One-Eyed Wonder: CX-V
What I have always loved about Mountain Biking is the immersion into the woods; the sense of solitude that comes in the wilderness that is lost entirely in the convenience and hustle of the cities I’ve always lived in. What I always hated about Mountain Biking is that my mountain bike never feels enough like my road bike.
I was but a budding Velominatus when I discovered Cyclocross, and from the start it seemed like an incredible sport that offered all kinds of opportunity. My dad came home from a trip to Europe with an aluminum ALAN under his arm and from that moment on I was hooked on the idea of a road bike that could go off and have fun in the dirt. At the time, CX bikes were a rarity in the US market; the closest thing I’d seen to a CX bike at that time were John Tomac’s bitchin’ drop bar mountain bikes and the frankenstein Bontrager MTB that a buddy converted into some sort of zombie with a touring bike’s fork and 700c front wheel mounted on the rig and a 26 inch rear wheel with a weird skinny tire.
Nevertheless, my limited budget historically poured into the road bikes where my heart has always been rooted and a CX bike always seemed to fall just into the s-1 range of Rule #12 compliance; whether s in this case happened to be my pursuit of the sensation of rhythm, harmony, and flight to be found only on smooth tarmac or, currently, the chair of the Budget and Planning Committee – on which I hold an influential but non-controlling vote.
But Fate, the Velominati Community, and @Cyclops’ lifelong dream to learn to braze a bike frame changed all that one day last January when a box appeared on my doorstep containing a custom-made steel Cyclocross frame. The dust was blown off the brain cogs which get remarkably little use these days, and Il Progetto for my CX bike started in earnest. Marko took up the role of Graveur Sensei and PNW CX Legend Josh Liberles of Veloforma took up the role of CX Sensei. Parts were shuffled from bike to bike, various components were aggregated from odd corners to fill in the gaps and make substitutions where necessary, and slowly but surely the Nederaap came to life.
My old Dura Ace 7700 nine-speed group-san was immediately selected as the ideal mud-clearing drivetrain; somehow Campagnolo seems much better suited to the civility offered by the road (even in Rule #9 conditions) than the neanderthal environment of Cyclocross. In the Velominatus Budgetatus conditions we find ourselves in, this meant the Record 10 group was moved from the TSX to the rain bike, and the TSX the current target of Progetto Old-School and has donned downtube shifters and lies in wait for some period-appropriate brakes. Old wheels were repurposed from the commuter bike (which now temporarily lies in wait of new bits and pieces) and a secret project for new racing wheels for the CX-V waits to bear fruit. (Some of you who are paying attention may already be onto the source of these wheels.)
All this was done with the knowledge that @Cyclops, however obsessive-compulsive, built this frame in a spare bedroom and my expectations were set accordingly. This would be be a rideable frame that held a huge amount of sentimental value and would be fun to take out to the local races and inelegantly beat people with and say things like, “Yeah, this bike was built by a crazy person. And I beat you with it. And I suck at Cyclocross. Feeling good about that?”
But last week, as the last part for the build arrived (a pair of top-mount brake levers which I understand will cost me massive Look Pro points which I hope to make up for with Not Crashing As Often As I Otherwise Would points) I put the thing together and took it for a spin.
First pedal stroke, hey this feels OK. Next pedal stroke, yeah, this is not bad at all. A few hundred meters later, I realized I felt like I was riding one of my bikes. I half expected the frame to fall apart first with the introduction of my hefty arse and second with the unleashing of my considerable artillery, but this bike doesn’t just ride like a home-made bike, it rides like a real professional, great bike. Emboldened, I collected my kit and headed out to the local park to play around and see how it faired on its native terrain.
Riding it down to the park and the singletrack that is strewn throughout it, I was compelled to determine if it could survive some manner of trauma. Armed with my incompetence as a Cyclocrosser, I had no alternative but to crash-test the frame by bunny-hopping a curb at about 45kph. My plan worked flawlessly; I jumped at an oblique angle, went a little short, landed the back wheel sideways on the curb and became the lead character in my own stop-action animation film as I dumped hip-first into the cement sidewalk like a sack of potatoes. Ancillary observation: I’m amazed at how resilient the V-Kit is, this being my first crash in it.
