Mark’s 700c light and lined randonneur

Every bike that I make is a collaboration between the rider and myself but this time felt a little different. Mark and I are both part of the Classic Rendezvous community which celebrates vintage lightweight road bikes and components. This bike was to be inspired specifically by the vintage British lightweights with their elaborate lugs, lining, and pin striping. I will note here that this is not my forte as it normally takes years to develop and hone a lining style. Some use a brush and other use a small mechanical roller and in my case, I used every tool at my disposal to get the results that I thought were acceptable.

The other aspect of this build was that the bike had to be light, light, light!…and have lights. One caveat was that there could be no carbon fiber components. The complete bike weighed just over 20lbs. The weight was kept down using the obvious tricks of using light tubing and components but I also incorporated a lot of titanium hardware into the build. There were certain details that are not light like the leather saddle and custom steel stem that add to the bike’s character and couldn’t be left out. The frame was built from a combination of Tange Prestige and Columbus SL/Zona tubing. The lugs are a Rivendell set that I had that was very light and fit the aesthetic of the build.

Drillium was encouraged by Mark and I am a fan of the aesthetic. Jon Williams of Drillium Revival as well as a member of the Classic Rendezvous community passed away earlier this year. As a tribute to his work, I drilled out the MAFAC Competition brakes in the same style that he did a set for me just earlier this year. I still get a little choked up even looking at them as he was a great guy. The front and rear dropouts were also drilled out but reinforced with stainless steel faces on the insides.

The lights on this bike are powered by a light weight Velogical rim dynamo that is activated by a Weinmann brake quick release mounted near the seat cluster. This was one of my many pre-bedtime brainstorms that I got to work on first thing the next morning. The actuation is so satisfying and the tension between the dynamo and rim is adjustable. The Schmidt Son taillight is mounted directly to the back of the Berthoud leather saddle via a small stainless mount that I fabricated. The power also goes through the frame to the front rack to power the polished and painted Busch & Müller Eyc headlight. The front rack was made using thin wall 5/16″ chromoly tubing.

I normally paint the bikes I build one color but Mark had other plans. After many color decisions he selected these two shades of blue. In the spirit of the vintage English lightweights, the fenders were painted the lighter blue (think Bluemels fenders). The head tube was also painted this lighter blue to bring it all together. The lining was all done by hand and, as already mentioned, is not my specialty. I’m proud of how this bike came out but even more pleased that it is not a wall hanger. Mark has been riding this bike and not treating like a piece of jewelry which is every framebuilder’s dream.