Buildin' a Touring Bike
It’s Independence Day, and King George ain’t gonna tell me what kind of bike to ride. So I’m starting to build a custom road bike to get around on. Because freedom, that’s why. Flat, narrow bars; 35mm slicks; fork-mounted cargo rack; and a big disc brake up front, controlled by the right hand as God and Edoardo Bianchi intended. No rear brake and no front derailleur, I don’t believe in those.
Different spokes for different blokes
Parts List
These are the parts that I’m tentatively planning to use, subject to my whims and to figuring out which parts are best and which are actually compatible.
- VO Pass Hunter 2 frame, medium, burgundy
- Giant SX-2 cyclocross wheelset
- Magura MT4 disc brake w/ Miles semimetallic pads & Magura Storm HC 160mm rotor
- Grand Cru tapered threadless headset, silver color
- Deda straight handlebar, silver color, 500mm width, 31.8mm clamp
- Homemade handlebar ends, black
- VO tall-stack threadless stem, 31.8mm x 90mm, black
- AbsoluteBlack stem cap, black, w/ integrated screw
- Homemade 30mm spacer, black polycarbonate
- PDW Cork Chop Grips, tan
- Omni-Racer 68mm English-threaded bottom bracket, 103mm spindle
- Milwaukee polo crankset by Ben’s Cycles, 165mm
- AbsoluteBlack 1X oval cyclocross chainring, 110/5 bcd, 38-tooth, black
- Shimano Ultegra 11-speed cassette, 11-30T
- Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur, model RD-M8000-GS
- SUMC 11-speed chain
- Shimano Deore XT SL-M8000 trigger shifter, rear
- Brooks B17 special saddle, black
- Zipp aluminum seatpost, 27.2mm x 350mm, 20mm setback, silver color
- Thomson seatpost clamp, silver color
- LOOK Keo Classic III road pedals
- Tommaso Strada knit quick-lace cycling shoes, black, Italian size 43
- Schwalbe Kojak tires, 700x35c
- Teravail standard tubes, 700x30-43c
- Mr Tuffy Ultra Lite tire liners, 700x32-41c
- Motobécane bottle cage, black, circa 1984
- Olight RN1200 headlight
- Olight RN120 taillight
- Cateye Quick cycling computer
- VO rando rack, silver color
- Ottolock, 18”, black
- Smith Network MIPS helmet, large
Result
See the bike.