rootboy 

Call me a wuss. But if I had just designed, ordered...and waited for that frame...
I could never ride it on those gravel roads.

I know, I know ...that's what it was for......but still.

gomango

I hear you, but I'd rather take my chances there, than MUPs and crappy Twin City roads with some incredibly dangerous drivers and their godawful attitudes towards bikers.

Gravel will chip the dt up, but some call that patina.

I'd just ride the wheels off that nice bike.

poprad

Great pics, well written story, and gorgeous result. Congrats on your custom and I hope the stories we get to read about riding it are even better!

seypat

Well, I heard the story last year about this time and finally get to see the bike. All I can say is WOW! That color is stunning! I want to hear the ride report after you have got plenty of miles with it. I remember the discussion we were having last year about TT length and your Ironman. Long and low, I like Mr. Pelizzoli's ideas. Once again, that bike is soo pretty, and shiny! It would be hard for me to ride. I would just put it on a pedestal and oogle it all day!

Steve Whitlatch 

That is one beautiful looking bike. Great story as well. Congrats!!

RobbieTunes

How did you get a 50/34 combo on a 6200 crankset? They came in 110BCD?

Regarding the bike. Words are inadequate, at least my supply of same. Worth the time and trouble, and several masters had to work on that, including the final builder-our own Doc.

jiangshi

Yep, 110 & 130.

satbuilder 

Beautiful bike. Worth the hassle and wait in my opinion.

Fahrenheit531 

Love it love it love it.

repechage

Interesting geometry.
This bike is the opposite of low trail.
The demise if Italian threading is at hand.
The fork requiring trim is of no surprise as no headset was fitted.
Appears to me that the complete frame was chromed first.
I like the fork crown very much.
I have to adjust visually to the upper seat stay termination.
Good color.

Like the shop scooters.

seypat

110/74 triple as well and, extra shiny finish! One of the prettiest cranks ever made. It looks so good with Doc's frame.

rccardr 

Yep, the crank is a Shimano 620X series triple, so 110 for the outer and middle and 74 BCD for the (not mounted) inner ring.


For truly extreme gearing, could mount a 24 on the small ring, swap to a 122 BB, and use the same Deore RD and a 13/28 freewheel. With 32's that would drop me down to 23 gear inches.


But honestly, don't see riding this anywhere where extreme gearing like that would be required. That's what the Cannondale ST is for.


Pretty sure the complete frame was chromed but only the lugs and rear triangle was polished. Have to dig through the e-mails to see if I still have a picture of the frame post-chrome but pre-paint.

Dfrost 

Rccardr,

Beautiful bike and great story! Are those the cranks I sold you a while back? What a great bike for them (or any good looking vintage-y silver cranks).

rccardr 

Yes, those are the same cranks.
They look spectacular. And...they are real! (Apologies to Seinfeld).

bloom87

nice taste in bikes !

i still don't get how one can enjoy real rides on a campy nr/sr set of shifters...they're such a pain to use, even for friction lovers !!!

RobbieTunes

Now that I've seen pictures of both, I agree.

Last ride 76 

Huh?

crank_addict

Congratulations Doc, its gorgeous!
Got to say while at the DD, you were rather reserved in describing this exquisite frame. I suppose anything tailored by a master requires patience.

daf1009

BE--UUU--TTTT---FULL bike! And the story just adds to the history!

rccardr 

Polished Nitto seatpost arrived today, I'll install it when I get to Montana this weekend.

unworthy1

y'know, I may be getting soft-headed (oh, that's pretty certain) but when I read stories about the "difficult, incommunicative, haughty, prima-dona" attitude and (this may be a stretch) business practices of certain Artist/Craftsmen...it's beginning to sound very familiar if not "normal". I have worked with and in a field with people that offer very specific, hard-to-find services to a well-heeled clientele and they do things at their own (very slow) pace and won't be rushed until they are satisfied with the results... and then they charge an arm-and-leg for the job! it was very foreign to my normal practices and assumptions but when I read the tale of the long wait and lame/sketchy excuses plus failure to meet self-offered deadlines, from Sr. Pelizzoli, I thought..."oh yeah...so typical!"
and then he delivers the goods and...all's well that ends well, right?

Sir_Name 

That is an absolutely gorgeous bike, congrats. I certainly understand the frustration in not getting exactly what is wanted and was agreed to, but I suppose every 'romance' has a bit of give and take.

I think it'd be interesting to hear about which aspects of the design, and especially geometry, you brought to the table if you don't mind sharing that info. If I'm remembering correctly, you pay a great deal of attention to what works for you and what does not over the many bikes you ride or have ridden. What details were 'must haves', saddle setback and stack from BB, etc.?

Looking forward to seeing more pics in action, best of luck on the maiden voyage!

rccardr 

Great question. Did a lot of measuring on my current collection and have kept notes on previously owned bikes, so went there with some specific ideas regarding setback and chainstay length.

In particular, i knew that bikes with a setback of less than 14cm (measured with a plumb bob with the top tube horizontal) tend to be easy climbers and work well with my setup measurements (30.25 inches from center of crank to top of saddle measured along the seat tube; 25.5 inches from the center of the seat post under the saddle to the center of the handlebars; 36 inches from the center of the handlebars to the ground). I also knew that a certain chainstay length (can't remember it offhand, need to go to the file) had worked well for me on all-day riders and solid descenders.

I didn't dictate fork angle, rake, or trail, allowing Sr. Pelizzoli to use angles he knew from experience would work with my numbers above for an Eroica-styled bike. It's pretty clear in the picture that the seat tube is somewhat more vertical than the head tube. At no point during our discussion did he disagree with my suggestions; in fact he was very thoughtful and worked out some numbers using sketches while we met. He conferred frequently with Simone to ensure there were no mistakes being made through translation.

While the external tube sizing was a pain, in the end it worked out OK. I'll post pics and a ride review after Cino this weekend.

pastorbobnlnh 

Okay @rccardr where are your Cino pictures!?! No excuses about needing to fly home to VA first!

rccardr 

Bob- First of all, the freewheel you made for me worked GREAT!!!!

Took a whole bunch of pictures but you're gonna have to wait until I get access to a PC, either later tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on whether the floghts are on time.

If you just can't wait, some pics have been uploaded to my Instagram feed, #rccardr