Test completed and satisfied that the frame was unharmed despite crashing hard enough to require some serious wheel-truing upon my return home, I headed into the singletrack with the confidence that the frame was both smarter and stronger that I am. You can’t put a price on that kind of knowledge.
As for the top-mount levers which I’m sure to be berated for, I’ll make you a deal. As long as I’m too inexperienced to know better and as long as you can’t crush Katie Compton, I’ll happily disregard your advice. As soon as one of those two factors changes, I’m all ears. And for those of you planning the “Cyclocross is about minimalism” argument, I expect you to post photos of your single speed CX rig to support your case; anyone making this claim and riding a rig with gears will be disregarded wholesale as a poseur.
Footnote:
This frame was built as a first attempt at what @Cyclops plans to become his own frame-building company. At the time of building, the company lacked a brand, but he has since settled on Deacon Bikes and he will be opening his doors to business for the 2013 season. Thanks @Cyclops, this thing is amazingly awesome.
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Excellent to see proper use of the word “arse” by an American.
Still wondering if I need a CX bike.
Mrs Engine has just brought home some fuck off lights from the LBS for the MTB – so I guess her opinion is, “No you don’t, ride your MTB some more you arse”
Nicely done on the build @Cyclops, and the build-up @frank. I really like the position of the seatpost binder, has a modern look. Loving the color choice. How did you do the stem paint? Pedals are candies?
Apparently ask and ye shall receive as I just inquired yesterday as to the status of this build. Nice looking bike (chapeau to Frank, and especially to Cyclops). Good choice on going with the mini-Vs rather than cantis. However, lose the bottle cage, Frank – what the fuck is wrong with you? If you’ve got it on there for ‘training’, fine, but how about a little Rule #26 here?
@the Engine
The answer is simply ‘of course’, unless its an s-1 situation. If sadly it is so, as far as I know, most local CX series allow you to race a mountain bike provided you aren’t running bar ends.
Bike looks awesome and the accent work you’ve done on the stem is aitch-oh-tee HOT. As for the brake levers…last week I was soundly beaten in our first local CX race by a guy in baggy shorts riding platform pedals on some old beater frame (he was too far ahead for me to discern), me in full kit on a semi-tricked out Redline with delusions of grandeur dancing through my head (it was either that or O2 deprivation causing me to hallucinate).
Disregarding what that says about me, what you should take from that anecdote is you can run whatever the f*ck you want in CX so long as you’re dishing out the V.
Great post Frank. I am in the process of building out my CX frame from last year. Its a poppin red Masi CXR. As a Velominatus Budgetatus I am going with a 105 groupsan/ SRAM Rival crankset. I have a couple gravel bike path/ broken pavement loops in mind for the bike, and also plan to embarass my 15yr old son and myself with entry in a couple CX events this Fall.
This last weekend I added an alternative route on my regular loop that required ~ 2 miles on fine gravel (think aquarium gravel) before it hooked up back up with the paved road. I was feeling a Strade Bianche vibe riding it and decided it is going to be a semi-regular feature for my #2 bike. Folks I shared the route with acted like riding the Bianche was adeal breaker. They would much prefere riding the shoulder of the busy 4-lane with glass and radial wire than risk the gravel. To each his own!
Ride fast, ride often!
Even if I did build the frame that thing is badass looking – I was skeptical of the “preview” I got of the blue and white bits but it really works. I REALLY like the black on black wheels. Now I’m seriously stoked to get things rolling and get my frame going. Then I gotta build Marko’s and then Michelle’s and then… Crap, I’m not even in business yet and I’m already behind.
But seriously, Frank, I am so glad that you like it and that it exceeds your expectations.
So cool to see that built up! Great work. Now you just have to go out and race with G’rilla!
Nice work! I had the pleasure of seeing this frame in person while at casa de Frank at the Seattle Cogal. Came together nicely, and if anyone here is in the market for a new plastic bike, seriously check out Veloforma. Really nice rigs. Gonna get one myself, and they’re not even the sponsor of the team I ride for.
@Cyclops
Hehe, there are a bunch of small one or two man frame building shops here in Portland. The best ones have waitlists that can be a year or two, from what I’ve heard.
