The Real Diel
Europe is full of history, ancient buildings filled with original masterpieces of art that you can spend days discovering. Looking at these artworks lasts but a moment, the only way to retain their majesty by memory or memory card. Other works of art take different forms, and some of these can be taken with you. For a price.
No amount of dollar value can be put on the experience of meeting the master who created your own piece of art. You can buy a Matisse print, but you’ll never get to have him paint your portrait or invite you in for lunch. I feel privileged to have had the chance to commission a work, see its progress, and finally take delivery of it from the very artisan who created it. From the moment I met Diel and Steven at Ateliers Jaegher in Ruiselede a lifetime bond was forged. These guys live La Vie Velominatus, and enhance LvV of many others who are lucky enough to have a bicycle crafted by them.
It felt almost like stealing a baby from its parent when I wheeled my machine out the door. I could sense that Diel is like the surrogate who offers his services happily, but feels a tinge of regret when he finally has to let go. And as the benefactor, one has an unspoken pact to take extra good care and report back on the progress of the relationship at frequent intervals. As we prepared to tackle Roubaix together, Diel cast a long look over my bike, no doubt making sure the wet baptism that it received on its initial rides around Kemmel and crashing on the slippery Roubaix pavé hadn’t scarred it in any way. I was relieved when he finally smiled and wheeled his own grey beast away towards the milling riders.
The difference between a bicycle and a painting or sculpture is that the bicycle isn’t just great to look at. You wouldn’t pour the dinner wine from the Portland Vase, or use the corner of Les Poissons Rouges to write your shopping list on, but you can ride the bike. You can cover it in mud until it’s unrecognisable, but appreciate the visual beauty still. You can drop it on the ground and it won’t disintegrate, you can change the way it looks, and be in love all over again. You can’t repaint a van Gogh every couple of years, but you can a Jaegher.
*Many thanks to everyone who helped make this dream come true for me: Steven at Jaegher for all his patient answering of my questions and helping decide on colours etc, and the precision build; Diel at Jaegher for crafting my masterpiece which I am so happy with; Nicolo at fizik for his continued support of Velominati and supplying the beautiful cockpit components; Joshua at Campagnolo for his support and recommendation/supply of the Shamal wheels; Kyle at Chris King for the outstanding headset; Dave and Alex at Worralls NZ for the help with the Super Record gruppo; Graeme at CycleSport NZ for the outstanding Vittoria Pavé CG tyres; Jonny at Bikes International NZ for the Time Xpresso pedals. All your contributions are much appreciated and your products essential to completing this amazing and satisfying project. Chapeau.
Also thanks to the supporters of Keepers Tour 2015: Brett at Handlebar Mustache for the BTFU musettes; Martin at Isadore Apparel for the styling caps; Nicolo at fizik for the rolls of bar tape; and of course our ever-awesome partners William and Alex at Pavé Cycling Classics for being the best guides around and great lifelong friends. Our fantastic guests, a pleasure to ride with you all and call you friends. You all made this the best KT yet.
Full Spec:
Frame: Jaegher Interceptor, 57cm, Columbus Spirit tubing, Gritty Grey/Jaegher Orange. Columbus carbon fork, carbon steerer.
Groupset: Campagnolo Super Record 11, 175mm cranks 53/39, 11-27 cassette.
Wheels: Campagnolo Shamal Mille clinchers.
Tyres: Vittoria Pavé CG 27mm.
Bars/stem: fizik Cyrano R1 carbon 44mm c-c, Cyrano R1 120mm (custom painted), fizik 3mm Soft Touch tape.
Headset: Chris King NoThreadset, external 1 1/8″.
Saddle/post: fizik Aliante R3 carbon braided, Cyrano R1 carbon 27.2.
Pedals: Time Xpresso 4.
Cages: King Cage titanium.
Extras: V-Cufflinks (bar plugs).
Love the Chris King headset. And the color of the bike. And pretty much everything about it. Does Jaegher make those rims, or are they from someone else? I really like them.
Yowza, that’s nice.
Stunning
Wow! That is all.
Perfect everything.
@tedder
Campagnolo Shamal Milles my friend. Amazingly fast and stiff. I rode them on every ride except the two Roubaixs mainly on account of their stiffness. And there were 32x tubulars on hand so hey…
Magnificent – to take delivery and experience it for the first time during Holy VVeek in the land of the Prophet makes it extra special.
Chapeau
Gorgeous bike Brett! Look forward to seeing it up close when you get back.
