Patience has never come naturally to me – I’m more Calvin than I am Hobbes in that regard. Yet I am meticulous and demanding of myself and those with whom I journey through life. It is a conflict that has caused its fair share of grief; my childhood is piled high with memories of incidents where I made choices and mistakes that robbed me of the satisfaction of a job well done.
One such episode involved my eagerness to have bar-mounted shifters in the early nineties. STI had just come on the market, and they were priced so high it would require disciplined saving in order for me to afford them. Rather than patiently saving, I spent my money on lower-cost options which differed in their implementation but shared in their failure to quench my thirst for STI. At one point, my father pointed out that with what I’d spent on cheaper compromises, I could have already bought what I really wanted.
Some lessons in life are easily learned, but to practice them is another thing altogether. While I have learned patience, it is often stretched to its limit as I have also become more exacting in my expectations. What the Prophet giveth, he taketh away.
I have finally reached the point in my life where I enjoy the journey as much as I do the destination. I can’t imagine buying a complete bicycle and forgoing the process of hand-picking the kit to dress it up in and embarking on the quest to source it. For me, a bicycle begins as an idea which slowly materializes through the curation of its frame and components. The process of assembling it is a ritualistic undertaking, a kind of spiritual offering to the Elders on Mount Velomis. The assembled bicycle marks the end of a journey during which we’ve already bonded.
Only as this journey comes to a close are we ready to begin a new one, one where we evolve through prolonged exposure to The V. The path to becoming a Velominatus is built on taking the time to do things correctly, and building our machines is no exception.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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As I am in the market for the next N+1 venture in the form of an older steel frame to build up this article rings true. I have seen a couple of the stages your Bianchi has seen Frank and the picture above is by far my favorite. Are those open pro's on record hubs?
Usually the process that ends with a new bike for me takes around one to two years. A lot of time, well spent though!
PS forgive me, but I've to post this photo, for the only reason that I like it.
Strong work from Pedale as ever. @Frank, I am outraged that you could title this article without even a passing reference to the Man in Black. Some might mistake this for a cycling website if you are not careful!
I publish a correction on your behalf! (Great article)
@Deakus I play Folsom Prison regularly, I mean I play it with my guitar...
@Deakus
The ironic thing is that your impatience appears to have gotten the better of your attention to detail. You should try clicking the link in the following paragraph, before jumping to conclusions.
I prescribe you 25 hill repeats as penance.
My winter project this year is to learn how to braze, then I'm going to build one of these up as a single speed.
http://www.framebuilding.com/Tubeandpartsbundle.htm
I've already got the parts picked out, I figure for $2000 I can do the whole thing, start to finish, including the brazing course at BCIT.
Nice one, Frank! At least once a week I tell the VMH, "I have something very important I need to discuss with you." She assumes it's about our union or work or something. Nope, a bike needs new tape or has grown stale and needs some sort of jazzercizing up and I want a second opinion.
I'm more or less in bike stasis these days, which is a pretty nice place to live. Oh sure, dream changes and such, but for now all the steeds are in full health and the fall is going to be spent riding. (aside from the cross race bike, which has a broken right Force shifter that I'm warrantying and waiting on).
I've had the chance to build from a frame up and I've also had the chance to alter a full bike purchased used (early days, before I Followed). Both can be satisfying and enjoyable, I've found.
DCR - three steel frames here, of varying levels and quality. Mine with Columbus Genius tubing has Record/OP wheels. Hooboy, with nice tires and tubes, what a great bike to ride. Have fun with your search and build!
@TBONE
Chapéu to you for your brazing project! The hardest part is chosing the paint scheme!
@frank
Shit! I have ridden today for the first time in 8 weeks (don't ask...minor operation followed by wound infection)...Lungs good...legs bad. Then thought fuck it and played squash tonight..hill repeats...tonight...in the dark! O go on then, why not!!
@DCR
She's undergone an interesting evolution. After building her up with Record 10, I found myself not riding her because on sunny days when I was willing to take her out, I always favored the carbon. I love the feel of steel, but with how hilly it is around here, I just rarely find myself choosing the heavier bike.
In the latest incarnation, its such a different feel that I take it out on sunny mellow rides where I point away from the hills. Its getting more road time this way, and I love how it looks.
The Evolution:
[dmalbum: path="/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/frank/2013.11.25.14.54.29/1//"/]
Here is the current rig.
[dmalbum: path="/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/frank/2013.11.25.14.54.29/2//"/]