The frame and fork came my way via the always-spectacular Mr. John Speare. It's got quite a history, which you can read about here and here and here, and I'm happy to be carrying on the bike's "legacy".
This bike has undergone a metamorphosis of Frankenstein-ian (I made that word up) proportions, going from a 700C go-fast road bike with sidepull caliper brakes and gears, to a hacked, single-speed 650B bike with cantis, fat cushy tires, chain tensioner, and 2 left-hand brake levers (thanks, eBay!).
The obligatory bike nerd parts rundown:
- 1993 B-stone RB-1, hacked by Glen Copus
- Homebuilt Velocity Synergy 650B wheelset
- Nitto rando bars, Newbaum's cloth tape (natch)
- Pacenti Pari-moto 650x38B tires
- Old Campy Veloce 110BCD crankset
- Surly Singleator, pushing up to keep things tight
I have to put aside my urges to "fancy" this bike up, since that's not really what this bike is about. It's a crusty, scabby bike that just keeps on ticking.
That said, I am kinda tempted to get a chainstay bridge welded in, so I can put "proper" fenders on it, but in the meantime, this is pretty much the funnest bike I have for bumming around town. The 39x16 gearing and platform pedals keep me from getting too serious about being in a hurry, and the tires (the tires!) make sure that I hardly feel the broken, crumbling asphalt beneath me.
I love it. Many thanks to John for the sweet frame.
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Yay! I don't know how I missed this post Dylan. It warms my heart to see the old bike up again. I was feeling nostalgic for it - but to see it in use makes me hap hap happy! Looks good.
ReplyDeleteDoing some mental masturbation about bike builds I Googled "650b single speed" and as the Image Search loaded I thought "it would have to be yellow"... and here's your bike. It's gorgeous and looks like a blast to ride. I hope mine looks this sweet =)
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