Back on a Bleriot

[Colin Cummings]

Hey all,

I recently acquired aNOTHER 59 Bleriot frame (my third, first destroyed in a wreck, second stolen) and am building it up, the question is how. I've ridden this frame with drop bars, moustache, and Albatross; with an XtraCycle extension; hauling kids in a trailer; commuted; and all around loved it in various iterations. But I have no idea how to build it now.

I've been on a 90s era Stumpjumper with VO Porteur bars, which makes for a tight, upright cockpit, and I'm cruising on Schwalbe Big Bens (60mm I think?), so it's a slow, ponderous thing. I'm contemplating a "faster" build of the Bleriot, but for the foreseeable future it will just be a neighborhood cruising machine, little to no riding off pavement. Since I haven't ridden drops in a loooong time, and remember learning to hate the moustache, I'd like to hear any well-meaning advice you have about setups. (Related: I rode Origin 8 Midge bars for a time and recall really loving the feel of them)

Also I WTB a 650 wheelset if someone's looking to offload one.

Colin Cummings

Amarillo, TX

[Brendan Willard]

I may be sitting in an extra 650b wheelset in the stack. I’ll check when back in SF. Dynamo preferred?  Or regular?

Brendan SF

Speaking in Thumbs 👍

On Jul 2, 2020, at 10:10 AM, Colin Cummings <colinth...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Colin Cummings]

No need for a dynamo, that would be great.

On Thursday, July 2, 2020 at 1:42:45 PM UTC-5, Brendan Willard in SF wrote:

I may be sitting in an extra 650b wheelset in the stack. I’ll check when back in SF. Dynamo preferred?  Or regular?

Brendan SF

Speaking in Thumbs 👍

On Jul 2, 2020, at 10:10 AM, Colin Cummings <colinth...@gmail.com> wrote:



Hey all,

I recently acquired aNOTHER 59 Bleriot frame (my third, first destroyed in a wreck, second stolen) and am building it up, the question is how. I've ridden this frame with drop bars, moustache, and Albatross; with an XtraCycle extension; hauling kids in a trailer; commuted; and all around loved it in various iterations. But I have no idea how to build it now.

I've been on a 90s era Stumpjumper with VO Porteur bars, which makes for a tight, upright cockpit, and I'm cruising on Schwalbe Big Bens (60mm I think?), so it's a slow, ponderous thing. I'm contemplating a "faster" build of the Bleriot, but for the foreseeable future it will just be a neighborhood cruising machine, little to no riding off pavement. Since I haven't ridden drops in a loooong time, and remember learning to hate the moustache, I'd like to hear any well-meaning advice you have about setups. (Related: I rode Origin 8 Midge bars for a time and recall really loving the feel of them)

Also I WTB a 650 wheelset if someone's looking to offload one.

Colin Cummings

Amarillo, TX

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[Philip Williamson]

Congratulations on the third Bleriot! I wonder who here has had the “same” bike in succession like that? I know some people who have multiples of the same bike at the same time, but serial ownership seems unusual (and dedicated).

I like flared drops like the On-One Midge bar. I think the Origin8 version is the Gary bar, which I’ve never tried. Nitto RM3s are my favorite, but Midges and Woodchippers also work for me. I’ve got five bikes with them, and had to fight my knee-jerk inclination pretty valiantly in order to build up a Milan-barred bike recently.

That said, the Milan bar singlespeed roadbike is really fun for around town. I managed to get a magic gear that let me run a single ring with the vertical dropouts. A gang of 14 year olds yelled, “Hey can you do wheelies on that fixie?” Another one said, “That’s not a fixie!”

Philip
Santa Rosa, CA

[exliontamer]

My wife has a Bleriot and the VO Porteur bars are what she settled on after trying drops & north roads. She clocks her speed and went a lot faster with those bars too. Seems like if you already have those on the Specialized & aren't into the feel on that bike, you could just throw that cockpit on the Bleriot and try it out. You could also go full BQ/Jan Heine Francophile and get some Maes drops and Babyshoe Passes. It's $$$ but it, would probably work great and be pretty versatile. 

[Colin Cummings]

Actually swapping over the cockpit isn't a bad idea, although I don't HATE it on the specialized, it let's me ride pretty upright and it's comfy on the big fat Big Ben tires. I guess I'm wanting the Bleriot to be a bit "faster" with less-wide tires and multiple riding position options. But since it's been over a year since I had my last Bleriot, I'm sure some experimentation and reacquainting is in order. May as well start with what I'm used to and go from there.

[Colin Cummings]

Phillip, what width dirt drop do you prefer? What I remember loving about the Midge was the ability to drop a little bit versus a lot on a Noodle or similar. (I started with Noodles on my first Bleriot in 2008)

[Jason Fuller]

I am loving the wider Nitto Noodle model drop bars (actually I'm on a Simworks 50cm variant but same profile) for a fast-yet-capable build. The extra control is super nice, yet I can still tuck and hammer along pretending I'm on a carbon road bike if I want.  Add to that a lightweight wheelset with Rene Herse or similar tires and a modern drivetrain (sorry Grant but you are honestly missing out here) and sounds like a dream bike to me.  I'd love to own a Bleriot.