My Custom Rivendell

[lconley]

My custom arrived last Wednesday.

I have been slowly assembling it, but first I weighed it and the coated the inside of the tubes with Boeshield.

Not only did I want a custom, I need a custom. I am 6' tall with an 83 PBH and weigh 280 lbs. No more extra long stems and setback seat posts on this one.

The seat tube is 53 C-to-top, the effective top tube is 60 C-to-C as best I can measure. All of the frame tubes are 31.8 OD. The chains stays are 55. I specified no provisions for fenders or racks and there are none - no dropout eyelets, no fork or stay fittings, no mounting holes in the chain stay or seat stay bridges. There are Rene Herse centerpull brake braze-ons.

The frame (bare except for seat binder bolt and rear brake adjuster in the seat stay mounted cable stop) weighs 5 lb. 13 oz. and the fork weighs 29.2 oz. for a total weight of 7 lb. 10 oz. The IRD bottom roller bearing headset weighs 4.2 oz. for an assembled frame and fork of 7 lb. 10 oz. This is less than 1 lb. heavier than my 56 cm 1971 Gitane Tour de France - a classic Reynolds 531 racing bike.

One surprise was the 30.0 seat post - not an easy item to find in silver and I really don't want to use an adapter long term. I found an NOS Campagnolo Icarus 30.0 seat post from the early 90s in silver. Just have to wait for it to get here from Italy.

I need get to work on building the wheels - 650B.

Derailleurs are Campagnolo Athena 11s because they are silver, the front derailleur has an integral clamp that fits the seat tube with no spacer and NOS units were very available at very reasonable prices. Crank is a Rene Herse 11 speed, 26-42 and the rear cassette will be a 12-28 Dura Ace 11 sp.

Laing

Delray Beach FL

[lconley]

Total weight of 7 lb. 14 oz.

[Kieran J]

Are those shifter bosses on the headtube? Wonderfully nutty.

What size tires will you be running?

KJ

[Joe Bernard]

That's sooooo pretty. I love the idea of silver Athena derailers, that's a nice touch. Also, nice Guv'nor!

[lconley]

Yes, the shifters are on the headtube.

The initial tires will be 650B x 48 Compass Switchback Hills because I have them already. I may also try some 650B x 41.5 Rivendell Fatty Rumpkin Greens that I also have.

Laing

[Ann L]

That is really beautiful bike.  I look forward to seeing the completed project.

[Je Mar]

Fine looking ride!

[Elton Lance]

And the work stand clamp is on the seat tube?

Not generally considered good form. Just sayin. . .

Elton Lance

Vero Beach, FL

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[Mark Roland]

I have an old Park bike-shop level stand. similar to the OP's, mine is even lower. When you don't have a pro hydraulic stand that can lift the bike to whatever height you need, it can get tiresome stooping down. (I also don't have a seat post yet.) Here's my latest bicycle mechanic faux pax:

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[John Hawrylak]

Laing

Great report and very nice looking custom.  3 questions:

* What are the frame angles?

* How much head tube extension is there?  Looks like more than 1"

* Are you cutting the steerer tube flush at the top or are you going to extend the steerer tube and use spacers?

John Hawrylak

Woodstown NJ

[Rob Kristoff]

Laing,
gorgeous custom and I love the use of Campy. I'm interested to hear why you chose to not have any rack or fender mounting. Weight? Weatherproofing?

Rob

[lconley]

The frame angles are supposed to be 72 deg seat tube and 71.5 deg head tube. The top tube angle is 6 deg.

Not sure how much head tube extension there is - somewhere around an inch. The steerer tube is threaded and I will fill whatever gap is not taken up by the brake cable hanger with spacers - probably slip an orange one in there somewhere. The brake cable hanger and 29.8 seat post shown are temporary. I have a Paul Funky Monkey front hanger on the way as well as a 30.0 seat post. I am going to use a MT-10 100 mm 25.4 Dirt Drop stem, 225 mm long for the initial setup with Rene Herse 460 mm Randonneur handlebars. The long stem will allow me to get the bars up where I want them without getting the stem expander into the threads. I am just shy of my 64th birthday, so slammed stems are a thing of the past. I have been riding drop bars for about 49 years and like the variety of hand positions available. I am looking forward to being able to use the dirt drop stem and not having the tradition "7" shaped stem poke me in the gut when I am stopped and standing over the top tube.

I got a 27.2 to 30.0 seat post spacer yesterday so I can hang by a 27.2 seat post now for those who worry about such things. I have been hanging bikes from the seat tube for years with no ill effects because:

1. I don't over tighten the clamp

2. I keep the clamp grip surface clean

3. On Paramounts and Rivendells you cannot hang by the top tube due to the off-center brake cable placement [note that the custom has a centered brake cable (so does the Frank Jones Sr.)]

4. Due to my long torso and short legs, I tend to ride frames that are too tall for me to get a longer top tube, thus there is not enough seat post exposed to clamp.

I have 20+ bikes including 10+ Rivendells and have fenders and racks and triple cranks, etc. on many. I wanted the clean look of naked forks, seat stays and dropouts from the racing bikes of my younger days. I describe the bike as a old, fat man's racing bike. Grant would not allow me to chrome the forks and stays or even the dropout faces. Fenders don't do much good in Florida when it rains anyway. I have saddlebag and handle bar bags when I need to carry stuff. And yes, I must confess to having plaid matching Nigel Smythe bags. I even have a tiny center pull mounted rack with a ecru colored Ostrich bag that matches the cream headtube fairly well. haven't come up with cream colored cables yet.

Laing

Delray Beach FL

[RonaTD]

I don’t know which to admire more ... the bike or the workshop !

Laing - your taste and mine in bikes appear to be very closely aligned. Please let us know how well the Compass centerpull brakes clear the 48mm tires (I’m concerned about getting the tire through them when installing the wheel.)

[Chris L]

Can't wait to see this built up!

If I did a custom Rivendell, it would be similar.  Stripped down, stout frameset with a long top tube.  The major differences would be cantilever studs and much shorter chainstays.  

[Bill Lindsay]

"I have been hanging bikes from the seat tube for years with no ill effects because:"

The risk (to me) is the seat tube decal.  If somebody moves the frame in the clamp, the decal can get smeared.  When you are all alone in a workshop that's all on you, and I'm sure you are careful.  Some of us have worked at bike shops and more than once, I'd clamp a bike that way and another coworker would squeeze past and shift the bike and wreck a customer's seat tube decal.  That's not my coworker's fault.  That's my fault for clamping over the decal.  

Just be careful.  It would be a shame to smear the decal on such a lovely machine.  :)

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[lconley]

These days, the decal has clear coat on top.

Laing

[Bill Lindsay]

I've seen damaged decals with clear coat on top several times.  It's quite common.  Please don't test it out on your frame by sliding it back and forth in the clamp.  :)  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA