La Vie Velominatus: One Piece at a Time
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.
@Gianni
…And then during our actual meeting at the pub after your ride, you promptly chastised me for having crap components on it and leaving it on the trainer all the time. I promptly started upgrading and riding it.
@Nate
This is the sort of thing that occupies a Velominatus’ imagination constantly. It is our lot in life.
@zeitzmar
Yeah, this is my first component from them. Its a very nice one.
@Buck Rogers
I have the same issue with the Campa posts with them being too short so I have to resort to substitutes that have the same overall look and shine to them. That Velo Orange post is reasonably priced and is very simple and elegant looking. I can recommend it.
@frank Although to truly embrace the spirit of the song, one would have to do the new build with a kludgy mix of components of many different vintages.
@frank
Tracking! I’ll be ordering one shortly as long as they have the correct diameter for my Merckx!
@CFADave
Ah, the entanglements of Rule #12. I am a huge proponent.
(You have to log in to be able to post photos.)
@frank
Did I? Oh bless me.
@frank Beautiful. Ordered the VO seat post. Should be here by the weekend. Thanks!
@Barracuda
Well, I have recently found another way with a good LBS…
I just bought an off the peg, BUT I sat down with the store owner and had them change quite a few parts; cranks/wheels/bars/stem/tape/cable routing. All the parts were exhanced at or very close to FOC, with the cranks costing an extra $50 for the change over. Custom bike for off the peg prices.
@Puffy
Same here, your LBS has more room to move on a manufacturers “package deal” out of the box, I changed stem and bar and tyres but was more than happy with the rest
Calvin,
I can’t comment on the finer points of componentry, but that frame will always be my favorite among the legions here. Rosebud.
Nicely put.
I’m in the middle of a build, frame-set in hand, wheels and saddle on the way, cockpit chosen. Bro-set being debated.
The hours of research, web site perusal, chats with other riders and mechanics will be missed when it’s put together and on the road, but I suppose that’s where the n+1 comes in.
One piece at a time
– Baum Ristretto Ti
– ENVE fork
– 3T seat tube and stem
– 3T bars
– DA 9000 running gear
– Lightweight Obermeyer wheels
That outta do it ! Now, where did I leave my cash ?
On the Bugetatus side of One Piece at a Time, I present my track steed:
@scotjonscot
Exactly. Bro-Set is not as bad as they make it seem. Just don’t fuck around with normal cables and get the Yokozunas straight away.
@Gianni
Oh, bless Hobbes.
@xyxax
Shit! You beat me to the joke!
@Barracuda
Johnny had the advantage of it being his last name.
@zeitzmar
Perfect example of how to progress along the path. Even if you are buying a built bike, take your time to adjust and adapt it. You are on the Path, Pedalwan. Strong work.
@Buck Rogers
Here you go mate…
Whiskey Offroad: Hurt from Mark Challoner on Vimeo.
@brett FUCK YES! That’s it!!!
Made my day right there, Mate!
If this doesn’t qualify for the non-existent V site theme video I do not know what does.
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something is missing;
@xyxax V cuff links??? I hear that brett has an extra.
@Buck Rogers
Hmmm. All my cuff money is lying on that dirty rug.
@xyxax I would say you are missing the yokozuna cables that frank mentioned earlier. This holiday season I will be upgrading both the +1 and +2 bikes with yokozuna.
@xyxax grease, carbon paste, and nipple lube?
@DCR Excellent point. DA housing was sent with the brakes but were a take-off from a new bike that must have been a 48cm. Like wearing my daughter’s shirts. Though they’re supposed to be the best thing in cable since “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, time for plan B and I had my eye on the Yokozunas. Thanks for the tip.
@Nate
How did you know I was making my New Year’s Eve party shopping list already?
@xyxax
Hmm, I think I’ll go for the Fish House Punch instead.
@brett
@Buck Rogers
Thats a great video but can I point it is not a single-track?
Looks perfect for a gravur. Assuming you’re geared down enough – looks steep in places!
@frank
Thats not a hill climb race at all. The Whiskey Offroad Challenge is a 50 Mile MTB race. One of the premier races in the US and put together by Epic Rides which is based in Tucson. They are one of the first organizers to have equal prize purses for men and women.
@frank
Singletrack.
Those guys are all on singlespeeds, so with gears it would be a lot easier than they are doing it. And they’re doing it pretty well… especially the guy who comes barreling through the middle!
@DCR
Talk me through the cost / benefit analysis of the Yoki’s. Ive got them in the back of my mind also.
One iconic piece relaunched!
Glad I’ve got my NOS for 80’s build
Sometimes I enjoy making one piece at a time.
The one on the left is the original.
Scored a frame with ISP, only problem cut a couple-ish cm short for me and very crooked! By the time I machined the ISP post straight and square, I needed about 4cm. So I made one 5cm longer.
Instead of the triangular hole, which may scratch the paint, I opted to put my name there.
@sthilzy that is way cool, did you consider cutting your name right through or would that have made it too weak?
@sthilzy
Very nice! Really nice finishing on that baby.
I’m just skilling up in Solidworks myself and finding it very powerful.
What machine are you using to cut that out? Is it hollow? How much work has it had after machining?
@piwakawaka
Did consider cutting through and first thought was that it might scratch the paint, and it might stretch on tightening if cut through.
@harminator
Yep, it’s all machined finished. Still umming and arring whether to get it polished. Also umming and arring wether to get it anodized black and recut the name back to raw aluminium.
Solidworks is a great tool. Been doing CAD/CAM/CNC best part of 20 years. Used quite a few different CAD/CAM software systems. Solidworks is fun in general. Needs more user effort in surfacing and filleting than other systems, but all round a pretty good package.
Spoilt in the MCing department. An OKUMA MB-46VAE with Hi-Speed MCing control and 25000rpm spindle. There’s no mismatch between cutting tool and set up. I’m very fussy with setting up CNC’s.
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@sthilzy Simply stunning.
@frank
The bars are going to be right as well. Eubios bars straight from Italy by way of New York City — Ebay (50.00).
Marco Pantani version came to me without knowing that he preferred these. Similar shallow drop as 3T Ergosum!
@frank Good advice. The operation was a success.
Profile.
@unversio
Damn! That stem looks awesome! Superb job on the build-up. Very happy to have played a small part.
@wiscot
Inspired to move onward with the transformation — mounting this Selle Italia Turbomatic 4 (considered semi-flat or semi- round) to make a “more genuine” setup.
Inspired by the Selle Italia packaging of their 100 yr anniversary.
Could not resist the allure of ITM upon seeing this new 130mm stem available. 35.00
@frank 42TH
@unversio
Cleaning some spam and saw this. Perfect. Just…perfect. So much better than the ARX you had on there before.
Exceptional work.