Ten years later, the second frame I ever built is still going strong. I gave it to my wife when we first started dating, and she named it “Trusty Rusty” for its ketchup-red color. Since then she has put countless miles on ol’ Rusty. As an inveterate bike bodger, over time I swapped out the original build of silver SRAM Rival 10-speed for a Campagnolo Centaur compact group set. I also added a Modolo Q-Race stem and a matching seat post, both featuring some cool “speed holes.”
After a few years of that, I pounced on a gently used SRAM Red eTap 11-speed group set that came up for sale. Ironically, it came out around the time I first built this bike. This was the first electronic shifting group either myself or my wife had used, and we were both skeptical. After a couple of long rides, however, my wife reported back that it was the best-performing group she’d ever ridden. Check out the rest of the build details and more photos after the jump.