The Golden Boy 

If I had to go to one bike, I'd try to find a vintage touring bike.

I guess I'd build it up to the maximum amount of "cool" and utility and durability that I could dote onto it.

I don't race so that aggressive speed thing is a bit foreign to me. (before I get all my bikes taken away- my most aggressively angled bike is my Trek 400 sport/touring bike. ) But I think everything else gets suited by something like this.

So if I were to build up an ultimate all arounder for my porpoises...

Frame: 1985 Trek 720 531C
Headset: Stronglight A-9
Fork: Trek 720 531C
Wheelset: Phil Wood 40 spoke F&R Super Champion rims
Tires: Panaracer Pasela TG (or PT or whatever the flat protection ones are now)
FD/RD: FD- Simplex Super LJ RD- Suntour XC Pro
Crankset: Sugino LP
Rings: 48-44-28
BB: Sugino
Calipers: Shimano XT BR MC-70 w/ Mathauser Superbrake shoes
Shifters: Suntour Barcon
Seatpost: SR SP-KC
Saddle/Seat bag: Brooks Cambium/ Cannondale
Pedals: SR SP-11 w/ Christophe resin clips and Christophe straps.
Cassette/Freewheel/Gearing: Suntour ProCompe 14-30
Chain or belt: SRAM PC-870
Stem/Bars/Wrap: Cinelli 1A, Cinelli 64-40 Bontrager gel cork stuff
Lighting: Light & Motion front, Planet Bike rear
Racks: Blackburn rear, Vetta front
Nav/Cyclo: ??


If I were to get bags, I'd probably shoot for some Cannondale front and rear panniers and an Acorn Boxy Rando bag. For fenders I'd use some SKS Chromoplastics.... but maybe go for some of those styley VO Zeppelin fenders someday...


Man, whoever built this one up- that's pretty close to how I'd build mine...

fender1

2010 Rivendell A. Homer Hilsen
Frame:61cm Frame (Mix of Reynolds 725/Kaisei/ True Temper OX Platinum tubing) Waterford built
Wheels: Ultegra/Open Pro Rear/Open Pro Schmidt Son Deluxe wide body generator Hub
Cassette: 10 spd11-34 XT
Tires: Compass Barlow Pass EL 700x38
Derailleurs: Shimano XT rear/Shimano CX70 Front
Crankset: Electra TA Copy w/ VO 46/30 rings
Shifters: Shimano 105 10 spd bar ends
Brakes: Tektro 559 w/ Kool Stop pads & Cane Creek SR-5 levers
Fenders: SKS Longboard
Front Rack: Nitto "Mark's Rack"
Rear Rack: Vintage Blackburn
Lights: Supernova E3 Pro headlight and Supernova taiight guts in a B&M housing
Stem/Post/Bars: Lugged Nitto stem (100mm) & seat post. Nitto Noodle 46cm bars
Brooks B-17 Imperial ( Which has been replaced w/ a Brooks B-17 Select)
[IMG][/IMG]

gomango

What a gorgeous bike!

rccardr 

I wouldn't want to reduce to a single bike, but if I absolutely HAD TO:

'88 ST Cannondale frame, Shimano 105 derailleurs, 9 speed triple, 12/27 with a Deore 50/36/28 crankset, ToPeak rear rack and trunk bag, Vittoria rando 32's. Some difference between the two pics based on evolution, but you can see what I mean...

Rode this 352 miles on the C&O Towpath and Great Allegheny Passage this fall, no problems except one mystery flat. And we got up to a 23mph average on the 22 mile paved portion!

Chrome Molly

Agree that the Cannndale ST's are tough to beat as all around bikes. They ride nicely, don't weigh a lot, and get up and go when you ask them to.

Dfrost 

Do I get to keep all my existing spare parts?

