On Saturday night, beneath the brilliant gentle of a Waxing Gibbous, I made historical past:
Keep in mind in “Raiders of the Misplaced Ark” how Indiana Jones turned the primary particular person in 1000’s of years to affix the headpiece to the Workers of Ra, and in so doing was capable of finding the movie’s eponymous ark?
Nicely, because of Paul of Traditional Cycle I had my very own Workers of Ra, and with it I turned the primary particular person in over 1 / 4 of a century to unlock the complete potential of the Trek Y-Foil:
And right here it’s on a moonlit shakedown trip:
For years, individuals have been setting the Y-Foil up as a triathlon bike as a consequence of its aero design:
[From here.]
However that’s like attempting to stay Pterodactyl wings on a T-rex, and it seems what actually belongs on this bike is a suspension fork, go determine:
So allow us to return to the 1998, when Y-Foils roamed the Earth:
And paper magazines had been stuffed with purple prose, like this:
Oy.
Suspension had already conquered the mountain bike market, and by the early-to-mid Nineteen Nineties shock forks had begun to look on the entrance of Paris-Roubaix:
To bike designers, highway suspension appeared inevitable, and so they had been configuring their choices accordingly:
[1995 Cannondale catalog]
So when Trek had been growing the Y-Foil they determined it needed to be suitable with a suspension fork in order that they wouldn’t miss out on the following huge factor. For this reason the inventory fork has that elongated crown:
This was a race bike, and one Trek would have made obtainable to its sponsored groups–and sure, it’s totally potential US Postal may have determined to make use of the Y-Foil at a race like Paris-Roubaix. Between the beam and a suspension fork a rider would float proper over these cobbles.
However as Trek had been launching the bike, the UCI declared the bike unlawful, so by way of advertising it fell into what engineer Jim Colegrove referred to as a “black gap.” It was an aero bike, nevertheless it didn’t have the geometry of a real triathlon bike, or the 650c wheels that had been standard on the time. The primary 12 months for the Y-Foil was 1998, and in that 12 months’s catalogue it’s simply form of there with no rationalization:
A 12 months later they gave the impression to be pushing it as a triathlon bike:
And after that it was gone.
Trek had meant for the Y-Foil to be a “mic drop” what with its radical design and all, however as a substitute they form of fumbled with the mic for awhile till it lastly fell into an unflushed bathroom.
Although the suspension compatibility is talked about deep within the technical guide, Trek’s advertising supplies appear to disregard it, Colegrove doesn’t know if anybody has ever really put a suspension fork on there, and I’ve definitely by no means seen a Y-Foil geared up with one myself. So now, 27 years later, I set about configuring the bike the way in which Trek meant, and till I hear in any other case I’m going to go forward and assume I’m the primary civilian ever to take action. To that finish, Paul even despatched me the correct wrenches for the scalloped Shimano headset:
Sorry, make that “head components:”
Whereas I’m admittedly inept, I at all times discover that when engaged on a bicycle there’s at all times some form of unexpected drawback, irrespective of how ostensibly easy the job could also be. On this case, it was that the entrance brake bolt was too lengthy for the thin brake arch of the Ruby fork:
Moreover, even earlier than discovering this, I’d been involved about utilizing the Zero Gravity brakes with this fork. See, these ultralight single-pivot calipers are so delicate that the cable size have to be excellent to ensure that them to remained aligned with the rim–even elevating or reducing the stem a hair is sufficient to shift them out of alignment. So it appeared to me that the motion of a suspension fork may end in fixed rubbing.
Happily, I had simply acquired a quite well timed bundle from Samantha on the Outdated Spokes House in Burlington, VT:
[They take donations and also have an eBay store.]
She’d examine my Brake Debacle and despatched me not one however two stunning pairs of 9-speed period Shimano Ultegra brakes. So I put in one of many rear brakes on the Ruby fork:
No drawback:
I nonetheless had one other rear, so I went to put in that, solely to seek out that the rear keep was too thick for the brief nt and bolt. So I used a entrance brake as a substitute, together with the shorter nut from the rear brake:
I doubt that is the “proper” approach to do it, however what the hell, it appears to work.
Usually talking, I don’t actually take care of suspension. Nonetheless, while you’re using a motorbike just like the Spouse Oil you’ve bought no alternative however to let down your inhibitions:
It’s form of like going to some over-the-top membership or restaurant and being served a ridiculous cocktail–certain, you’d by no means order such a factor, however whilst you’re there you may as nicely go along with it, and after a couple of sips you begin to give up. Aesthetically, I’d argue it really works in context with the general madness of the bike, and I even assume it seems to be higher than that weirdly elongated inventory fork. As for efficiency, I’ve solely bought one chilly 20-ish mile trip on it (apart from the very transient moonlit shakedown spin), and…to date it’s type of enjoyable! The bike nonetheless handles properly–being designed for a fork like this it doesn’t do something wacky to the entrance finish–and so it retains its racy character while concurrently making you’re feeling such as you’re mendacity on a down mattress topper. After all you will get a lot the identical impact with some increased quantity tires, however do not forget that this was 1998 and no one thought that manner. Take a look at the rear tire clearance:
That tire is nominally a 25, however in the event you’re conversant in Gatorskins you understand how slender they run:
By the way in which, I put that tire on there after discovering this on Friday:
And sure, that was in actual fact the inside tube bulging out of there, so I used to be on borrowed time.
One other quirk on the stern of the Y-Foil is how shut the brake caliper is to the water bottle, one thing that didn’t present itself with the a lot shorter Zero Gravity brake:
In truth it’s so shut the cable adjuster really touches the water bottle:
It’s not a difficulty in apply, however on a brake with a chunkier adjuster it most likely may very well be:
Clearance up entrance is equally tight:
In case you needed to sum up biking the Nineteen Nineties with a single picture, you may discover no higher one than this picture of a suspension fork that may barely clear a 25mm tire:
Use a wider tire?
Naaah.
Let’s simply hold utilizing the identical skinny ones however construct a complete loopy contraption round them as a substitute.
Actually, between the shock-absorbing beam and the suspension fork, your complete bike is one gigantic workaround.
However as soon as and settle for this you’ll be able to totally benefit from the bike in the identical manner you can get pleasure from a gentle drink or a quick meals burger that arrives at its deliciousness by having manner too many questionable elements. And the fork appears to work…decently:
With out the guide I don’t know if the fork is meant to lock out fully, however with the change on this place it sorta-kinda does:
At one level I used to be descending with the fork “locked out,” then I got here to the underside of the hill and encountered a stretch of torn up highway that was lined with steel building plates. So I reached down and unlocked the fork and between the fork and the beam I actually did kinda float proper over it. Granted, I’d have floated proper over it on one in all my Rivendae, and even the Cervino with its 30mm tubular tires, and I wouldn’t have needed to flip a change, besides, I’m having fun with the novelty issue:
Although as Paul factors out, the elastomers within the fork are temperature delicate. Certain, it’s enjoyable now, however in a couple of months it could simply really feel prefer it’s stuffed with marshmallows.
