Vivek came to me looking for a lightweight steel road bike and I was more than happy to build one for him. I was a little nervous about doing the bilaminate style head tube with chrome plating. That style of head tube has been executed by many builders but when there is chrome plating involved, it is almost exclusively a technique that has been perfected by Cycles Alex Singer in France. Not wanting to be too influenced by their aesthetic, I avoided referencing any bikes in this style during the build. On top of that, I designed and made a quill stem to complement the head tube. It ended up being a lot of work but the stem really sets this bike apart and adds a certain amount of flow through the front end.
A full silver Campagnolo Athena 11-speed gruppo seemed appropriate for such a bike. Tracking down this particular group in this configuration (compact crankset with long cage rear derailleur) is proving more and more difficult these days but we managed to put it together gathering parts from all over the globe.
To keep the weight of the bike down, we decided on using a lightweight Velogical rim dynamo mounted underneath the non-drive side seat stay. The dynamo is engaged to the rim using an appropriate Campagnolo shift lever on the down tube. The addition of fenders, bell, front rack, lights, and a small Lezyne pump on the back of the seat tube put it in the category of a fully integrated road bike.
The tires are 32mm Compass Stampede Pass which would’ve been too tight to have used with the Campagnolo Athena caliper brakes. In this instance, the Grand Bois Chouette centerpull brakes were a perfect choice. They fit the bikes aesthetics, are intended for 26-32mm tires, and they perform extraordinarily well when used with direct mount brake pivots.
This metallic light green color is a difficult one to capture in photos without having the tone get washed out. I appreciate the lighter color with the chrome as it doesn’t try to be too flashy. The black details on the logos and paint transitions add a little bit of contrast while the light colored Berthoud saddle and amber shellacked cloth handlebar tape add a little more color. A great balanced bike overall.
See the full slideshow of the build here.
Vivek’s bilaminate road bike
September 16, 2018
Vivek came to me looking for a lightweight steel road bike and I was more than happy to build one for him. I was a little nervous about doing the bilaminate style head tube with chrome plating. That style of head tube has been executed by many builders but when there is chrome plating involved, it is almost exclusively a technique that has been perfected by Cycles Alex Singer in France. Not wanting to be too influenced by their aesthetic, I avoided referencing any bikes in this style during the build. On top of that, I designed and made a quill stem to complement the head tube. It ended up being a lot of work but the stem really sets this bike apart and adds a certain amount of flow through the front end.
A full silver Campagnolo Athena 11-speed gruppo seemed appropriate for such a bike. Tracking down this particular group in this configuration (compact crankset with long cage rear derailleur) is proving more and more difficult these days but we managed to put it together gathering parts from all over the globe.
To keep the weight of the bike down, we decided on using a lightweight Velogical rim dynamo mounted underneath the non-drive side seat stay. The dynamo is engaged to the rim using an appropriate Campagnolo shift lever on the down tube. The addition of fenders, bell, front rack, lights, and a small Lezyne pump on the back of the seat tube put it in the category of a fully integrated road bike.
The tires are 32mm Compass Stampede Pass which would’ve been too tight to have used with the Campagnolo Athena caliper brakes. In this instance, the Grand Bois Chouette centerpull brakes were a perfect choice. They fit the bikes aesthetics, are intended for 26-32mm tires, and they perform extraordinarily well when used with direct mount brake pivots.
This metallic light green color is a difficult one to capture in photos without having the tone get washed out. I appreciate the lighter color with the chrome as it doesn’t try to be too flashy. The black details on the logos and paint transitions add a little bit of contrast while the light colored Berthoud saddle and amber shellacked cloth handlebar tape add a little more color. A great balanced bike overall.