I was in Bogota, Colombia earlier in the year and decided to get a frame custom made. It turned out to be pretty affordable and the framebuilder was very efficient in getting it finished in time for my depature. I’ve only ridden it a couple of times as it was only built-up yesterday, but it’s a great nimble little race bike. Even with 2.1kg+ wheelset, the whole package comes in at 9.5kg which is very respectable IMO.
The rear triangle is ridiculously tight- only just fitting 24c tyres, but it certainly makes the frame seem more responsive to acceleration- maybe just go easy on the pave eh. I’m hoping there is ‘method to the madness’ so to speak in regards to building a frame with this geometry. Strangely there is heaps of clearance under the brakes and fork…
As with most steel frames, there was quite a bit of prep work in getting all the bits to fit- you know machining down the fork crown race to fit the headset, reaming the seat-post tube, facing the BB. Thanks Mark!
Specs:
-Columbus Zona lugged frame
-Dura Ace, Ultegra SL mix groupset
-DT Swiss RR1.2/Ultegra wheelset
-Vittoria Evo Pave (best tyre eva)
-Chris King 1 inch threadless headset
-Yokozuma cabling (seems to be better than the stock Shimano stuff)
-Deda Newton shallow handlebars
-Thomson seatpost 27.2
-3T 100mm stem
^ You can see the coffee cup in the image Horatio is using for ‘donations’ from generous passer-bys.
Damn, those brake hoods look MASSIVE – love the bike though, really nice build.
Good to see the bidon firmly installed in the bottle cage, consistent with my theory that road bikes should always be photographed with one to give the appearance of riding great distances.
But really, Shimano should redesign those brifters. Compared to Campy or SRAM they are fugly. Why do they still have cables sticking out all over the place? Even my cheap, Tektro, single speed levers are aero and the shape is identical to Campagonlo. They at least make some effort in the design stakes.
Okay so I’ve ridden the frame a bit, and the mud and crap is ruining the paint on the seat tube as there is a gap of only 1mm. Basically I have to run a 23 or less tyre. The frame is lovely to ride, but this is fucking stupid. Am I missing something, or did the frame builder fuck-up? As I said the frame has only vertical dropouts so unless I machined them out a little, there is no adjustability.
Not happy.
Have you got any ideas on a fix?
Got a great training bike, pity I have to run 19mm race-only tyres yay!
Personally I think it’s poor design execution. The chainstays are too short, especially with vertical dropouts. Initially such short stays make the bike feel responsive but that is just an illusion as all that’s happening is you’re surging on each pedal stroke, adding a choppy feel to it and making it more tiring than it needs be. It’s not any more efficient (could be quite the opposite), I can’t see any benefit and the downside is you are compromised with choice of tyres. Too tight a rear end is tiring, especially on longer rides.
Keep in mind that’s my opinion. I like fat tyres, longer wheelbases and look upon most bikes with tight clearances as dumb, impractical and unsuited to real world road riding.
A fix? Most traditional horizontal dropouts (campy 1010) wont work with the angles the stays are set at. Some track ends might work and you could possibly braze a derailleur hanger to one of those. It’s an old school idea and was used for track bikes that were also used for road time trials and road racing … kinda like a dual purpose bike. That might get you a few more mm’s and more tyre options without messing up the rear brake bridge reach. Way back when this idea was a one bike solution for many. Track bike with all the bits stripped, and road bike with all the gears added on. Some would call it Road Path but I don’t particularly like the term as it’s a bit ambiguous and many peep’s use it incorrectly or out of context.
Even then you’ll have to find a competent frame builder who you trust can do the job and won’t make a mess of it. Pictured below are a few options from Paragon Machine Works that may also be worth some consideration. The forward facing dropouts with tabs may work with the angles your stays are set at, but cold also slightly raise (or lower) the frame at the rear end.
There’s also some track ends from Cycle Underground that have plenty of meat on them and lend themselves for use in your situation. Just need a derailleur tab brazed onto the bottom. Keep in mind that the old school “road/path” idea is cool but you likely have rear spacing set at 130mm and that can be limiting unless you have a dedicated fixed wheel made for it. I often like the idea of a track style single speed for bad weather and road training that can convert to a gear roadie. Most people just use a road bike with horizontal dropouts, in your case you’d be turning to track ends with derailleur tab to add some wheelbase and turn something awkward into an oddly styled advantage.
It is a lkinda radical fix but considering your framebuilder is in Colombia it might be a possible cheap local fix, especially considering it can be done and needs only minimal repainting. Replacing the whole stays, rebrazing and then painting the back end is a big job = $'s
Give it some thought … maybe negative can end up positive
Thanks for the thoughts spirito!
I put a 23c Gatorskin on it this morning, and the clearance is an improvement at 3mm or so. Don’t think I’m prepared to make structural changes to the frame. This frame might go down in the ‘good experience’ basket…
I’ve got another project I might have to start now.