Then the short answer is the 1987 Marinoni STX Sport Tourer. I already use it for everything noted except criteriums (didn't do those even when I raced 40 years ago). It has clearance for 32mm tires as-is (28's in the photos), but fenders would need something smaller. No, its not particularly light (62+cm vintage steel frames rarely are), but it is so responsive, incredibly fun to ride, and plenty fast enough for this engine and all the riding I do or could envision doing in the future.

What it is now:

Frame/fork - Columbus STX in my favorite color and all that glorious chrome
Headset - Chris King
Wheels - H+Son TB14 on older Ultegra hubs, 3X DT butted spokes
Tires - 28mm or 32mm GB/Compass tires (on the fence for which size next)
Cassette - 8-spd custom 12-28 Shimano with 5mm spacers
Derailleurs - Sachs New Success medium cage rear (I have spares, but haven't worn one out yet in many, many miles on several bikes), Campy Racing T front
Shifters - Sachs/Ergo brifters (rebuilt as necessary; I have parts and spares assemblies.)
Crankset - Ritchey Logic 110/74 triple (nice 110/74 backups in my inventory)
Rings - TA 46-36-24 (hills are steep in these parts)
Pedals - older Crank Brothers Candy
Brakes - Ultegra short reach with Kool Stop salmon pads. Yup, the 32's fit nicely in those, thanks to excellent fork and bridge alignment. The dual QR on brifters and calipers let them open enough to clear the 32's.
BB - SKF
Saddle - Gilles Berthoud Aravis. Love it!
Seatpost - VO Long Setback. The two-bolt adjustment really helps dial in the saddle tilt.
Stem - 100mm VO Grand Cru quill stem, and I might get another in 80mm for when I get shorter and less flexible
Handlebars - Soma Highway One
Chain - High quality 8-speed. I'll try a KMC X8.99 next, since I haven't gotten the expected life out of several Wipperman, and might revert back to SRAM.
Lighting - Light & Motion Urban 550 front, Planet Bike rear
Rack - Tubus stainless steel Fly. Works great since I no longer use a rack-top bag
Bags - Vaude (shown) or smaller Rixen-Kaul post-mounted bags (endangered species), and Arkel XM-40 panniers for the milk/commuting/touring duties



With panniers, different wheels, stem, bars, tape, and the previous Brooks Swift saddle:



But if I get to to have anything, here's how I'd "improve" it:

Frame/fork - maybe a bit slacker ST and HT angles, with a longer steerer tube to raise the bars as I get even older and less flexible, and rack mounts in the front fork. And bit more clearance for fenders and big tires
Cassette - I have a drawer full of loose Shimano cogs, so I can replace the few that wear out, or fit a 12-30 for touring/older age.
Brakes - Tektro R559 if that improved frame was a reality. Bigger opening QR to clear even larger tires if desired.
Pedals - If I was really using this as the "one bike for everything", I'd consider those Shimano M324 or similar with clipless on one side, "regular shoes" on the other
Shifters - I have backup set of Shimano 8-spd bar-end shifters if all brifters get used up before I'm used up
Fenders - none on there now, but I'd probably use something stainless or aluminum

RobbieTunes

Trigger pulled, we'll see what arrives once I send the dough.

gomango

Can't wait to see this one.

Salubrious

I faced this question about 3 years ago. The issue was that I figured I needed a custom frame and I was not likely to have more than one shot at it, so I wanted it to count. I saved my pennies for a while, and had a custom stainless lugged frame built by Dave Anderson.

Practically speaking, my main reason for any bike is commuting, and in St. Paul I have some real hills to deal with so I need gears. Plus, I wanted to be able to ride the Dairyland Dare, so I needed gears. I thought doing a gravel grinder was not out of the question, so I wanted clearance. If I went touring, I would need racks. So the bike is built to do these things. The frame angles are relaxed and the geometry is touring more than racing.

<soapbox> I dunno why, but I see racing geometry with short wheelbases, apparently for quicker handling. I really don't see how this helps if you are at speed- it would be fatiguing! A more stable geometry is what you want if you go fast, so you don't have to hang on as hard.</soapbox>

The rims were the best alloy road rim that Mavic made at the time. I've got 28mm on there right now. I can go one size larger.

