I stripped the paint from the frame and had it powdercoated clear. Rather than a crystal-clear coat, it came out a soft steel gray with tan highlights where solder is exposed. The highlights are visible on the fork in the image of the head tube. I had put Boeshield in the frame when I first built it up for randonneuring, and the Boeshield may have had an effect on the powdercoat when it was heated.
The drive train is a Shimano 105 crank driving a Shimano Nexus 8-speed red band hub. The shifting on the hub is quite smooth, although the jump between the gears seems greater than my normal 7-speed freewheel.
The Nitto Abatross bar has shellacked cork grips. I put a Pletscher rack and a large Wald basket on the rear for shopping trips. The headlight is a Cateye EL-300 for those winter-evening commutes. I live less than a mile from work, so my commute is pretty quick and I can wear my work clothes. With the more upright riding position than my former commuter bike with drop bars, I will really be styling in my sports coat and tie.
5 comments:
Very nice looking bike. I am planning to build something very much like this for my wife as soon as I find a suitable frame to start with. Your Fuji is definitely an inspiration. Thanks.
Love it. You'll be commuting in style.
great bike! did you put the wald rack on the standard pletscher rack from Rivendell? how did it fit?
I used 4 heavy-duty zip ties to mount it to the standard Pletscher rack that I bought from Rivendell. I will see how the zip ties hold up after I have carried a few loads. The large basket is a little awkward mounting and dismounting the bike. I have to remember it is there, particularly on the dismount, or I will hit it with my knee.
That came out beautiful. I've been itching to build something like that myself. Thank you for the inspiration.
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