Before pics of the project bike

I picked up my gravel grinder project bike the other night. Bought it off of Craigslist and I am very happy with the purchase. On my first test ride in the parking lot the whole thing was creaking and pining. But the frame felt solid unlike other whippy bikes I have ridden.

I spent a little time taking off reflectors, foam bar grips, truing the wheels and lubing the chain. The stem shifters needed a little help because they would drift out of gear, but a quick turn of their bolts fixed it.

Over all the thing rides great. I kind of forgot how finicky friction shifter are. It definitely makes me appreciate my SRAM Rival setup on the Gunnar. The seat is ungodly uncomfortable and the seat post is way too short. Also the cranks arms are only 170mm but oddly it was not too bad spinning away. The handle bars are only 40cm wide and feel way too narrow. But all that will be fixed.

I took two rides on it this weekend. Both were very fun. One was just around the block and the other one was a night ride where I tried out some gravel roads. On the gravel it worked awesome even with the original parts. I am looking forward to getting it all customized for the gravel.

Tires are 1 1/4" (31.75mm) on 27" wheels

Tires are 1 1/4" (31.75mm) on 27" wheels

170mm crank arms

Way narrow 40cm bars

Comuter/Gravel Grinder Build

I am looking to build up a new project bike this winter.

Come November I am moving to an area that has many miles of gravel roads, so I am going to build a bike that can handle the terrain using an old lugged steel frame.

I am also going to use this bike for commuting as well. Right now I do my commutes on my mountain bike mainly because of some short dirt sections in my route. A bigger tired road bike should help speed up the commute.

I am going to purchase an old 66cm frame and braze on some cantilever brake bosses and racks. Maybe even some fenders and generally bring it close to modern standards.

I have found a great candidate frame on Craigslist and am hoping to pick it up this weekend.

Photos and build sheet to follow.

Craigslist tall bike find

Bike Fit



In the drops

On the hoods

Finished!

Build Up

Here is the latest photo. I am waiting for my Mavic wheels to come in but decided to throw my wife's Super-Six wheel set on just to see how it looks and fits. Very happy with the way it looks. Her wheels have red spoke nipples that match my red Chris King headset. The bike in this configuration weighs 19lbs. with her wheels and no chain. Hopefully the Mavics are lighter and stronger.

As for fit, it is hard to tell just coasting around the front of the house. It definitely feels good. The seat stays are a little shorter than my old frame and I hit the back of my shoes on the rear derailleur. But I had on running shoes and I think I will be fine with actual cycling shoes. Also, I am a bit concerned that the handlebars are not high enough and that the 45 rake fork (vs. 43) might make for some sluggish steering. Hard to tell as the tires I had on were low on air pressure.

Decision made

Don't I look happy? This is right after we picked up the frame. Decided to go with the 68cm Gunnar Rodie for a couple of reasons. It offered the highest head tube at 270mm tall. My Raleigh Super Course only had a 225mm head tube so I should notice a big difference. The top tube length seems just about right at 62cm, and its a virtual 68cm so the seat tube is only 65cm tall. I also liked the price and the fact that it is made in the USA. This was not the cheapest in the line up at $900 but I feel a reasonable price. I have always ridden steel road bikes so I know what to expect from ride quality and maintenance. I do love the look of carbon bikes but could not bring myself to shell out $2500 just for a frame, let alone the fact that I could not find one in my size! I will post pics as the build up commences. Also after all the decisions were made, guess the blog should have been called 68cm Tall Bike...

Couple things to note here. I chose a Charcoal Grey Metallic, it looks great. I also choose to have the decals removed. All but the made in USA on the non-drive side chain stay. Frame weighs 5lbs.

Test ride of 64cm Roubaix SL3 Pro

I had a chance to see a 64cm Roubaix SL3 Pro in person and test ride it. Well, it rides great and is a real nice bike. The carbon feel is pretty cool, hard to describe but I could feel the vibration damping qualities. Not sure how much of that is the carbon and how much is the “Zertz” inserts in the fork and seat stays. The Roubaix was plenty stiff so no problem there. Problem is that it is the same size as my current bike. Actually the bars were a bit lower and the seat post (350mm) was not able to go high enough. If you look at the secs it should be much larger than my current frame. I could get a new 400mm seat post and a higher rise 140mm stem, but I do not want to make the frame work by adding weird sized parts. I want a frame that fits.

Here are some photos of me on my current bike and me on the Roubaix.

Funny to see myself on these. Both look really small. Maybe it's just me. I do not have the correct bend in my arms. So this test ride helps me make my decision about the CAAD5 as well. The CAAD5 has roughly the same measurements except it has a longer seat tube and a lower head tube. Longer seat post - cool. Lower head tube - bad.

At this point the 68cm Gunnar Rodie is the winner.