks bad in addition to getting in the way.

I just ordered a dremel, and I'm gonna use it to chop off part of the caster forks (not sure if that's the right word, but I keep using it), like I was talking about earlier, but I'm not sure which kind of dremel tool will be best for cutting aluminum... or deburring it after I cut it for that matter.

I may have misspoke, they're not frog legs caster forks, just regular ones, but the wide casters.

[Oddity]

I use 420 cut off wheels for stuff like that. There are also 'deburring'/sanding drums of varying grits and such for cleaning up the edges. Not exactly a pro tool I guess but it does small jobs like this well IMO.

[Brad09]

If you're going to use a dremel, I would highly recommend the ez lock discs. You can replace them by hand without having to use a flathead screwdriver on their regular discs that have a screw at the end of the shaft.

[pfcs49]

What did you use to cut off the protruding portions of the axle mounts? I've got a lot of excess there, and I think it looks bad in addition to getting in the way.

I just ordered a dremel, and I'm gonna use it to chop off part of the caster forks (not sure if that's the right word, but I keep using it), like I was talking about earlier, but I'm not sure which kind of dremel tool will be best for cutting aluminum... or deburring it after I cut it for that matter.

I may have misspoke, they're not frog legs caster forks, just regular ones, but the wide casters.

I think I stuck them in the vice and cut them with my sawzall or I may have used a right angle 4" grinder with a cutoff wheel. (you can cut aluminum with a carbide disc/cutoff wheel, but it's not like cutting steel. More like melt and discharge)

The Dremel probably is fine for the relatively thin caster forks; I'd pull the wheels before doing and you'll need to hold it stationary somehow.

[August West]

I've used a hacksaw to cut my aluminum footrest. Then file down the edges. I'm sure it would work fine for the fork. Far less expensive than a Dremel.

[funklab]

After a couple months of daily use I have to say titanium handrims are well worth the extra cost to me thus far.

I doubt they’re any lighter than aluminum (I have a pair of Al ones to compare to if I ever pull them off the wheels), but they feel much less... slimy? I don’t know how to say it. But the same time as I got my new chair with new wheels and Ti handrims I replaced the handrims on the old wheels with brand new (cheap) Al ones. Pushing with the Al handrims feels like there’s always a tiny amount of powder between my hand and the rims. It’s not quite slippery, but it’s tough to get a good grip.

i don’t know if that has anything to do with the entire reason why I went with titanium this time around or not. Basically I only did it because my old Al handrims have been staining my hands black for years.

either way I’m a fan thus far, and expect it to be worth the extra $400 or so I paid in the long run.

[Oddity]

In all likelihood, that 'dusty' feeling is actual aluminum oxide dust. Some people's body chemistry is such that using aluminum push rings exacerbates the build up and leads to "black hand" in the worst cases. Others can use them fine.

Those Ti rings are undoubtedly heavier than equally made Al ones, since Ti is atomically far heavier. Unless those walls are made very very thin, of course, but I kind of doubt it, since pushrings take a lot of direct impact abuse. Would be curious (and thankful) for some factual data if you've ever got them off at the same time.