Bloody hell, remove that hideous sticker on the front wheel! Kinda ruins the perfect photo of the perfect bike! : p
I can practically smell the flux in those photos… and there are so many photos. Thank you for sharing such a full window into the creation of your N+∞
@brett
That new finish on the Campagnolo wheels really works with your frame. Bel Mezzo of the highest order. And the Super Record too, madonna…
Gorgeous bike. Kinda has a stealth fighter look to it. What a special treat. The bike, the first rides, the whole story. Simply special. Flipping thru the photos I saw a 29er. Rigid hard tail that flat out looked like it’d be a blast. Another gorgeous bike. So very cool. Cheers
@Julio
Yep, did that after the photos unfortunately…
@josh
You can look, but…
@wilburrox
The mountain bike is Diel’s own, it’s a 650b/27.5 wheeler but Diel can make any wheel size/geometry you wish. Kinda got me thinking about a hardtail again…
Somehow I seem to have trained my brain to be suitably apathetic and impassive about other bikes when I’m not in a position to be buying one. Bike envy is wasted love. It’s a beautiful bike, Brett and I saw enough of its seat stays disappearing up the road to know its a great bike for you.
But it’s not art. A bike is design.
Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. Great piece. I’ll bet the smell of that factory is inspirational.
That’s the fackin’ bizness, Brett! Congratulations on having the patience to see the project through.
Yup, those wheels look proper!
Carbon is fun, PRO, stiff, and light. But, I just enjoy the steel steed rides a bit more, as I’m just riding because it makes me goddamn thrilled, not because I’m trying to go fast or thinking about numbers and speed. That said, tomorrow is Non-Sloping Top Tube Sunday and I’ll be riding with a pal on some steel bikes.
And goddamn, The Interceptor! Looks like I’ll be watching “Mad Max” (again) tonight!
It’s a beautiful bike or a ‘bel mezzo’.
Isn’t that amazing. Truly old school approach to building these beautiful bikes. Forged from fire if you will!
I’ve just placed an order for a custom frame from the good folks at Marinoni out in Quebec. Mine is to be a cross bike from their Fango line and constructed with the more modern tube dimensions of Columbus HSS Spirit tubing. After reading this terrific account, I can’t help but feel that I have erred by not visiting the factory and meeting the people that will create my bike.
I will post some pics of the frame when it arrives and hopefully document the subsequent build. I suspect that it will be 4 or 5 weeks before I get the frame.
Enjoy it man…. ride it a lot … and give us a damn bike review … :)
What an exhibition it would be if all the bikes that have graced these pages could be gathered in one place.
@kixsand
Marinoni make some damn fine bikes… you should get yourself to the factory for sure, it certainly adds some indescribable element to the process when you meet, eat and ride with the guy who’s making your bike.
@Kupepe
Enjoying the shit out of it so far! We’re close to racking up the first 1000km together, should crack that tomorrow with a pre-Amstel ride on some cobbles with William.
A ‘review’ will be coming, but for now all I can say is the bike is simply amazing. It’s far outstripped my expectations with the way it performs in all situations… there really isn’t anything that compares to the ride of steel, and this is next level metallurgy for sure.
@brett
I,m with ya ,steel is mighty fine. Just picked up a lugged 40th Anniversary Marinoni , Could not possibly be happier . Steel fork and all .
@brett
Modern steel making is certainly beyond next level in that it’s well known and controlled thanks to technology and process control capabilities available today. Many moons ago some serious metallurgy was involved in making blades of antiquity – damascus swords and such – in part thru the local ores and a little serendipity so to speak. The Columbus ferrous tubing is produced from flat rolled steel and is considered an HSLA steel – high strength low alloy – and specific to this product is Niobium alloyed. The raw steel is melted at approx 1600 C prior to the alloy add’ns and chem is controlled to parts per million prior to casting in to slabs. Yea, there’s a little bit of thermodynamics going on as it’s made in batches of 100+ tonnes molten steel in a ladle. The steel is hot rolled, cold rolled and annealed and temper passed prior to production in to straight seam welded tubes at which point is it is drawn and redrawn repeatedly to result in a remarkably consistent product. There are temp’s in the process at which point the Nb precipitates out of sol’n and pins the grain boundaries hence the refined microstructure and high strength of the steel. The experts at Jaegher know what they’re getting when they work with this stuff. The metallurgy you refer to is really the beauty in the design, craftsmanship and expertise using this specific steel. Some serious metallurgy also looks to be in involved in their stainless bikes in which the tubes are formed from billet steel. But again, this steel is worked and reworked such that the consistency is a given and not much unlike the ferrous steel tubes.
