This one started out as just a frame, a 1990 Schwinn Crosscut, size 55cm seat tube with a 61cm top tube. This was their top-of-the-line cyclocross / all-rounder from the early 1990's, similar to the Surly Cross Check or the Pake C'Mute, and built from stout double-butted cro-moly steel tubing with a fully chromed fork. I stripped and repainted the frame in a dark metallic green with a subtle sparkle and shined the fork. Read on for more details and pictures.
I built this bike up over the weekend, starting with a vintage Italian-made frame that I found online. It was fully chromed under the paint, so I stripped the paint and polished up the chrome to a nice shine. I added a shiny silver Shimano 600 group and Dia-Compe brakes, along with brand-new wheels and saddle that complimented the classic spartan look of the frame.
While the frame didn't have any identifying logos, some research confirmed that it's an Italvega Super Record. Italvega bikes were designed and hand-built within the noted Torresini workshop at the Torpado factory in Padua, Italy. It was carrying a sticker from Zumwalt's Bicycles in San Diego, CA so perhaps it was their in-house brand at one point.
It's a quality frame, with gorgeous long-point lugs and Columbus SPX tubing, one of their higher-end tubesets. Size-wise, it's 53cm bike, with a 53cm center-to-center top tube and a 53cm center-to-top seat tube. Read on for more pictures and details:
This is a cute lil' commuter / townie bike I built up in the winter of 2011 for my girlfriend. I found an old Bridgestone MB-2 frame, a high-quality lugged rigid mountain bike from the early 1990's. It had a lot of scratches and small dents so I gave it a new coat of paint and a built-in top tube protector made of shellacked hemp twine. Read more after the jump…
This is the Surly Traveler's Check that I built up as a touring bike to replace the Surly Long Haul Trucker I was using as my previous touring bike. I wanted to see if a 700c-wheeled tourer would feel "faster" and would also be a better all-purpose bike. The Traveler's Check is a version of the Surly Cross Check that has S&S couplers that allow you to dismantle the bike and pack it into a small bag for airline and train travel.
The Traveler's Check build is a combination of parts I was using on the Long Haul Trucker along with improvements based on lessons learned. It's all come together into a very handsome package that rides wonderfully.
Read on for more details and pictures!
The post has been long overdue. Above is my Zunow Z-1 road bike, equipped with a Sugino 75 road group. It has a 53.5cm seat tube, making it slightly large in size for me, but I have the fit dialed in quite well. An earlier build of this bike (sporting tri-spokes, LOL!) was featured on the Chari & Co. blog two winters ago, and it's taken a quite a while longer to "finish" it.
The Zunow Z-1, made by Takeru Kageyama, was their top-of-the-line road bike, made with their proprietary lugs and Tritec / Ditchex tube set. The drop-outs are Campagnolo, although Zunows were also made using SunTour dropouts as well as their own Zunow-branded ones.
The rear triangle is atypical for the Z-1 series; they usually have a more typical seat stay arrangement with a bi-plane style brake bridge. My Z-1 has wishbone style seat stays with a gentle curve in the stays. The chain stays are curved too, and the entire rear is chromed. Wishbone rear stays are more commonly seen in their DiPicce and Lepton models.
Read on for more…
Sparton is a Chilean brand that was briefly imported into the USA from 2007-2010. They were initially sold via eBay for under $200 for a frame and fork. At first a handmade, lugged steel track frame at such a low price made a big splash in the fixed gear scene, but then a number of negative reviews came out. Most of the issues were concerned with the fit and finish, unsurprising considering the low price and 3rd world origin. They operated a retail store in South Carolina briefly, but now the store, website, and owner have all disappeared.
This particular example was bought used (frame & fork) from a girl who had been riding it for the last three years. It was marked 53×53 (the size of the frame) on the bottom bracket, and had the Sparton logo cast into the seat stay end caps.
It was notably heavier than other track frames I’ve seen, leading me to believe it was made from cheap hi-tensile steel as opposed to lighter and stronger cromoly steel. The only issue I noticed was that the seat stay bridge had been placed too low, preventing the rear wheel from being mounted all the way into the rear fork-ends. An amateurish but not serious mistake by the builder.
I built it up with a set of Alex wheels, a Sugino ALPS 144BCD crank which I think is identical to a Suntour Cyclone, stock WTB saddle from my Surly Long Haul Trucker, and the original Bridgestone tires that had come on my RB-1. It was purchased by a young art student from Paris.
Picture gallery after the jump…
The Surly Long Haul Trucker is considered one of the best modern, non-custom touring bicycles on the market these days. Introduced in 2004, it quickly became the “go-to” bike for riders looking for a reliable, no-nonsense machine for long, multi-day travels. It can also do double duty as a solid commuter or errand-runner around town, perfect for hauling camping gear or groceries.
This one is a 2009 model in their beige “Truckaccino” color, size 52 with 26″ wheels. I scored it off of Craigslist from a guy who won it in a radio contest and then never rode it. It came stock with a set of Ortlieb panniers and Blackburn racks. Since I’ve never been one to leave a stock build alone, I changed almost all of the components out.
Highlights of the build include a Gilles Berthoud “Aspin” touring saddle, Schmidt SON28 Classic generator hub with Supernova E3 light, BioLogic Reecharge system for the iPhone 4, Schwalbe Marathon tires, Deore XT derailleurs, Suntour Command shifters, Tubus racks, and a LOOK ErgoStem. More details and picture gallery after the jump…
