New Albion Drake Frame Is Ready For Action

We started posting photos of the prototype Drake early last year, because we loved how it turned out.
However we took our sweet time test riding it and we only received our first production run this month.

So let's take some time explaining what you can do with a Drake.
We call it a 650b (27.5") wheel adventure tourer.
We designed it with a wheel base length between a cyclo-cross bike and a fully loaded touring rig, to offer the stability desired when you're 'packing, but without taking away too much spirit when you want to just rip around gravel roads and dirt trails.

It will fit 42mm Soma Cazadero or WTB Resolute tires with fenders or 2.0" mountain knobbies without fenders. You can also put on WTB Byways or Panaracer PariMotos for velvety road cruising.
Can you or should you run 700c tires? Depends on what you want to achieve. We gave it 10mm more BB height than your average road bike, because we wanted to make it more dirt-capable, so don't expect it carve downhill corners like our Homebrew road frame.

While you can't ride this as fast over gnarly trails as a bike packing hardtail, its front triangle will fit a larger frame bag than a hardtail.

Other features:

• Beefy cast dropouts that allow for separate rack and fender mounting. And though not Rohloff-specif, it is friendly to Rohloff set ups.
• Chainstay-located IS disc tabs doesn't interfere with most rear racks.
• PF30 Bottom Bracket offers a bottom bracket option with larger cartridge bearings and stiffer platform. If you choose to run geared hubs or single speed, you can get an eccentric bottom bracket, which allows you to adjust chain tension.
• Tange Champion CrMo tubing throughout
• Front mini rack mounts and pannier rack mount on optional matching fork
• Rear mini rack mount and pannier rack mount
• S-Bend chainstays
• Downtube shifter compatibility
• Optional lugged crown disc fork

Sandra's Privateer Update

Hi Evan,

Logged 1,958 miles on my New Albion Privateer for the National Bike Challenge. I started logging the miles once I was in receipt of my bike beginning in May. Not a bad way of breaking-in a new bike!

Sandra

Privateer in Gravel Touring Mode

Continuing with our new tire experiment, we got a set of 700c Soma Cazadero tires mounted up on a Privateer set up for some off road touring.

This looks right.

Eddie's Privateer Drop Bar Build

One of our first Privateer customers just rebuilt his bike with some fresh new tires and drop bars.

"An update on my Privateer. I tried all manner of trying to get used to upright with Albatross bars and bar ends. I adjusted every which way up down sideways. Not for me. So I installed my fav compact drops, Sora 9 brifters, and a 6603 Ultegra triple crank. The bike still rode kinda harsh and clunky. Last gasp was to try some Grand Bois Cypres 32 mm tires at 70 psi. These replaced Maxxis Refuse 28 mm tires pumped to 80 psi. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! I can’t quite believe the tires can make a big difference, but I swear the bike seems faster??? And cruises over rough surfaces really well. I mean really well. I thought this would just be my town funky bike, but now it has turned into something more subtle. I like it."

Be well.

Eddie

Homebrew 650b Conversion

I had a extra set of Velocity Atlas 650b wheels lying around, so I thought I would set them up on a Homebrew complete bike and see how well they fit.

I think the results are quite pleasing. It really looks like the frame was made just for these tires.

I traded the stock IRD B57s for some Rivendell Silver long reach calipers, and the brake reach lines up just above the bottom of the slot. This allows for plenty of fender clearance, even with 38mm tires.

These brakes are super easy to adjust, so the entire operation took maybe 10 minutes after I pulled the bike out of the box. I used the venerable Panaracer Col De La Vie tires, which were at one time pretty much the only 650b tire you could get.

Nowadays there are many other good options, but for the money I still think they're a great value. They may not be the fastest rolling tread pattern, or the lightest casing (that distinction goes to the Soma Grand Randonneur tires), but they roll pretty darn smoothly and they give the bike a nice traditional look that I enjoy.

For rough roads, gravel and dirt paths these wider tires are a smart upgrade. The minimum reach on the Silver brakes is 57mm, so you could easily set them up with the 700c wheels and have an extra 650b wheelset ready to swap out depending on the kind of riding you planned on doing. All it takes is a quick brake pad adjustment and you're ready to go.

Besides the obvious pneumatic suspension gains, going to larger tires has the knock on effect of improved grip when cornering. Do to the increased volume you'll be able to run lower pressure without worrying about pinch flats. Lowering the pressure will increase the amount of rubber in contact with the road while leaning into a turn. You'll really appreciate increased stability if you ever find yourself descending a steep chicane with loaded panniers.

Another nice thing about running 650b wheels on the Homebrew is that the geometry remains relatively sporty compared to a heavy duty touring bike. The short chainstays and steeper headtube angle keep the handling lively and responsive, so it's still fun to ride with just a small front rack or saddle bag.

If you're 650b curious but you're on a budget, you might want to give the Homebrew a closer look. Converting it to 650b wheels only takes a few minutes and you probably already have the tools you'll need to make the swap.