Rivendell Road Re-Build

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Fullylugged

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Mar 30, 2019, 7:31:42 AM3/30/19
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I finally got my July 1995 Road Prototype back from Wanta Frames of Clearwater FL. It needed a chainstay replaced due to a crack.  The paint had to be re-done afterward as a natural course of events following the new tube.  The original Reynolds 753 was replaced with a Columbus SL that was laying around the shop. The repair looks good. The fillet braze at the rear drop out matches the one done by Waterford. The joinery at the bottom bracket shell looks good. Spacing at the dropouts is dead on. The turn around time ran longer than quoted by a fair bit. I have yet to find a bike painter who is actually done on time. In all fairness, there are many unknowns in that line of work and they're giving you their best guess. His communication was adequate. He discounted his price AND covered return shipping due to the delay and since I had something else to ride, I was never in a panic.

The paint job is not as good as the frame repair, nor as nice as the one Nathan Barnes (Pelham, AL) did on my Amber Gold Rambouillet. He was to keep the same light English blue  with cream lugs as it was when I sent it to him.  The BB shell was sent there blue, but he thought cream looked nicer so he did that on his own. The frame blue came out Okay, but the fork has areas that are slightly purple-ish under the surface, that you can see close up in the daylight. The lug edges have color bleed, unlike the Ram which is very crisp. Having said that, if you are more than 6" away, it looks fine and will when built up. Close ups of head tubes from both are attached.

Speaking of the build, this time it will have a Campy Veloce compact double instead of the previous triple. Also a tall stem (courtesy of this list!) with Nitto rando #135 bars. Brakes will be Tektro long reach and the wheels will be 650B. Velocity Synergy rims on Shimano 105 hubs.  I have an 8 speed 11-36 cassette on.  With 34/36 on tap, I can climb most of the hills I need to.  I put a silky Shimano UN-72 BB in and it has the effect of giving me a slightly wider Q factor which suits my natural posture well. Silver DT shifters, Campy Mirage FD and Ultegra rear.  A picture of the 1st hour of work is attached.  I had to clean and grease everything out before installing including the Chris King headset.Also, ignore the boxes in my garage that will be flattened and bundled for Tuesday recycle pick up. :)

More pictures and notes as they happen. This bike differs from the Road Standard in that it as a Waterford geometry frame front end with a slack seat tube and longer chain stays you expect on a Riv. My normal size on a 700c wheel bike is 50cm. This is a 54.5CM and it is fine. The biplane fork has 6 mm more rake than a standard Waterford. This bike has no headtube extension and a level TT. It also has Japanese dropouts. Fork tubes are 531, Original frame tubes are 753, heavier wall. The original 753 decal was French, but the replacement put on now is in English. 
Barnes Outlining.jpg
Wanta outlining.jpg
1st hour's work.jpg

Kainalu V. -Brooklyn NY

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Mar 30, 2019, 11:35:09 AM3/30/19
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It's lovely! And a great candidate for lug lining.
Enjoy it
-Kai

Ed Carolipio

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Mar 30, 2019, 4:26:22 PM3/30/19
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Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing the completed project. (And can you teach my neighbors how to flatten boxes before putting them in the recycling bin? None of them seemed to have learned this important life skill...)

--Ed C.

Patrick Moore

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Mar 30, 2019, 5:18:41 PM3/30/19
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It looks good! Please do post final-build photos.

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Fullylugged

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Apr 1, 2019, 7:17:51 AM4/1/19
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Status update:  Put in a few hours this weekend, in and around a ride, some Saturday AM volunteer work, etc.  Went with a set or Rivendell sold Deore/velocity 650B wheels and a new 9s 11/34 cassette. New rim tape, tubes and Pascenti 38mm skin wall Pari-Motos. Brake levers are NOS Suntour with hoods I scavenged off another cockpit hanging around the garage. I put the chain on too.  Both my Mirage FDs turn out to be ON bikes, so a shiny NOS Shimano 105 is on and looks nice.It's for a 31.8 tube but I had a pair of inserts to use for it.  I needed to order bar tape and bottle cages but otherwise, it all came from what was laying around.  When the order comes in, the bike will be completed.  While waiting, I'll gette cables on and adjusted. 

I think the fatter tires look really nice on the bike. We shall see how it rides. 
55954368_10220038555696558_7080863416977457152_n.jpg
55837872_10220038555136544_2236039237919047680_n.jpg

Fullylugged

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Apr 8, 2019, 6:08:10 AM4/8/19
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The order for bar tape and bottle cages has not come in yet, but I put some bar end plugs in and took it for a Sunday drive. About 30 miles including our club relaxer. The bike weighs 18.5 lbs and is very responsive. Very comfortable and nice handling.  Nothing needed tweaking.


IMG_1123.JPEG
IMG_1124.jpeg

RichS

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Apr 8, 2019, 1:21:20 PM4/8/19
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Nicely done Bruce. Glad the ride and handling came together right out of the box! That's a great feeling. 
With the change to 650b wheels did you encounter pedal strike?

Best,
Rich in ATL

bruce.h...@gmail.com

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Apr 8, 2019, 1:35:30 PM4/8/19
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Rich the BB drop is not excessive on the Road so there is no pedal strike and also no toe overlap.  The BB heights of all my bikes are:

Road: 10 5/16"  650B conversion
Ram   10 1/2" This is factory not a conversion.
Waterford RS-12  10 5/16"   650B conversion (although fork is designed as 650B)
Nashbar Mk III   11 1/4"   (This was a crit racer frame)  650B conversion.

Thanks for the kind words.

R Shannon

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Apr 8, 2019, 4:02:38 PM4/8/19
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Ah, perfect! Both my Sam and Atlantis have a 10 1/2" drop.

- Rich

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JohnS

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Apr 11, 2019, 10:01:50 PM4/11/19
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Very nice build, well done!

JohnS
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