So Nina’s father got her a Schwinn World Voyager when she was a child. Now, we all have a fondness of our first nice bike and I understand why she loved it. It was a combination of the chrome, the orange, and the overall presentation. So when she wanted me to build her a bike, that was the aesthetic we started shooting for. Picking colors for your bike is incredibly difficult when you have a plethora of colors in a chip book staring you in the face. And fighting the urge to have your bike the same color as the one you had growing up is really tough but it frees you from the past and you end up creating a whole new bike based on your gut and your current state in life. It’s a lot to think about when you’re getting a bike but it’s best not to be over analyzed. Remember, the bike can always be repainted. She quickly strayed from the orange and went with a more subdued color called Fawn Metallic of which I am a big fan.
This was not to be a touring bike like the World Voyager. It was strictly a comfortable road bike but with the option of adding a rear rack and fenders in the future. We chose 650B for the wheel size because of her petite stature and the availability of wider tires. No fenders or dynamo make this a pretty bare bones machine compared to a lot of the bikes I’ve been building. Full Dura Ace 7400 group with bar end shifters and guidonnet brake levers make this a fun bike to ride on the tops or in the drops. There is a Guu-Watanabe saddle bag that is the same burgundy as the hand painted details on the paint transitions, dropouts, headset, and chainring. The whole frameset was chrome plated and the long point lugs and Pacenti fork crown were left bare. The head tube has a lot of shiny details going on and is my favorite part of this bike. And of course, the Brooks honey leather saddle and tape really bring the whole bike together as they are wont to do.
See the full slideshow of pictures.
Nina’s 650B Road Bike
June 21, 2015
So Nina’s father got her a Schwinn World Voyager when she was a child. Now, we all have a fondness of our first nice bike and I understand why she loved it. It was a combination of the chrome, the orange, and the overall presentation. So when she wanted me to build her a bike, that was the aesthetic we started shooting for. Picking colors for your bike is incredibly difficult when you have a plethora of colors in a chip book staring you in the face. And fighting the urge to have your bike the same color as the one you had growing up is really tough but it frees you from the past and you end up creating a whole new bike based on your gut and your current state in life. It’s a lot to think about when you’re getting a bike but it’s best not to be over analyzed. Remember, the bike can always be repainted. She quickly strayed from the orange and went with a more subdued color called Fawn Metallic of which I am a big fan.
This was not to be a touring bike like the World Voyager. It was strictly a comfortable road bike but with the option of adding a rear rack and fenders in the future. We chose 650B for the wheel size because of her petite stature and the availability of wider tires. No fenders or dynamo make this a pretty bare bones machine compared to a lot of the bikes I’ve been building. Full Dura Ace 7400 group with bar end shifters and guidonnet brake levers make this a fun bike to ride on the tops or in the drops. There is a Guu-Watanabe saddle bag that is the same burgundy as the hand painted details on the paint transitions, dropouts, headset, and chainring. The whole frameset was chrome plated and the long point lugs and Pacenti fork crown were left bare. The head tube has a lot of shiny details going on and is my favorite part of this bike. And of course, the Brooks honey leather saddle and tape really bring the whole bike together as they are wont to do.