Cellnago V2.1

Picked up the new frame. Totally diff design to the old one - more conventional straighter and narrower tubes, with shorter/thinner head tube, hence more spacers leading to the bars. Lighter too. Approx 8.5 with pedals and wheels - not bad for $A2.3K. Bit odd meshing the new frame (thin) with the old fork (fat), but not too bad on the eye. So far so good.

Unfortunately, my rear wheel really is a bit clapped out, although it has probably clocked 40-50K kms. Stripped the rear wheel down - a little bit of pitting on one of the cones, so decided to repack and put back together. Problem is, just can't get the right tension - cone bolts burred etc - so decided to leave that for another weekend. Put the floppsy American Classics back on (with new spokes replacing those that were broken). And again with additional spacer to stop the cluster cogs rattling. This is where the problem was encountered. Tight fit getting the rear wheel in - in part (hindsight) as the rear derailleur was loose!...because the hanger was loose! Shoddy mechanics at Cell - as well as the hanger being loose, the front derailleur was set almost 1 cm too high on the seat tube, and the new cables (which I'd requested) were a mess at the front. I've decided that if you want quality work done on your bike, you've got to either do it yourself, or take it to a shop with mechanics who look hungry (that is, ride, a lot).

Back to the problem - rear wheel just won't quite fit - a bit of force and it goes in - but the slither of metal visible near the 11 was not a good sign. Upon removal, discovered that the slither of inset metal lining the drive-side rear dropout had been caught by the wheel and partially peeled away, making the frame useless. Scheise! And I haven't even ridden the bloody thing yet. Suddenly, I see the logic in paying more dollars for a higher quality carbon rig. This dropout design is poor, as even slight burring of the contact surfaces exposes the inlaid metal liner, which can then be caught as the wheel goes in - a good case for a solid Al dropout IMO. Probably wouldn't have even happened if the derailleur hanger had been rigidly attached to firmly guide the wheel. Grrrrrrr. So, took it back to the shop, fully expecting the possibility that this was entirely my fault in their eyes. Fortunately, they said they'd deal with it - presumably by gluing on a new dropout sleeve (not convinced they have the expertise) or by swapping my stuff on to CellnagoV3. We will see!

What it will look like....eventually

the offending dropout sleeve