After just under a week, the corks popped. That's how long it took to order the parts for my first custom bike and put the puzzle together. It wasn't that difficult. A standard for the head tube, plus the matching fork. A bottom bracket with a BSA thread fitted exactly into the bottom bracket and the matching square crank. Wheels were only available with quick release, 100 millimetres wide at the front, 135 at the rear. The cantilever brakes could be fitted to the cantilever base in just a few simple steps, without any annoying adapters. Today, I spend weeks pulling all-nighters to find the right parts for a new bike. In recent years, the variety of standards has reached a level that can drive hobby mechanics to the brink of madness.
There are currently four different variants for the axle on the front wheel alone. The right fork is of course a prerequisite. The connection between fork and frame now has three different steerer tube diameters. Finding a suitable headset at first go is almost a miracle. For Cane Creek's 40 mm headset series alone, there are 40 different upper and lower parts to choose from. The fact that manufacturers often mix up the three common designs External Cup, Zero Stack and Integrated Standard makes the search even more difficult. There is also a wide variety of bottom brackets. You feel like you're at the counter at McDonalds. Bolted or pressed? With bearing shell or without? What width should it be? 68 mm, 73 mm or a little more? Some manufacturers also go their own way. Trek, for example, uses a press-fit bottom bracket with an installation width of 90 mm. A housing width of 89.5 or 92 mm is common.
New frame shapes often make front derailleur mounting more difficult. Front derailleurs with classic clamps can only rarely be fitted to carbon frames. Manufacturers solve the problem with direct mount or E-type front derailleurs. However, the latter only fit frames with BSA bottom brackets. As a result, the Shimano XT groupset alone offers a choice of 18 different front derailleur variants. One thing is clear: new standards often also bring advantages. Press-fit bottom brackets increase stiffness while reducing weight. Thru axles also stiffen the frame and are often very comfortable to use. However, the sheer number of different standards and installation dimensions often causes annoyance and frustration for mechanics. It is also becoming increasingly difficult to find the right part at the dealer round the corner. Who can afford to have all parts and standards in stock at all times? We won't leave you hanging and will help you find your way through the standard jungle.
You can find everything about headset, fork cone, quick release and conversion kits for wheel axles in the PDF download of the first part of our standard series below.
You can find everything about seatposts, seat clamps, handlebars, stems, disc brakes and rear derailleurs in the PDF download of the second part of our standard series below.
Downloads:
Stefan Frey
Editor
