on the road as my new commuter. All I need now are some fenders and a rear rack. I was looking getting the Nitto 33R but it's $210 it seems like overkill for just commuting so the R14 may fit the bill. I finished the yellow cloth wraps last night then hit it with some amber shellac, it was easy and turned out pretty nice. I replaced all the cables with a nice silver cables. I may change the seat at some point to a nice Brooks or a Selle Anatomica if my rear needs some added comfort, but after years on a Specialized Tarmac seat that may be a while.

I also need some suggestions, it you will, on a nice rear bag that can hold my laptop and a change of cloths.

We've had in-laws, including a 2 year-old, staying with us for the past six weeks so heading to the garage with a few cold beers to work on this bike has kept me from going crazy... :-)

It's hard to see in the second photo but I even added a peace sign Vanguard hanger pull which I thought was kinda' cool.

The bike looks beautiful. I use an old Pletscher rack on mine and Riv's medium shop sack holds enough for me most of the time. The mousetrap is just too easy. I have one of the new Pletscher racks on my Hunq and it's good for touring but a bit of overkill for commuting. The old ones can fit nicely with the right choice of L-bracket from the hardware store to connect to the braze on's. Enjoy.

Marc

Ortlieb rolltop is the bag of choice here in the PNW. If you plan on riding in any rain, everything's pretty much guaranteed to be dry when you get to work.

That's a nice build you've got there. I'm rewrapping some bars with the same cloth, shellac and twine as you are. It started out orange, this morning I put on another coat before work, and it's starting to get more to that darker honey color like yours. Looks like you're using either Jagwire or V.O. braided housing-again doing the same on mine.

Thanks Marc, I'll have to take another look at the Pletscher rack, I've actually never seen one in person but I like the look of the mousetrap feature.

gugle, please post some photos of your ride after you get it all upgraded, I'd like to see it. And yes, I used the V.O braided housings which seem to be pretty nice. And I have another bag made by Ortlieb which I like so I'll have to check out their roll top bag. I also looked at the orange bar tape first but thought it would darken too much so I went with the yellow which is perfect for me.

Now I just need to decide on some fenders with the weather changing. I was looking for some hammered fenders but can't seem to find any that will work with the 40mm Schwalbe tires. I see V.O. has some snakeskin fenders but I don't like them as much as some of the hammered fenders I've seen. I may just go down to 35mm tires then get the fenders I want, we'll see. My neighbor has a Pashley Guvnor so I think he could make good use of these Schwalbe tires if I decide to go with the 35mm.

Thanks guys, you've been great

It looks beautiful! I love the bidon, please tell me more about it.

If money was no object, I'd probably have a pair of Chrome Panniers for commuting. Since I'm on a fairly tight budget, and the styling on my current setup is more modern than classic, I'm using a pair of Blackburn EX Deluxe that I picked up on clearance from Performance. They aren't 100% rain proof, but the inner liner is removable and dries quickly. I keep anything electronic inside of them in a separate plastic bag.

That bike is much too nice for a Pletscher!

My grammar threw the meaning off-I did use yellow, which went through an orange stage, starting to come out more honey now. My previous bar color was dark brown-started with brown tape, shellac turned it darker than my saddle. Now I think it will be lighter than my Brooks B17. Next time, orange!

VO Zeppellin fenders work really well with my 42's. It's not the same look as hammered. Honjo hammered are what you're looking for, if you can get over the price.

Nice bike. I just sold my Sam Hillborne frameset because it wasn't getting used and needed the money for another project. They are great, solid riding bikes that are incredibly versatile.

I don't totally trust waterproof bags because every one I've ever had eventually leaks a little. What I did with my sam was use a small Rivendell Saddlesack on the back, with ziplock bags for dry stuff on the rear and a Nitto M12 rack with a small Rivendell Trunksack on the front to hold tools, food, tubes, ect....this setup worked well when I used to commute. That small saddlesack could hold a change of clothes and laptop, but the medium size might be a bit better (with a rear rack.)

That bike looks great.

Easy now!



Play nice.

Marc

Yours is too.

Bike bag? Not the look/vibe of your bike, but I've been commuting with this little honey of a bag all summer. It's very fast to remove and open/close, it's basically a huge ziploc bag. I've ridden it through some serious downpours and not a hint of moisture inside. I was surprised and pleased with the quality...but it isn't cheap.

Ortlieb Bike SHopper



Oh, and killer Hilborne OP!

It's beautiful, a honey colored Brook's B17 would match up nice and look sweet coupled with that bar wrap.

Looks great. I want to know how you like mustache bars. I wanted to like them badly, but I hated them.

Those look like the Nitto Albastache bars I have on my townie. I couldn't recommend them; fun for the first few rides but the level plane/one hand position is just not healthy for my wrists and any distance. By comparison, the woodchippers on my touring bike have been a great mod....

Agreed.

Any Pletscher.

I got tired of the standard racing bars on my Specialized Tarmac and since I never used the drops anyway I decided to give mustache bars a go, if these don't work for me either I'll have so see which way I go next. I've seen some bars where the drops are flared out somewhat which may be a possibility if these don't work, but the mustache bars sure do look sweet.

What bars did you eventually go with after the mustache bars didn't work for you?

I love the look of that bike.

If you've never had a bike with a Pletscher kick stand, you are going to be delighted how much this adds (especially with cargo).

Love this bike...very nice build! I beg others for more pictures...so will do the same...I simply love looking at gorgeous builds like this one!

And...given that it is a Riv bike...don't spare expense on your bags...have them match the bike! I have no specific recommendations...but will look forward to seeing how you finish her out!!!

Thanks for sharing!!!

[QUOTE=RJM;18166285]
I don't totally trust waterproof bags because every one I've ever had eventually leaks a little./QUOTE]

Have you tried Ortlieb? Here in the PNW you can't throw a stone on a bike path without hitting one...

The ziplock bag method, although effective, has the stigma of low price...

Here you go.

Note: click on any image to see more at my flickr site.

First, the new bar tape:


Recabling. I originally had the "traditional: cable exiting the tape under the brake levers:



Finally, fender stay connections changed from VO supplied P clips to Compass Cycle rounded eyelets - I had to drill out the M5 eyelets to 5mm through holes to do it:

I agree! She screaming for one!

I know it's just for looks but would you guys do this to a kickstand if it is a dual leg kickstand, or would that look kinda' funky? I have some extra twine and I'm just trying to put it to good use without going overboard.

Man, that's lookin' pretty darn sweet. I rode for the first time last night and I really like the feel of the handlebars, I'll just have to see how they hold up after a few months of commuting. I may also pull the trigger on those Zeppelin fenders after seeing them on your ride.