The earth is made of iron and the world is made of steel. I have a special passion for the material and when I get my custom steel frame bike I’ll be inspired by yours and the work of the team at Jaegher. These cats are making beautiful bikes. Cheers
NSFW
@brett
Tell me about steel … carbon is in the stable and I always ride a Colnago Super with modern Campy 10s and 3T thingies. It is so sweet I am planning to make a Record 11s with Shamal Mille and 3T components modern steel.
Cant decide if it will be Jaegher, Baum Ristretto, Rourke or Donhou … hmm sweet dilemmas
@Kupepe
You own a Colnago, I don’t need to tell you about steel!
All the bikes you listed are top notch, you won’t be disappointed with any of those. I’ve always lusted after a Baum, beautifully made but they are trés expensive. I can definitely vouch for the Jaegher of course, it’s by far the best riding bike I’ve owned and there’s just something cool about being Made in Belgium.
@sir
We need photos.
@wilburrox
The Columbus tubes that Jaegher use aren’t seam welded, just rolled, Steven told me. Reynolds tubes (which they also work with for other projects) are welded however.
Yes they do.
Cheers to you (and steel) my friend!
I am obviously trying to find something to criticize….. so why not a Super Record 80th anniversary?
Beautiful bike seriously….
@1860
$$$
Simply gorgeous.
Personally I’ve always been one for white tape on a bike, but the black on this one just works.
Bel Mezo!
Clinchers… <scoff>
But this is the same Keeper who continues to search for a way for a saddle bag to look good.
Carbon fork by the looks? Wouldn’t a custom steel fork designed for your weight/requirements have been a better choice? Curious to know if it was discussed. A Carbon fork is great and all but it’s a “one size fits all” solution.
I was at Bespoked in Bristol this weekend and saw the Jaegher guy’s stand. In amongst a sea of beautiful hand crafted bikes they certainly stood out.
They are added to the fabled ‘list’.
David
I can vouch for the Shamal wheels. I have been running a set for about 3 years now, and have put many miles on some very rough roads and gnarly descents on them. They are as true as the day I unpacked them, with zero maintenance. Not cheap,but worth every cent and then some.
@Ken Ho
Ditto though I did have the freewheel spring fail when I was miles from anywhere and had to arrange a pickup. I run the Tubeless version and though I have given up on tubeless I have found that when you puncture the tyre stays securely on the rimseat. Also they seem to deflate slower too as the rim is (obviously) sealed so the only exit for the air is through the hole in the tyre.
@brett
Brett- well that’s the same reason I didn’t take it… What I like is that the no-compromise bike turned into a one tiny compromise, makes it more realistic. At the danger of repeating myself… beautiful bike, wonderful setup and very classy.
@Kupepe
Beautiful bike, it’s one of my dream bikes. In fact, I am presently building up a Colnago Master Olympic with modern Campagnolo Gruppo and Wheels. It’s taking me a while, but sure is enjoyable.
@brett
It’s turned out to be an absolute stunner. Not just the frame but the way in which everything else hangs off it.
I did the Sunday Club Run with a mate who rode his Rourke because he hadn’t finished fettling the Look 795 Aerolight he’s just built up. Both are beautiful bikes but I couldn’t help but covert the Rourke a little bit more than the Look. Clear coat with black lettering on red background panels.
Forgive the ignorance of someone whose last steel frame was a cro-mo BMX in the eighties, but what does that mean in terms of its characteristics and what’s the difference between the two?
@1860 @Kupepe When A-Head stems first crossed over I just had to have a quill converter but these days I’m back with “If it was built for a Quill use a Quill Stem and not a converter”. Just my opinion, otherwise veeerrrry nice.
Beautiful bike indeed, I’d be interested in your considerations for not applying Rule #73?
The orange V-Lion, was that a sticker applied afterwards or applied before the frame’s paint was coated?
Beautiful workmanship Brett. Truly a bike to be proud of. Well done.
@KogaLover
I think you’ll find that’s a decal, which is of course very much allowed.
@VeloJello
I believe its actually part of the custom paintwork and neither of the above – which of course is megga cool.
@1860
Na no compromise, I chose this group because I like the crank design better than tyhe new stuff, and am not very taken with the 80th groupset’s graphics. And my NZ distributor was clearing the gruppo below cost so win/win.
@KogaLover
Custom painted my friend. Only the best with these guys.
WTF is Rule #73? Oh right… with the cable stops welded to the headtube there is no need to apply 73 here as there is no chance that the cables are going to rub the precious paint. Again, these guys know their shit.
Have just said goodbye to the Jaegher in Paris airport, hopefully to be seen again in Wellington in about 30 hours time.