Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - De Bernardi Redux

I got the De Bernardi back from Jack, at Franklin Frames and he did his usual bang up job on the painting and torch work. I had him braze up the brake holes in the fork crown and rear brake bridge. Then I had him bead blast and paint it the butterscotch color you see along with a gold translucent pin stripe to all the lug work. I think it came out wonderful concidering the crappy paint job that came from the factory. The attached J-pegs tell the story. Now I finally like the bike. It looks like an old skool bike and rides like one too.


fixedgearhead

Pretty. A bit bland in my opinion (I like bikes with a bit of colour, and more than one preferably), but it's still gorgeous. In some ways bland is better, less likely to get pinched :) I like the way the bar tape matches the saddle, the whole thing is beautifully thought out and detailed :beer:

It hurt me at first to see you change the color, but you still have the Cinelli red rocket. Beautiful job overall. The outlines are very subtle. Classy.

The color makes me want to go buy some butterscotch candies. :)

Dave

I know what you mean about the color being "bland". I have many other bikes that are Italian red and bright blue and other "wild" colors. This one I wanted to be understated and not as in your face as some of the other bikes, elegant if you will. The color, in person, makes you want to take a big bite out of it, it is so rich in depth and color value. I also wanted to make it coordinated with the bar tape and saddle so as to give a unified overall effect. Anyway it still rides like a fine Italian Stallion and that, in the end, is what matters.

fixedgearhead

a classy look.

What handlebars are you running? And where did you get them? They are the perfect look.

dead sexy and ready for Iraq. That's American ingenuity for you!
I like it

Actually for us poor folks out in the styx, how much would the guy charge me to strip and paint a frame for me?

I don't know of anyone local that i would want to paint one for me.

Nice! I looourve that color.....frickin' delicious!

Actually for us poor folks out in the styx, how much would the guy charge me to strip and paint a frame for me?

I don't know of anyone local that i would want to paint one for me.

Both Jack and I are out in the sticks. Happily they are both the same sticks. Check out his website, it lists all the various services he provides. He has done 8 different remake/repaints for me and they all have been wonderful. I recommend him without reservation. He has been at it for many years, at least 25 that I know of. He does work for many of the best pro shops in the US.

http://home.alltel.net/franklinframe/


fixedgearhead

a classy look.

What handlebars are you running? And where did you get them? They are the perfect look.

The handle bars are Nitto model 019 that I purchased from John Dacey at Business Cycles in Miami. I think they were about $46. They come in 40-42-and 44 width, and have a 2-1/2" drop. The only thing that I did to alter them is that I cut off about an inch of the upward curve from the stock curve that the bars come width. I think that the stock curve is too upturned at the end as they were meant to accept reverse brake levers. They are 26mm clamp diameter so check your handlebar stem clamp diameter before you order as you may need a new stem to use them. It took some getting used to to get comfortable with them as I only used drop bars on other bikes but they allow you to really off load the weight from the rear of the bike when you resistance brake. They allow a much more aero position also without the hunched over position of drop bars. I don't think I will be giving up the drop bars but they are an interesting change of pace. Great for riding in city traffic with the attendant panic maneuvers that involves.

http://www.businesscycles.com/index.html

fixedgearhead

looking so cool, my screen frooze.

Nice bars! Makes me want to get a pair for my DeBernardi.

Understated, that was the word I was looking for.

pukey.

When I first looked at this post, I thought the bike looked a little bland in that color. but now that I look at it again, I REALLY like it.

good job!

what bar tape did you use to wrap your bars? i can't really tell and it looks really cool and has that ultra old school look.

what bar tape did you use to wrap your bars? i can't really tell and it looks really cool and has that ultra old school look.

The bar tape is Tresso Cloth tape available in many colors from Sheldon/Harris Cyclery. Then what you do after you put it on, is coat it with clear shellac with multiple coats. That gives it a sort of shiny gloss covering, depending on the number of coats, and prevents it from getting dirty from all the grease associated with bicycles. If you don't want the shiny look just put about 2 coats on. More if you want the gloss look. Be sure to get some ammonia to use in cleaning the brush off after each coat and finally rinse the brush with water, or you will have one stiff unusable brush when you go to put the next coat on. You can re-coat after about 1/2 hour, so you can see what you get fairly quickly. It is an old time French trick that I learned many years ago. All my bikes are done this way.

fixedgearhead

awesome! thanks for the information too. i will try that out when i cut some old handlebars and make my ghetto fab bullhorns to test out before buying some.

She is pretty. And subtle. I dig a subtle pretty. That bike is hotter than Audry Hepburn.