I completed this frame last summer when I was between jobs. Like the first frame I built, I used vintage lugs and traditionally-sized steel tubing. The size and geometry of this frame was based on the famous Bridgestone RB-1, of which I owned a 1990 edition, and which had the best handling characteristics of any steel road bike I have ever ridden.
Read on to see more of the build process and results!
It’s been a while since I’ve updated the ol’ blog, and a whole bunch of bikes have passed through my workshop since last fall. First up is this gorgeous Vitus 979. This particular example was purchased “new old stock” about ten years ago from the back stock of a Manhattan bike shop. The logos and paint have been professionally removed to expose the beautiful raw silver of the underlying aluminum, which I hand-polished to a nice shine.
Read on to learn more about the Vitus 979! Continue reading
Remember that song called “I’m A Believer” by 60’s boy band The Monkees? This bike had me singing it the first time I rode it. Why? First, some personal history:
In the past, I’d always looked down on vintage Cannondale bikes. Having ridden an aluminum fixed gear for three years in NYC, I came to conclusion that aluminum was not a good choice for city riding. This, combined with a distaste for the fat tubes and incongruous steel fork of vintage Cannondale road bikes, left me wondering how they rose to become one of the big three bike manufacturers.
Then one day I picked up this frame set, a 1988 Cannondale SR500. Their entry-level road bike model, it has the same frame as its pricier siblings but with the Shimano 105 groupset. When I got it, only the cranks and headset remained from the original component set. So I dug around in my parts boxes and rebuilt it as a flat-bar city bike.
I added Campagnolo Veloce front and rear derailleurs, and a set of Suntour LD-2800 thumbshifters. A reliable and smooth-shifting blend of old & new. Some new wheels (with matching white Suntour Ole hubs), a Modolo stem, riser bars, and a Selle San Marco saddle finished off the build.
I took it for a first ride and… WOW. Yep, I’m a “believer” now. The aggressive geometry and light weight of the bike allow for quick acceleration and handling, while the steel fork mellows out the ride. As soon as you ride one of these bikes, it becomes clear that Cannondale had a unique and very impressive product in the otherwise steel-dominated 1980’s and 90’s. I’ll be on the lookout for these frames in the future!
Check out more hi-res photos of this bike after the jump…
Unknown Bike Co. is a new California-based manufacturer of fixed gear bikes. Based in Long Beach, they currently offer five different frames. Most are aluminum and all offer an extremely lightweight and stiff ride. This particular bike is their “Combat” model, which is more of an urban fixed than a purebred track beast. I got a size 52cm new in a trade earlier this year, complete with Unknown carbon fork and their “K6” track crankset.
The Combat is a surprisingly well-made frame, considering the $175 price tag, making it very competitive with aluminum fixed frames from the big names like Bianchi or Cinelli.
The fork will set you back an additional $225 and the cranks are $200, bringing the overall cost up quite a bit. However both pieces of kit are impressive, both in looks and manufacturing quality. Where many other companies cut corners with steel forks and cheapo single speed cranks, Unknown sets the bar high.
I built it up with a brand new Bianchi Pista wheelset, matte-black track pedals, classy black saddle, SRAM PC-1 chain, Specialized stem, and lightweight OS aluminum riser bars. The logos are very low-key and blend into the frame and cranks beautifully. It’s up on NYC Craigslist right now as I’ve got too many bikes already, and hopefully it will go to a good home soon.
Check out more hi-res photos after the jump…
In 2014, I acquired two San Rensho (also written as 3Rensho; “san” is Japanese for “three”) road frames. One, pictured above, was a 53cm and the other 58cm. While they came from different sources, they were both Super Record Export versions. 3Rensho, which translates to “triple victory,” was a highly regarded bicycle manufacturer from Japan in the 1970’s-90’s.
Founded by Yoshi Konno in 1974, 3Rensho bikes were made by a team of Konno, Koichi Yamaguchi, and Masahiko Makino. While 3Rensho made both road and track bikes, they are most widely known for their track bikes which were custom made for Japan’s Keirin racing sport. Tragically, in 1995 Konno was responsible for a drunken car crash that killed five people and left him paralyzed from the neck down. 3Rensho closed down shortly thereafter.
Despite this ignoble end for one of Japan’s most prestigious bicycle brands, Yamaguchi and Makino went on to great success building frames under their own names. Yamaguchi has made frames for the U.S. Olympic Team, and continues to make custom frames as well as running his own frame building school in Colorado. In addition, Cherubim Bicycles, founded by Yoshi’s brother Hitoshi, continues to create amazing bicycles under his nephew Shinichi Konno.
Read more to learn about these frames and the restoration process!
In the spring of 2015 I scored a couple of great deals at a local bike swap meet. One of them was this Cannondale CAADX frame. It came with the frame, fork, headset, seatpost, cockpit, brakes, and Shimano 105 shifters, all for $50. It was in pretty much new condition with no scratches or wear. So I added a new set of Shimano Sora derailleurs, a Vuelta cyclocross crankset, new pedals, and a hand-built wheelset to get it rolling. I listed it on Craigslist for $600 and it was sold the next day. If only every build was this easy!
Check out the gallery of hi-res photos after the jump…
I restored this little blue Bianchi last year, starting with just a beat-up old frame and fork. It was a Bianchi Backstreet from 1990, an early “hybrid” that combined the frame of a hard-tail mountain bike with 700c wheels. It was constructed from good quality Tange tubing and was fully lugged.
After sandblasting the frame, I re-painted it a deep blue and gave it matching fenders. Then I added a brand new 26-inch wheelset with a Sturmey-Archer S-RC3 three-speed internally geared rear hub. I also added a brand new crankset with a single chainring. The handlebars were NITTO brand, and I added cork grips wrapped in deep red cloth bar tape to enhance the grip.
The result was a classy townie bike / commuter designed for cruising around the city in style. Mechanically, it was extremely simple: no brake levers, just a coaster (“kick-back”) brake and the gear shift lever up front. It sold to a petite girl at the beginning of the spring season this year, and I hope she’s still riding and enjoying it.
Click “Read more” to see a gallery of hi-res photos of this bike.