The brakes are Camillo zero-Gs, more powerful and lighter than most side pulls out there.

Front hub is Chris King. I wanted a modern hub that would not need a lot of service.
The headset is also Chris King. The steering tube is 1". BTW the front fork is stainless 953 as well.

Saddle had to be a Brooks, but I got lucky and found one with TI rails cheap.

There is not a lot of carbon on the bike. It might fall over at some point; that is why its stainless rather than carbon. Right now I have a LaPrade fluted seatpost, sort of a blast from the past.

For the drive train, I went with a Rohloff hub. This meant I needed only a single chainwheel up front. Velo Orange did the trick- a nice vintage look, with Phil Wood BB for durability. Originally I had MKS pedals but switched to a vintage set of Lyotard 460s. They are lighter and spin better than the MKS Sylvans. The frame has custom braze-ons to accommodate the Rohloff.

I went with the Velo Orange Grand Cru as it was a track crank and therefore available in a 165mm. I tend to spin better than mashing, so a slightly shorter crank allows me to make better power, and helps with pedal strikes. I have a 42- tooth chainwheel on there now- in top gear going down the Grand Avenue hill I still can't spin out; I might have to go slightly smaller yet. It does give me plenty of gears for climbing though.

Perhaps a useless gesture, but I went with DT Swiss triple butted spokes front and rear to cut weight. I wanted a classic look, but also repairability in the field.

The frame is equipped with eyelets and I have a rack installed on the rear. There may be one added to the front as well. There are custom eyelets just for the rear rack, so I can still install fenders.

The handlebars are compost construction. They don't look as ugly as seen in the photo- that is the result of distortion from the iPhone camera lens.

Two water bottle mounts on the frame.

Overall its pretty comfortable. I find I'm not riding the Paramount or the Guerciotti the way I used to, which is a good thing- this bike supplanted that easily enough. Its either this or my 3-speed for 99% of my riding now.

The Golden Boy 

Oh for goodness sake- I can't imagine that I haven't seen this bike- but wow- that bike is real. And it's SPECTACULAR.

mountaindave 

I love it when a plan comes together!

Man there are some nice bikes in this thread!! Another "best of 2014" thread in the works!!

RobbieTunes

What's really odd, is I don't like it, and I still like it. A lot.

tarwheel 

My choice would be relatively easy. My Waterford RST-22 is a true all-arounder with road geometry but clearance for larger tires and fenders, and mounts for fenders and racks. It is also my nicest riding and best fitting bike. It's only drawback is that it's not stout enough for loaded touring, but should be able to handle about 30 lbs of gear. I would have trouble keeping a tourer as my only bike because they are slower, stiffer and less fun to ride when not doing loaded touring.

I bought the Waterford used for a bargain price. It was a custom frame but could have been built for me because the fit is so perfect.

noglider 

I bought my Bianchi Volpe super cheap on craigslist. The asking price was low, and then I bargained down lower since I showed how the bike was in bad repair. I thought I would part it out and sell the frame. @fender1 told me to try it because I might like it. I do, and it is my best bike, by many measures. Weight isn't one of those measures. I think it weighs 34 pounds!

It has an RSX-100 3x7 drivetrain, which is a bit worn, so shifts are slow. Steps between gears are a bit too big. I've thought about replacing the drivetrain with a 3x8 or 3x9, but I won't do it until something dire happens that forces me to.

I've added a complete dynamo powered light system, which I love. No batteries to charge or replace, no lights to mount. I've also added the fenders and a rack. It's wearing 35mm tires, and it might even fit wider tires.

I climbed Mohonk Mountain on it this past July, and it wasn't even hard, and I didn't even use my small chainring.

One nice thing about this bike is that it's not particularly valuable. It would be nice for my all-purpose bike to be made of fine components, but then if it got stolen or wrecked, I'd be heartbroken. Not the case with this bike.

bradtx

Robbie, Using the title's criteria, my pick would have to be my primary touring bike, a '95 Cannondale 3.0 as it has been used for everything in the title except for commuting.

