Ever since I first interviewed Jim Cameron, creator of Albannach, on his first prototype CX frame I knew big things were going to come from Jim.
The dCROIS on first observation looks like a force to be reckoned with, the tapered head tube, flattened top tube and curved stay bridges give the dCROIS a rigid/stiff but practical look for racing. The final build put together with SRAM Hydraulic Force 22, 3T forks and finishing kit, hope headset and hubs this bike looks fast yet so much fun!
Jim gives us a run through the ideas behind the final dCROIS.
My first ever CROIS (2012) was a cantilever version of a ‘cross frame; it was my original frame conception but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with it. I really wanted to have internal cable routing, fully ducted to reduce cable deteriorating over the season. This also meant I could not route the front derailleur down the down tube* to enable better gear actuation; I had to settle for top tube routing combined with a seat tube pulley. Unfortunately my manufacturer at the time couldn’t do this, it was always going to be a prototype. I naively opted for BB30 which I’ve had nothing but grief from, so that had to go also. The chainstay tolerance was neglected and this lead to a vastly reduced chainring envelope. Lastly, the geometry, though pretty much perfect, I’ll admit was not my own, I tweaked a borrowed geometry from a previous machine of mine.
The first dCROIS (2013) was really just a disc brake evolution of the 2012 CROIS. It wasn’t until the 2014 dCROIS that I was able to tick all my creative boxes; fully ducted, PF30 BB shell and geometry completely of my design. I’m an engineer by profession so spacing out in front of spreadsheets comes naturally.
For me, the only flaw with the 2014 dCROIS was the choice of tear drop out piece. You’ll not on the 2015 version we have an extension to the seat stay, this really is just aesthetic and it allow for straight seat and chain stay sections. That, the lack of bottle cage holes are really the only differences between the 2014 & 2015 dCROIS.
I raced on my 2015 dCROIS last weekend and though my race didn’t go particularly well I’m ridiculously pleased with it. I’m stoked to say that I’m not the only one; It’s one thing for the designer to be pleased, it’s another thing entirely to hear praise from guys on the other ones.
*if you ever find a ‘cross frame with bare cables down the down tube, raise an eyebrow at the poor design, you’ll be suprised how many major players do this negligently.
For more information and full spec head over to Albannach’s website.