c_bake

Looks sharp!

Oldpeddaller

OMG That's looking Gorgeous already!

thebigkick

Just got back from the bike shop. Had them put on the chain since I didn't have a BMX chain tool. Went with a KMC chain because it looks bad ass and heavy duty.











video before the maiden voyage

https://youtu.be/NU9GarfKodM?hd=1

thebigkick

hey thanks!

thebigkick

Some more pictures. I really don't like the MKS GR-9 pedals. Going to switch up soon.

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jwood72

Great looking bike. Awesome build.

WNG

Fun build thread. Benotto turned out gorgeous!

Italuminium

very nice build. the paint looks good, I hope it will hold up. BTW, how did the hub change from red to silver?

thebigkick

I sold the red one and bought the silver because I thought it would look better. The red one bothered me. I sold a whole bunch of parts I wasn't using and used that cash to get a lot of the parts for this build.

Next in line:

Tires
What does everyone think of colored tires. I read somewhere that they don't grip as well as regular tires.
Front brake
The kickback brake is not something I want to rely on. Plus if your foot slips off the pedal then you are left with no braking capabilities. Thinking of one of those nice Paul levers or maybe I'll go cheapo.
Saddle
I just love my Brooks B17 and how it acts as a hammock for the crotch. The Masi saddles I have are just too hard and uncomfortable. The Brooks Professional may work.
Pedals
The MKS GR-9 were a big mistake. Don't know what I was thinking. I think I wanted it to look really trendy and put track pedals on and I lost site of functionality and practically.
Paint/Clearcoat
I stopped by the local Macco shop to get an estimate on a paint job for my old ass bmw. Mentioned my bike frame and he said, 'just stop in...only take a few minutes'. He didn't mention money so I'm thinking he'll do a clear coat it for cheap.
Fork
I def want a straight blade fork. I think it will handle better going slower around town since I do a lot of - slow and careful -riding on the sidewalks.

The Ride
The SA hub certainly takes some getting used to. I have it geared at 46-18t, which is a little high according to the LBS, but it hasn't been a bother. I can get enough speed for minor hills and I don't plan on climbing with this bike.

Once you get the feel for changing gears it can be A BLAST changing gears and charging off the saddle! I couldn't help but ride with a smile a few times. It really does ride smooth. At first I thought the S2C hub was a little too sensitive. I accidentally changed gears while coasting a few times (something that I've gotten better at but still need to work on).

Braking is a little strange. For the most part the brake works great. Although there is a VERY disturbing and rather loud clunking noise that happens when braking HARD. Only when I brake hard. It sounds like a metal gear flange or some component inside the hub is rattled around violently when the brake is actuated. As if someone is hitting the frame with a wrench! It's something I can feel up to the cranks and handlebars. Although it doesn't feel like it's fighting against the actual braking; braking is still smooth and effective. It certainly turns a lotof heads it's so loud. This is probably my biggest disappointment with the bike. I wonder if Sturmey Archer has commented on this as there have been many reports about it.

The Phil Wood hub is probably the best after market part I've ever purchased. It makes the ride. So much so that I've put it on my Masi instead. The Masi feels like a new bike. The high flange hub has so much feel and control and is so smooth AND FAST! Makes me wonder why I didn't get this thing earlier. VERY pleased with the hub. So much so that I'm looking for a rear hub for the Masi now.

I'll try to take video of the SA S2C braking issues once I get a chance. Til then here's a shot with the white Brev M saddle (hard as hell btw).

thebigkick

I swapped out the Soma 456 drop bars (not practical at all, although they looked nice) for 42 Nitto pursuit bars (bullhorns). They comfy. I used the Brooks leather bar tape from the drops. I couldn't get myself to cut the $75 bar tape so I wrapped them thick. Turns out they are very nice to grab and work very well on long rides with the extra cushion on there. Of course I took a few pics.

Washington Park, Albany, NY

nikku 

+1 to this entire thread. This is a capital build.

thebigkick

Thanks a lot! I feel like the bike culture/world can be very fickle. So it means a lot when I get a complement on here.

zazenzach

i usually dont like people cutting of RD hangers, or conversions, or anything sturmy archer

but this build did it exceptionally well

have to admit that's a head turner

BattleRabbit

You were riding down my street today! I totally saw your bike. I was going to shout and say hi, but you were out of range by the time I realized why I recognized your bike.

thebigkick

Would you mind sharing why you're not a fan of sturmey archers? I am not 100% sold on the S2C I will admit. It really bothers me that it makes that huge clunking noise when I break with medium pressure. People turn and look all the time. Sort of like squealing breaks; not a big deal because it works but it just annoying. Other than that it's a lot of fun to ride.

Thanks for the complement. It was inspired by the 06-07 Masi Fixed. So I wouldn't claim to be le orignale. I was in love with that design so I just executed it myself. That reminds me I'm going to Maaco sometime this week or next week for a clear coat. Will post results.


