Featherbed (discontinued)
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The Featherbed
tourer with front- and rearsuspension was born on an unsuspended tour in
Wales. To me Wales equals 1 in 6 downhill (or 1 in 4 up) with a sheep round
the corner and gravel on the road. It might even be dry! With those conditions
you start thinking about suspension. Because you nearly crash when the
tyres loose traction on the graveled crown of the road, because you get
a puncture when you run out of metalled road, and because at the end of
your ride you dismount your bike as a centenarian. After a bath, in front
of a coalfire, you decide it is time for suspension, but what will you
do with all the luggage?
From
the archives: two early prototypes
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Advantages
Featherbed is designed as
a tourer with luggage carrying capacity, and not as an adaptation of an
mountain bike. The luggage is transported on a triangulated rear-carrier,
and on lowriders fixed to the suspended part of the front-forks. Thus the
luggage will be subjected to far less vibrations and noise is reduced.
Saddletroubles are greatly reduced because 'the kick in the butt' (pardon
the expression) never happens, and tyres and spokes are spared as well.
And you get a lot more usuable roadspace, an advantage in busy traffic |
Disadvantages
Nothing in life is free.
The bike is complex, which not only means higher cost, but also more maintenance.
And although a lightweight saddle and wheels will suffice, you incur a
weight penalty. And in theory a suspended frame looses some efficiency.
But on all but billiard smooth roads (i.e. there where it is still fun
to cycle) the energyloss in the suspension will be overcome by the decrease
in loss of momentum on the bumps, and the better condition of the engine. |
Specifications
| Intended
use: |
touring
on paved roads |
| Front-suspension: |
linkage
fork, low stiction design, 1 5/8" travel Oil/Cellasto (mcu) springunit
mounted on zero-maintenance silentblocks, replacable pivots with industry
standard plain bearings, Cantilever brakebosses with powerhanger |
| Rear
suspension: |
Trailing
swingarm design. 2" travel Oil/Cellasto (mcu) spring-unit mounted on zero-maintenance
silentblocks, replacable 316TI axle with industry standard plain bearings.
Adjustable for weight. Side pull caliper. |
| Frameconstruction |
Cro-mo
frame from selected Mannesmann and Columbus tubing, Fillet-brazed. Vertical
dropouts |
| Geometry |
73
degrees seat angle, 71 degree head angle |
| Wheel
size: |
622
mm (700 C) |
| Dropoutspacing: |
100-135
mm F/R |
| Headset |
1"
bsc |
| Bracketthread |
68mm
bsc |
| Chainwheelsize |
52
T. max |
| Framesize |
Custom
seat and toptube lenghts |
| seatpost |
27.2
mm with adapter |
| Braze-ons |
Front-changer
pulley, slotted cablestoppers, bottlecage bosses (2*), dynamofitting, eyelets
for mudguards, lowrider and rear carrier mountings, pump peg. |
| Finish |
Two
layer powdercoat (blue metallic) |
| Weight |
typical
weight from 13kgs |
| Options |
cantilever
bosses and drilled cablestops for Magura's, lowriders, wide city rear rack |
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