So jealous right now, that bike looks sweet. Seriously, well done to all involved. A CX bike is definitely next on my list but just maintaining my current two is stretching the budget enough. For some reason my argument that having more bikes doesn’t cost more to maintain just isn’t convincing to SWMBO…
Bike Porn!!! Beautiful work. @Cyclops, it is a piece of art. Lugs rock. @Franck, nice build up. Love how you even matched the headset color. (no emoticon here)
Fuck me, is that a beautiful bike. Is frameboner a word?
(Coincidentally, first comment here. I was shocked out of lurking by the sheet Dutchness of it.)
Awesome race ready build! Great job guys. And i vouch for the veloforma. Nice plastic cx rig with a lot of thoughtful touches. Still getting to know it, but has handled well and has not provided any offroad race pace surprises…
Great to see the Nederaap built up. Hopefully you won’t hurt yourself too bad. I was a bit skeptical on the first view of the blue saddle & bartape but I think it works. Going for the Molteni domestique look? And the cable routing is the tits. Especially love the way you have the shift cables running from the bars to the top tube.
@VeloVita
I actually only put one set of WB bosses on the Frank’s CX-V because I thought the longest he would be on it is about an hour so I figured why clutter up the tubes, but should I not even botther with WB bosses on my frame (frame #2)?
Frank – I never knew you were a Syracuse Orange fan. Oh wait, you’re Dutch! That’s right.
Great looking bike. Glad you got that first fall out of the way. When I first started cross riding the potential to fall at any moment really bugged me out, since I’ve done very little off-road riding. I actually haven’t fallen that much but that constant fear of overcooking a corner when going too fast or just washing out is kind of crazy. Then again, as you experienced, a fall on grass or gravel ain’t nearly as bad as on tarmac with autos!
I have a Fizik Gobi XM on my cross bike, works nicely, and have alternated between Eggbeaters and Candies. Are you using tubes? I’ve been riding tubeless and have flatted once in around sixteen months. Pretty solid, I’d say. Never used top-mount levers, but would be interested to give them a go. Been on SRAM Force since I started out.
Oh, and I’m seriously curious – how did you do all that bike swapping and not go bonkers? Four bikes seem to have been/are in a state of flux? I’m trying to do a gruppo swap from one bike to another and have started a spread sheet and am fearing it, a bit. Some part never seems to fit and the mental calculus of it all bugs me out. Plus, keeping all the taken-off parts straight…it can be madness!
For anyone considering adding a cx bike to the line-up – GO FOR IT! Especially if you only own road bikes, like I did until last year. I absolutely love riding off road, it adds a great balance to road riding, is a great alternative in the wet/cold/if you can only ride at peak auto rush hour. I can hardly recall V-Life pre-CX.
Great job, Cyclops! Nice build-up, Frank! So how many are now out there racing cross in the V-kit?
Oh, and the one upgrade I’d like to try is some V-brakes as opposed to the cantilevers I have now. They work pretty well though, especially with some top end brake pads. Plus, they’re nice as FSA SLK brakes.
Bottle cage – I always ride with one on the DT unless it is a race day. I do all sorts of riding on mine and carrying a bottle in the jersey for too long bugs me. I do need to practice my shouldering though but then again, most races I’ll be doing allow for running with or suitcasing the bike.
@Cyclops
If you’re planning on only using it for racing, I’d leave the bosses off since it looks cleaner and, since you’re making the frame, its easier to do. As you said, the longest you’d be on it, even at the top level is an hour and you can always toss a bottle in the back pocket of the pre-race jacket you wear to keep from getting your skinsuit muddy, right?.
However, if you plan to repurpose the bike for off road excursions, gravel rides, etc. then put them on. My cross bike has two sets of bosses, as well as fender and rack mounts – I see nothing wrong with having bosses on a bike you race CX on, only with racing CX with a bottle cage mounted to them. I was just giving Frank shit – I should have also added that he left it in the small ring and largest cog in the back for the photo session. That said, it does appear he’s running a standard racing double, which is impressive as my puny guns could never race cross on one.
Out of curiosity, as far as the frame geometry goes, did you go with the old school higher bottom bracket or did you stick with a BB height more in line with a road bike?
That really built up nicely. The orange, blue and white palette is an out-of-the-ordinary choice and works very well.
Hats off to you both and your senseiseses.
@Tom G.
And that should be “sheer Dutchness” of it. I was even shocked out of English, such is the beauty of that bike.
@Cyclops , @frank
Hot damn that is a bad ass bike. Cy, you are a fiend. That might be the best first bike ever built by anyone.
