So it’s been literally a year, to the day, since I’ve updated this blog. But I haven’t been idle on the bike front! In fact, 2015 was quite a year for me and bicycles, one where I finally achieved a long-held dream of mine: to build my own frames. Thanks to the help and mentoring of Lance Mercado at Squarebuilt Cycles here in Brooklyn, I built my first frame this past March.
Read on for all of the details! Continue reading
New grail bike acquired – a 1960’s Jo Routens randonneuse bicycle. Jo Routens was the father of Jean-Paul Routens, who built a 1970’s “cyclosportif” bicycle I featured recently.
I bought this bike from a French seller on eBay France, and these are the original auction photos. I’ll have my own up in future articles, but I wanted to post these now to show it in the original condition I received it in. After re-assembling and servicing the bike, I’ve been riding it daily. Read on for more…
Cycles C.N.C. is a fairly obscure French brand that hand made exquisite custom bicycles for over fifty years, starting in the 1930’s. This particular example is one of their finest, with an all-Reynolds 531 frame and crisp lug work. I restored it over the holiday season, taking my time to get all of the little details correct. Read on for more information and history on this gorgeous bike! Continue reading
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.
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!
