Friday, March 6, 2009

First Frame Update

Well, our "last gasp of winter" (maybe) snowstorm this past weekend, put a crimp in my riding plans, but the weather made an abrupt turnaround and we had sun and 60s today! Since our shop is still in "winter hours", I have a longish break in the afternoon, so I got out for about an hour's ride on the new bike.

You can see it here, as currently set up. It's still a work in progress, which doesn't really surprise me. Since my last post, I got the fenders and rack and saddlebag on, which makes it look really "complete" to me. I built the bike to be practical.. for touring, for commuting, for shopping, for all weather and many surface conditions. So the fenders are an essential element, as is the rack. The saddlebag, a Carradice Nelson Longflap from England, is what I carry my small daily commute load in, and its' also suitable for a quick trip to the grocery store if I need one or two items. The rack will support panniers for touring or heavier shopping loads.

At the moment, the only things "missing" from what I had originally planned for the bike are a front rack for panniers (for touring) and a cyclecomputer. Oh, and since the bike was designed to handle 42mm wide tires with fenders, I've ordered a set of Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires in that size. I've heard good things about them, and they're one of the few high quality tires made in that size.

Now, one thing that seems clear after the first few rides is that the "trekking" style bars just don't feel right on this bike. I've used them before on an old mountain bike that I used as a commuter and general knocking around bike, but they just feel awkward on this bike. Basically, they feel too upright and too wide for the uses I imagine for this bike. Some of that is because I'm most accustomed to "drop" style handlebars, so that's what feels most natural. But I think part of it is also due to the relatively short top tube of the frame. I designed it based on my old Miyata 1000, which has a short top tube compared to most modern bikes, but it fits me just fine... with drop handlebars. I could try a different stem with more reach, but I also don't really like the width of these bars, particularly in a headwind... it just feels like I really catch the wind with these bars. So once I get a new set of road brake levers, I'll put on a set of Nitto drop bars I have already.

It's not a big deal... I had actually had in mind the idea that I might swap the bars around based on how I was using the bike at a particular time. For example, if I knew I were going to do a long off-road tour, I might opt for the trekking bars, but switch back to drops for normal road use. However, I have a feeling I'm just going to settle into drop bars on this bike and be happy with them.

Keep watching this space for updates! As I said, it's a work in progress. And for you serious bike geeks out there, soon I'll spell out exactly what parts I built the bike up with.

More pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157614034677336/

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

BEAUTIFUL. The fenders and rack add a lot.
Sweetie was quite impressed, and taken with the color (as you know she's partial to dark green bikes). She wants to know if you plan to make a headbadge for it identifying it as yours, i.e., "Tim's Bike".

Yu could do what the French once did... Parisians were required to have their name and house number engraved on a plate that was mounted somewhere on the bike (the threadless stem cap or the handlebars were popular places).

I have to say I'm glad you're swapping to another bar, ANY bar... this thing just looks goofy and weird.

Bravo!

Tim said...

Thanks Beth! I'm really pleased with how it is shaping up. The color is great, and the rack and fenders do add a LOT to the look. I'd recommend the Velo Orange fenders to anyone seeking a nice, solid, classy metal fender.

No plans for a head badge yet, but I have a friend who is working on some ideas for a logo of some sort, and lettering for the down tube. As I told you in an email, I'm leaning toward "Goshawk Cycles" as a name for any future framebuilding venture, so that's what my friend is working from. She's a graphic artist and recently got bitten by the classicly styled bike bug, so I think she'll come up with something great. Watch this space.

I actually kinda like the looks of the bars, but they're just not feeling right. If the bike had been designed with a longer top tube to match them, that might be ok, but as it is I will be putting some flavor of drop bar on there. I have some Nitto 115s, which I've always liked, but I'm also toying with randonneur bars or something else. Thoughts?