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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Great topic. Pandora served up One Piece at a Time to me Sunday night. Hilarious song.
I had such a good time building up my Kirk this summer after it arrived. Being in the build/paint queue for over a year, I had plenty of time to stew on the component choices and make my purchases.
I'm itching to do some more wrenching this winter. Might have to transfer the 11s Chorus group on my plastic bike over to the Pegoretti.
@Frank - What's your opinion of those Gommitalia Calypso tires? They look interesting, especially at the price (~$80/pair).
Of my last four bikes, three were bought as framesets. The exception is an '87 Centurion Ironman, which promptly had its entire drivetrain, bars and stem switched out for modern components...including rebuilding the rear wheel with an Ultegra 600 hub with a current freehub. My first road bike, a CAAD9, was bought off-the-shelf, but has only its original frame, fork and headset remaining; everything else has been replaced. It just makes more sense to outfit the bike the way you want it in the first place.
@Buck Rogers
Dang
@Buck Rogers
As far as I know there were only two versions of the DA 7400 post, fluted and aero, both the same length. But, the 7410 post, which came out around 94, is a good 6 to 8cm longer and matches the earlier stuff well.
74xx is great that way. It went through enough refinements and advancements that you can mix and match between indexed and friction, downtube and STI, freewheel and cassette, 6/7/8 speeds, single or dual pivot... Current project is an early 90s TT, which so far has 7400, 7401, 7402 and 7410, but it all works and looks good together.
Only problem with that 7410 post is they're NJS certified and coveted by hipsters building "authentic" Keirin bikes, so a little pricey. Maybe not enough setback if the frame's that much too small. The Velo Orange post frank is using is obviously pretty long and has lots of setback.
I will confess that I can't really imagine walking into a bike shop today and walking out with an off-the-rack bike. To say nothing of the fact that most LBS's won't stock my ridiculously tall size (198cm, thanks for asking -- almost in Frank's territory); more so, I've developed strong opinions on pedals, saddle, handlebar width, stem length, and tires. (Merckx! Are we finally getting past the stupidity of putting 700x23's on every bike that rolls out of a shop, when the local pavement is shit and a touch or gravel now and then is amazing fun?)
Perhaps I tell myself this to assuage my resentment over Velominatus Budgetatus status, but it seems more enjoyable to go piece-by-piece hunting the right component at the right price, whether through closeouts or NOS or friends or online forums.
Of course Frank's right that in buying things piecemeal, multiple times, I probably could buy a new bike with a perfectly functional aluminum frame and 105 parts for the same cost. But then it would be Specialized's bike, or Trek's bike, or Fuji's bike rather than my bike.
@frank I can't help but think that a polished silver stem would be the final piece, bringing the Bianchi back into the realm of gleaming metal bits.
@cognition Two things going for that stem. One is that it is an inserted 3T. Two is that it is a black 3T.
@unversio I get that; it's just that with chrome stays, a chrome fork, and polished silver components, my aesthetic would be to finish off the job. But then, I remember when the black-paint or black-ano components started to proliferate in the late '80's and were sought-after, rarer, "cooler", and pricier -- so I can see sticking with the black.
I still think a polished Cinelli grammo would kick it up another notch, though.
Johnny Cash and bike building discussion... the only thing I'm missing here is an appropriate beverage.
Love you guys.
@unversio
Fizik performance black - I tried Benotto and some fake leather wrap; but this stuff just looks and feels better. I may try cinelli's leather wrap at some point.
This is the right direction to go in; I'm happy to hear it!
@DCR
Not a chance.
@cognition
I had a silver bar/stem on it but ultimately didn't like it as much as the gunmetal. Just a call of taste - who's to say I won't change it back some day.
@revchuck
They are good tires. Very supple and vittoria-esque. I would have to validate this, but I think the company was started by some old Vittoria people. They are handmade, light, and cheap. What's not to like?
My only complaint is the sidewalls were a little yellow at first; they eventually darkened, but it took a year or two.