Hey man! Small world, and even smaller here in Albany. Were you the one asking about the bike rack/stand I made? If so, we are moving soon and will be getting rid of it. Going to Austin, TX and shedding some furniture in the process. It's a pretty solid piece of painted and finished furniture if you're interested. PM if interested. Seeya around.

thebigkick

Up next:

Clear coat on the paint
Seat post that fits
New tires (thinking brown walls)
Switching out the GR-9 pedals for MKS road
Front brake (Paul lever, Velo-Orange cables, ??? brakes)
Phil Wood front hub and Mavic Open Pros (since the original one went to the Masi)
Straight blade fork (better control sub 15 mph)

marnuc

Hey! great build, it looks gorgeous, I would like to know if at then end did you use the same Bottom bracket?

thanks

look171

I too had a Benotto in 86(late 70s early 80s frame). Mine was bought used from a local rider. It was a typical brown/green color (They all had their colors like Bianchi, Gios, or candy apple red Colnagos). The Mexican build frames got a bad rap so I made sure it was Ialian. A couple of guys had the frames from Mexico and has held up fine. The beat the heck out of it. I was a Jr back then and mainly rode with the Montrose or N. Hollywood Wheelmen group around Griffith Park and Pasadena. Where you in LA back then? If so, what area?

Italuminium

Don't switch te fork. It has nothing to do with a blade being staight or bent, stability is mainly decided by the angle of the headtube and the rake of the fork. Rake is in essence a virtual line between the centre of your steerer tube and the front dropouts. Combine the hta and rake, and a figure known as trail emerges. Low trail
causes oversteer (so the bikes excerbates your steering movements) while high trail bikes understeer (they resist steering movement). Most bikes are set up for neutral trail, balancing the two. Your bike looks like it has a neutral to high trail, as usual for bikes of that era. Modern straight blade forks have
low rake numbers, so putting them on your bike will only make matters worse.

The problem is more likely in yourstyle of riding. Sidewalks are not for bikes, just ride your bike with confidence and at good clip on the road. This is much safer, albeit a bit counterintuitive.

thebigkick

Hey thank you very much. The spindle is a Sugino NJS. It's either 109mm or 111mm. Can't remember. I'll double check when I get home from vaca.

If you were asking about the cups then yes I used the originals. Mostly because I couldn't get the drive side cup out. I ran a ballpoint pen around the inside of each cup to check for ridges and then were very smooth so I just made it easier and kept them. Cleaned and polished the bearing and packed plenty of Phil Wood grease in there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Italuminium

Combine the hta and rake, and a figure known as trail emerges. Low trail
causes oversteer (so the bikes excerbates your steering movements) while high trail bikes understeer (they resist steering movement). Most bikes are set up for neutral trail, balancing the two. Your bike looks like it has a neutral to high trail, as usual for bikes of that era. Modern straight blade forks have
low rake numbers, so putting them on your bike will only make matters worse.

Interesting. But wouldn't a straight blade fork lower the rake (the angle of the head tube to dropouts). Making the trail lower? Creating less resistance to steering and makin it a little more squirrelly. The head tube on my Masi stands slightly more vertical than the Benotto. It just feels like I have better control.

Im on a mobile device at the moment but next time I fire up my Mac I'll look deeper into this and report back. I've always been interested in why certain headtubes are at different angles.

marnuc

Great thanks for the reply, I am asking because I also bought a cheap benotto and I am trying to convert it in a fixed ride, but I have troubles with the crankset knowing of it is english or italian and the spindle length, but I havent totally disassemble it.
Also Di you use the original fork and painted it orange? or you painted the black one?

thebigkick

The bottom bracket cup on the drive side is reverse threaded and the non drive side cup has normal threads. I couldn't get my drive side cup out so I left it in there. If you need a spindle I have two laying around. A Sugino and a Campy [pretty sure that's what they are].

thebigkick

.
This is great advice that has just recently smacked me in the face. I love this bike yet I've recently been falling for a beautiful Eddy Merckx and possibly a Colnago. Thing is I've invested all this money in very specific components that may not fit a newer or different bike. Lesson learned. I guess that's life.

But I'm still happy with the Benotto. Except I'm now going to redo the drivetrain. The Sturmey Archer S2C isnt cutting it.

The loud clank when braking and when you hit just minor bumps in the pavement the gears shift.

Thinking of a Phil Wood rear hub, SA 3speed (Austin has lots of hills) or SA 5 speed and some brakes from Paul Components in the near future.

S2C (with spokes) will be up on Craigslist/eBay soon.

photogravity

I think that putting a multi-speed (well at least more than 2 gears) hub on that bike is a good idea. I've seen the hills in Austin... Some of them are BIG! Unless you gear the bicycle very low and plan to coast down all the hills, I'm not sure a 3-speed will be sufficient in Austin. A SA AW with a 44t chainwheel and a 24t cog will yield you 37/50/66 gear inches so on the flats you'll be a little undergeared. If you use the same chainwheel and cog with a X-RD5(w) you'll get 31/37/50/66/79 gear inches, a slightly more useful combination though there is no gear that puts me as close as I'd like to the 70 gear inch mark. Changing to a 22t rear cog results in 34/41/54/72/86 which is pretty workable gearing, at least for me.

thebigkick

This is great advice. The hills here are insane to say the least. It is def geared way too high for this town. I'll check out the LBS and ask what they think would be a reasonable ratio. I'll be re-building the drivetrain as soon as I get some extra cash-oh-la.