Pedalmaniac

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Project Reveal

Well it has been a long time since I started this project. I posted about it last April, but it seems as though the "project" has been on the back burner since then.

The idea was to get my old Chas Roberts frame back up and running. The frame was built in 1984 or 85 and I have had it ever since. The bike has gone through a number of iterations in it's life. The worst of which I am now trying to resurrect it from -- a commuter with flat bars and ancient grip shift, brakes (that don't work at all) and general disrepair. Well a couple of nice presents from my lovely wife and the project is done... just like that voila. For Christmas this year she got me a beautiful, if not "over the top" Brooks B17 Ti railed saddle. For that purchase she got some great help from the Guys at Cycle Therapy in Toronto. Then for my birthday this year she had Craig over at Different Bikes build me up a nice set of wheels on my old hubs with Mavic Open Pro rims. Once the wheels were changed from 27" to 700c I needed longer reach brakes. I got some Shimano BR-R600, because even on my old 27" wheels it was a stretch for the Dura-Ace short reach brakes to the rims. Paired with some nice orange Jagwire cables and the brakes actually stop now.

I'm testing out a set of moustache bars. I'm not sure if I'm sold yet. Paired with an old Cinelli stem the angle is a bit acute for my aging frame. I think the bike looks great with the bars and cork tape, but the position needs to be worked on a bit. I should probably get a Nitto stem that has a bit more rise or has a longer neck into the bike. But that is the beauty of project bikes there is always something to do.

Oh, by the way, the ride is light, fast and rock solid -- just as I remembered it.

posted by pedalmaniac at 5:57 AM

5 Comments:

  • Nobody out west had that saddle? Weird. Cycletherapy is actually the shop where I test rode that Jamis Nova.

    Congrats on the bike build! And I'm glad you mentioned those shimano long reach brakes... I need some long reach brakes myself right now.

    By Blogger Tuco, at 11:06 AM  

  • I am rather lovely aren't I...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:27 PM  

  • A general rule of thumb for moustache bars is to find a stem a couple cm shorter and a tad more upright than the stem you'd run with drop bars. I had the same initial comfort issues as you, but I found that the slightly shorter stem made a HUGE difference -- not so stretched out, but still fairly aerodynamic when needed.

    By Blogger GhostRider, at 9:00 PM  

  • Thanks Tuco and GhostRider.
    Tuco, I could have got the saddle here in Van -- and I'm not sure why I didn't, Cycletherapy was good to me though.

    Ghostride, yes I think I am going to get a shorter and steeper stem. This was just a test of "proof of concept", I still have to make some adjustments.

    By Blogger pedalmaniac, at 5:14 AM  

  • I have mustache bars on my track bike

    but

    it is all looks

    and well

    that frame is broken

    so its next incarnation not sure what bars I will try

    By Blogger gwadzilla, at 10:16 AM  

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