The build was a frugal one as I didn't really know at the time if I'd enjoy a touring bike...turned out I do, but surprisingly I have no desire to upgrade anything.

OEM kept parts:

6061-T6 frame and Tange cro-mo unicron fork
RD: STX
FD: Alivio
BB: STX
CODA (Sugino) 22-32-44T crank set (44T replaced OEM 42T)
Tange head set
Dia Compe brake levers
Seat post

Parts bin:

CODA handle bars
Kalloy quill stem
HG50 11-30T 8S cassette
Ultegra 8S bar end shift levers
CODA saddle
Old Elite button bottle cages

New:

Sun CR18/Alivio wheel set
Richey SPD mountain bike pedals

Brad

Early post initial build photo:

browngw 

I posed this question(without government intervention) to myself last winter. After some research, test riding, and gut feeling I fell for a Salsa Vaya 3 this spring. I bought the lower equipped 3 model because of the gorgeous Kelly Green color.

Cro-moly 1 1/8 frame
Avid BB7S
Cane Creek 10 HS
KMCX10 Chain
Salsa Cowbell bars
Salsa Stem
Green anodized Salsa Hubs 32h
Sun-Ringle 25 Inferno wheels
Shcwalbe Silentos tires

Added a Toba Rack, some EVO mudguards, a pump, tool bag etc. Changed the stem for more heads-up riding.

If it had the stainless frame with SS couplers and high end brifters instead of the Sora (which seem to work just fine) it would be my dream bike.

Since I purchased this bike , I have sold nine bikes and have my fleet down to a manageable number(5bikes) with a couple of projects to keep it interesting.

fender1

Thanks!

fender1

That describes how I feel. Every time I look at it I think it looks to busy. Then I ride it and I really like it. I like being able to carry stuff. The framing hammer and utility knife I found on the road? Right in the bag. Work clothes/lunch and quick grocery run all at the same time? No problem. Do a relaxed 80 mile ride with friends? Just add water bottles, hop on and go. Regular shoes, regular shorts, regular life= no problem.

gomango

Yes, I can see why you like it so much. So versatile and so attractive.

Same for Fender's Riv. They're just great bikes.

The kind you really enjoy owning on a nice summer day.

Can't wait for those to return with the beastly wind chill here today.

The Golden Boy 

I think the WC is in the double digits today. It actually doesn't look too cold out there right now.


But I'm afraid to check the Weather Channel temp..

squirtdad

Kirk custom MRB (Montana Road bike)

see Kirk Frameworks Custom Bicycles - Blog

Not exactly like pictured:

Threaded fork, not threadless

eyelets for fenders/racks

Nitto Stem

Nitto Noodle bar

no strong preference on seat post.....Nitto to match

brooks swift saddle

Ultegra compact double with STI, brakes.

phill wood bb

Wheels 32 spoke, not sure beyond that

pedals shimano spd/flat combo

crank_addict

[QUOTE=noglider;17352712]
One nice thing about this bike is that it's not particularly valuable. It would be nice for my all-purpose bike to be made of fine components, but then if it got stolen or wrecked, I'd be heartbroken. Not the case with this bike.
[QUOTE]

So true and what I mentioned earlier. Of course to us bike heads, it seems odd to say it but after losing some bikes to thieves, its one of those thoughts that I now consider.

BTW: I dig the setup on your Volpe and the lighting. What brand dynamo?

noglider 

Thanks. It's a Sanyo. I recently bought a second and put it on my Viscount. It's the cheapest dyno hub available, and I find it to be quite good for me.

Read more here.

bikemig 

That's a great looking bike. I agree there is a lot to be said for a bike that is well built, does its job well, and isn't too expensive. Plus a road bike with a triple that can take fat tires is just really versatile. I get a lot of use out of my soma doublecross, but, unlike you, I do use my third chainring from time to time, .