Originally Posted by
masi61
I have a few questions for you in no particular order: 1) what is the height of the head tube? 2) is your torso length proportional for the typical 6’2” person? 3) what seatpost size does your frame take? 4) what handlebars were you proposing to use again? 5) what is the spacing of the rear dropouts? 6) why are you smitten with the concept of running a 3-speed hub again? 7) what type of riding do you do? Is there a niche that this undersized bike could be assigned to that fulfills some specialty function for you?
1. No idea. The seller is in Yoo-rupp, and English isn't his native tongue, so I don't think I can ask.
2. Probably. But I fold-up for easy storage.
3. I would guess 27.2mm, but I can't be sure.
4. I'd be using Belleri porteur bars, like these:
5. Uh...I'd guess 126mm?
6. It's not a concept to run a 3-speed hub; all of my bikes have 3-speed hubs with coaster brakes. I try to keep them period and country-correct (so the Hetchin's, the Mercian and the DL-1 have Sturmey-Archers, the Rochet has a Fichtel & Sachs, etc.) No modern bits on any of them, at all. I like all of my bikes to be set up exactly the same, so that I don't have to get used to differences between them. Also, I hate derailleurs, I like the clean look of a hub, back-pedaling is an intuitive way to stop, no one tries to steal my wheels, maintenance is a breeze, and so on.
7. I do two kinds of riding: Eroicas, tweed rides and other historic not-very-racy rides, and I ride around San Francisco on days when I don't want to battle traffic, or to go for a loop through Golden Gate Park or the Presidio, around the Embarcadero, etc. That's it. No mountain biking, no racing, no centuries, nothing too dangerous. I'm old, and I've taken a couple of spills that have had left me with permanent issues, including a bum knee. I'm thinking of getting into randonneuring, but that's as competitive and strenuous as I can ever see riding. The specialty function that this bike would have is nothing more or less than to have satisfied my long-time desire to own this "grail bike".
Having said that, I'm capable of appreciating newer bikes. I like the way you've built-up your titanium framed bike, and I respect that you've put so much thought and care into making it work for your purposes.