Ross' new build...A 1993 Diamonback Apex outfitted with a Shimano Deore/XT mix. Sunrims Rhynolite 26 inch rims laced to Shimano Deore hubs. A Manitou Minute pro suspension fork. Thomson stem/seatpost. Fizik Arione saddle. Shimano Deore front hydraulic caliper, Paul Motolite rear. WTB weirwolf tire on the rear and a WTB broson on the front. Origin 8 headset
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This one is up here because we have never done this before. The customer's old frame crapped out, so he was looking for a similar steel frame fixie, but also wanted upgrades. More specifically, disc brake on the front. And here is the result. A State Bicycle Co. frameset and Shimano Deore hubs and hydraulic discs. Sweet.
This story begins all the way back in December 2012. We were in the process of moving into our new shop and clearing out some older stock from the old shop, so we listed this 2012 Pacer frame on eBay. There was lots of interest from around the country, but one person called and said they NEEDED this frame for her husband for Christmas and they lived in Richmond!
When I found out who the husband was, it turned out he was a customer already who already owned a Surly Steamroller. Awesome! We discussed the build very topically in January, then finalized the build plans by the end of May. What we have is a stunning example of starting with quality and ending with quality. This bike is dripping with "MADE IN USA." Chris King handles all the bearings, Thomson provides the cockpit and seatpost bits, SRAM Force handles the drivetrain, and Paul stops the bike. Any question? Please refer to the photos! **There is quite a bit of Europe in this bike as well. Mavic OpenPro's and Time Atac's from France, DT Swiss spokes from Switzerland, Fizik Arione saddle and bar tape from Italy, and Continental Gatorskin's from Germany. The majority of this project is not "MADE IN CHINA!" This is a bike that came in for a tune up, so we had nothing to do with the build. However, this bike is a bit of a work of art...
This bike will sure to satisfy both hipsters and bike nerds alike. For the hipsters, there are some sweet 26" Aerospoke wheels. Why? Because, that's why. For the bike nerds, there is a Paul front derailleur and cable stops. Yea, Paul made a front derailleur, and a rear too! As one reviewer best put this mechanism, "It's 3x the price of XTR and works half as good, but it's pretty!" Finally, the Kooka cranks are nice touch. This bike goes to show you that even though technology changes, companies change, and trends change, quality never goes out of style. Clean Italian lines. Italian Columbus Thron steel. Made in the US.
This is probably one of the most under rated steel frames out there. It is a modern steel frame with great welds and classic looks. Nice touches like lugged rear dropouts and integrated seatpost clamp make this a gorgeous frame. Compared to some of the Surly's and All City's readily available, this is a nicer, US-made frame. And you are going to have a lighter, more unique bike with the Univega. This build is a frame swap from a cracked 2006 Salsa Campeon. This is not the stock build or even close. The customer chose to go with a steel fork over carbon, which dictated the threaded headset and quill stem setup. Otherwise we have a Shimano 105 build kit with Velomax wheels. This bike tipped the scales at 21lb. 6oz and will ride better than most new aluminum bikes. It's been a while since this blog has been updated. Well, the wait is over. This past weekend this fine Surly Ogre was finished and taken home. The customer wanted a do it all touring rig, including gravel roads and possible single track. Clearance for big tires and versatility were key. The end result? This monster touring bike. Key features you ask? Sure. The wheelset is a beefy, drop loving 36h Sun RynoLite build with a front Shimano generator hub and XT rear. Crank, shifters, an derailleurs are tried and true Deore 9 speed. This is geared down for touring up front with a 48-36-26 crankset and slightly more compact 11-28t rear cassette. The big gem in all this are the new-old stock Shimano XT 4 piston hydraulic brakes (BR-755.) Other nice touches you can find on this build are the Brooks leather saddle, FSA DH headset, the Salsa rear rack, the Civia fenders, Salsa cockpit. Upgrades down the road? Certainly a lighting system. A front rack, as the Jaand that the customer had would not work for this frame. Tires to suit the terrain. And who knows what else? It's a Surly. EDIT: Sometimes things don't work out and that happened here. The customer really wanted drop bars, so we came up with a creative solution to do so without raising the price. NOS Campagnolo Daytona shifters with a JTEK ShiftMate. The ShiftMate is something every shop owner knows about, never recommends, but keeps as an ace in the hole. I can verify that is works exactly as described and I highly recommend it if mixing components can't be avoided.
As his skills and strength improved, this customer was looking for more performance from his Sora-equipped bike. After a few conversations, it became clear that SRAM Force was the way to go. We dropped this bike to around 19lbs and made it a much more road-worthy beast!
If you pay attention to trends in biking today, you know that everything is oversized, integrated, pressfit, internal, aero, 13g lighter while 7% stiffer, and most definitely carbon!
This bike is not that. I didn't count grams, contemplate aerodynamics vs. rotational mass, explore the benefits of ceramic bearings, or take into account how the hub flange would affect power transfer. No, this bike has nothing integrated and has a square taper bottom bracket. This bike is about the rider and not chasing the latest trend. This bike is a reminder that we didn't get immediately faster when we switched from the quill stem to the 1 1/8" threadless stem. That we didn't get faster when we bought a bike with BB30. And that we won't get faster with the next ground-breaking integration that the industry will tell us will change the way we bike. This bike reminds us that it was, and will continue to be, the hours in the saddle that made us faster, the intervals, the hills, the mountains, the friends. This bike is about enjoying biking in it's purest form, you and the machine. I think the title says it all. This is the best looking Cute bike we have sold. We started with a Cute bike painted black and put on some awesome looking red anodized wheels. Bullhorn bars and reverse brake levers finish this rig off. Apparently is climbs great, gets a lot of attention, but suffers from a lack of gears....although that is kind of a BS complaint when you are riding a "SINGLE" speed bike.
Sometimes you want a do it all bike with the best components for the job. And sometimes it is this bike. We started with a LHT frameset and every component was hand picked to suit the customer. We ended up with a ballin' touring rig. This bike features Thomson stem and seatpost, Paul Touring Canti's and levers, matching Brooks Honey saddle and grips, and a full SRAM X9 groupset.
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