Frank, the dutch color combo is driving me crazy it looks so good. In a world of boring carbon fiber black frames, that orange frame, blue headset, saddle,white bits, it all works something awful.
And I have two of those white lezyne cages for the VMH’s new ride. They are wicked nice.
Reading the article, I was expecting the finished product to look a bit cobbled-together. Not so. Beautiful frame and a beautiful build.
Too fucking cool. I’d ride off-road if I had a bike that fucking cool.
Nothing to do with this article, but it’s what y’all are reading right now. I’m going to get one for my SUV and put it next to the sticker that says “This Machine eats Hipsters”
@VeloVita
Well, in doing research I saw that newer CX frames are going with a lower BB (to lower the center of gravity) and they can get away with it because clipless pedals have done away with the need to be able to clear the toe clips/straps when they are upside down. So what I did was make the geometry exactly the same as Frank’s Cervelo R3 (with longer chain stays – if I remember correctly I made them 44cm long) figuring that a taller CX fork would mellow out the steering a tad and raise the BB just a touch.
Wait, now that I’m pondering it more, I used a Ritchey CX fork when setting up the BB drop so the BB drop would be just the same at the R3. One thing that I did not account for is that the R3 has an integrated headset. A 61cm (older) R3 has a 200mm head tube so that’s what I made the CX-V but the the standard headset adds about 10mm to the stack height (add another 10mm for the top part of the headset) so I suppose the BB is just a tad higher that the standard R3.
Basically I didn’t know wtf I was doing.
@scaler911
I’ve been thinking the Keepers should get some of those oval stickers made with the V-Cog graphic.
scaler – Ha! I like that. A dude I play soccer with (yes, I’ll run…if it is disguised within a sport) has one that reads 1.2. I don’t think the number has any significance beyond mocking up folks who think running 5k deserves proper recognition. Now I just need a bumper on my commuter bike to display it…
*I’d also like to note that maybe a 5k is an accomplishment if you are 87 years old or have a disability or something, but just letting yourself get really, really lazy and out of shape isn’t such a hurdle to overcome. Quit your advertising!
@Cyclops
@frank
That thing looks awesome! Great work on the frame build, and the kit sets it off perfectly. Never thought I’d like white cables on any bike, but that works.
Put me on the list Cy!
@Gianni
Yeah, the colors on the bike are my high-school colors as well, and at first I was like “ehhhh… what the fuck is going on here…” as I’ve never cared for blue/orange as a combo, but you’re absolutely spot-on about way too much black-on-black stealth bikes these days. The colors probably pop more in person as well and looks mo bettah than a photograph can show. I like that Frank took a gamble with it.
@scaler911
Ahahah, awesome. I saw a car the other day with the half-marathon distance on it, and was left thinking “why”. On one hand I’m loathed to make fun of it because I couldn’t run that far if I wanted to, on the other hand it’s sort of like bragging that you did a metric “century”…
@mcsqueak I was in Amsterdam this last spring drinking at an outdoor cafe, waiting for more Keepers to arrive, I saw a cool delivery bike, of which there are zillions. It was orange with blue and white details, I couldn’t wait to show Frank, it was so Dutch and beautiful. Alas, like many beautiful women on bikes in Amsterdam, one gets a few seconds to admire then gone forever.
What dutch high school did you go to?
@Cyclops
I think that was a wise decision. I’m really happy to see more production CX bikes with lower bottom brackets, but that may be because I’m 6’3″ and I don’t need to be any higher up than I already am – my balance sucks as it is. I’ll take the lower center of gravity over the additional clearance any day. I feel it also allows the bikes to be repurposed a bit easier for use on the road if desired. Really nice work – My next n+1 is definitely going to be a custom, lugged frame in steel – I may very well look your way – hopefully before you get a Sachs-size wait list.
@VeloVita
The “repurposing” was in mind too. I’ll race on mine but I plan on it being a rain/commuter bike too so I want to keep the geometry more in lines with road geometry.
@Gianni
Pffft, I went to a good ‘ol ‘MERICAN high school, not some sort of European institution for forced learning of communist ideals. (I keed, I keed!!). They just happened to use Dutch colors, I guess.
Oh dear Merckx, Frank! This thing is gorgeous! Kudos to you and Cyclops for such a beautiful piece of machinery!
@mcsqueak
Ha! I said exactly the same thing to my wife last week: its like bragging that you rode a metric century.
@Tom G.
Frameboner is an acceptable word, as far as I’m concerned. I know there’s carbone for carbon fiber boners… Maybe “steelie” for a steel woodie? Somebody should be able to correct me on this. =)
@Nate – I’d buy one if they did that! =) Think we can get one with “I don’t swim” on it, too?
Holy cow! That is a thing of beauty indeed. Kudos to the one-eyed master framebuilder and the lanky Dutchman. Amazing, by the way, how much more brighterer orangerer the frame looks on these outdoor photo’s than on the earlier shots taken inside. Love the colour scheme.
Frank, I have this vague memory of some old, anthem-like song that could be heard in the Netherlands years ago, with the refrain “Orange, Blanche, Bleu” – something to do with the countship of Orange in France having a connection with Dutch royalty at some point. Anyway, I googled these ‘lyrics’ and learned that there was once – and maybe still is – such a thing as “The Flag of the Prince”, apparently – in the colour scheme orange, white and blue. That’s kind of fitting, I’d day…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands
Beautiful bike. Well done, sirs.
Frank and Cyclops, that’s one awesome looking rig! Chapeau to both of you. The colours look superb, and the build looks most sano.
However, that loop to the rear v-brake is a bit too long though for my liking – the cable should only be long enough for the pipe to run at the same angle as the caliper itself, rather than pointing back. You’re adding friction and aesthetic friction.
Love the V-Stem!
Sweet sweet sweet. Fronk, however the chain should dans la plaque.
Been waiting nearly a year to see this thing built, good work on the CK headset, is there any other ???
Did you hand build the wheels ? If so what bits’n’pieces sir ? 32h 3x like your Ambrosio / Royce cobbek crackers ???
Cobble … Bloody iPad + spacker fingers !!!
@SimonH
A pedant writes – sur la plaque…
@scaler911
Very, very funny. Good find.
Interesting saddle choice, is that to accommodate the different position? and why go v brakes instead of canti’s?
@RedRanger
fuck me, learn to read boy!. scratch the question about the saddle.
Such a nice bike, good job! to all involved.
Strange question, but where did you get the v-brake noodles with the adjuster barrels on them, and what were they called exactly? Been searching and searching for them to no avail…
Thanks all for the kind words. The color scheme slowly worked its way through my Neanderthal brain. These are the things that occupy a Velominatus for months and months, and when you’re blessed with an imagination…well…I’ll say I’m almost disappointed to have built it because now the dream is reality…
I got some quizzical looks from those close enough to be allowed secret hints of what was being built…things like, “White stems suck” and “that saddle looks like a smurf got stuck in the fabrication machine at fizik”…”White cables on a cross bike?”
But I basically invented Bicycle Curation and this ain’t my first rodeo…I’ve got to say I’m absolutely delighted with how the whole thing worked out.
@VeloVita
The bidon cage will come off for races, but obviously I’ll be training with one. I don’t believe in training anything for less than a few hours, so I’ll be drinking water at least. Also, this rig will be heading into the deepest mountains in the Cascades on the dirt roads out there when you can easily get killed if things go sideways, so don’t tell Cyclops but I’ll be adding a second cage one way or another.
@Tom G.
Welcome mate, glad you de-lurked!
@scaler911
Genius.
@Cyclops
The head tube wound up about three cm higher than the R3 when all was said and done, which beings me to about a 2cm higher position with the slammed -17 stem than on my road bike. Close enough to feel natural, low enough to be stable, but not so low that I’ll keep flipping over.
The key for tall riders – more than anything else – is to lower the center of mass at all costs. We are so fucking high up but the bike’s axes and loads are all fairly close to those of a smaller person, that having all that mass up there just makes things get wobbly. I’ve ridden enough off road that weight distribution is not an issue, I know how to do it, and its more critical to get it down down down.
@VeloVita
Another note – the tires raise the bike up, too, so there’s that. The whole bike feels higher for sure, but good.
Took it out today again and had a blast – I’m amazed at how much you can ride on these bikes – rooted single track etc was all no problem. I was going to change the big ring to a 46 but the 53 is OK, and the 39×12-27 seems to give a good range for technical stuff. I’ll see if I need to change it out.
Here she is on her native terrain.
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