Andy_K 

Black components with a yellow bike can look great (see the photo below of my Lemon-D), but I'd be concerned with the effect all that green would have on the mix. Maybe paint the fork on the Basso.



Alternatively, look for yet another frame to use with the parts you have.

robertorolfo

Hmmm. I know you have good taste in women (from the Lance Armstrong thread, re Betsy Andreu), so I will give your opinion some extra weight. I have no doubt the Lotus will look great, but I think it already looks nice and I like the idea of keeping almost exactly as it came from the factory. That ship has already sailed on the Basso, and the Paris-Roubaix was their entry level model anyway.


Very nice looking bike you have there, although I have to admit I still can't get used to the look of some of these modern cranks. I definitely don't need another bike though (I live in an apartment), and I definitely don't want to paint over the Basso factory paint, which is really nice and in pretty good condition. The bar tape is now white, BTW, and that can be changed as well to suit the end product.

How do you like those wheels? I just built a set this winter with those exact rims and some 8sp Mirage hubs.

Andy_K 

Yeah, the nice thing about the crank being black is that it makes it harder to see how ugly it is.

I love the rims. They roll as well as rims of similar weight and quality that cost twice as much (I'm looking at you Velocity A23). I built these with Shimano 105 hubs, and if you don't mind the weight of a steel freehub (and I don't) it's hard to beat Shimano for quality vs. cost. These wheels don't even approximate a classic look, but I've got a couple of bikes that I think they pair well with. The other is my powder coated cream and red Motobacon which, conveniently, also fits the theme of this thread.



I don't think that one could pull off a black crankset, but maybe black levers and partially black derailleurs.

solidtyres

mmm...bacon

PhilPub

I've not checked back here recently but that's one of the best neo-retro jobs I've seen in a long time. Very classy!

athrowawaynic

I would do the Basso first.

But echoing... I don't like the green. I don't mind the lettering. The cable housing, bar tape, etc. can go safely.

Bbut that fork is blaring--what if you threw on a carbon fork?

himespau 

Being BikeForums.net, isn't this always the correct answer?

robertorolfo

Another nice build. You have a good eye (or, at lest, we have similar taste).

The lighting in that pic is a little weird, and I promise the fork doesn't look too bad in real life. The color scheme isn't my favorite (I nearly walked away from buying the bike for that reason alone), but it has grown on me. I also thought about going with a carbon fork, but I think I might save that for a later step.

Ha, I know, and that's why I always include disclaimers about not needing, or having room for, another bike.

The thought did cross my mind, believe me, but currently the Lotus is badly beating up the Basso in the "what do I feel like riding today (when there is no rain)" competition, and it's principally down to the uninspiring equipment (including wheels and tires) that the Basso is currently wearing.

Andy_K 

Thanks. The story behind that bike is that someone was selling the frame dirt cheap on Craigslist. It was in very rough condition, but when I saw it I had the idea for the color scheme seen above and once that idea was in my head I had to have it. I spent about two days wringing my hands waiting for the seller to reply to my e-mail and then drove straight over to buy it. While I was picking the exact colors I realized that SKS sold fenders in the cream/beige color so I chose the main color of the frame to match those. (It's RAL 1015 if anyone wants to repeat what I did.) The color I chose for the lugs and the seat tube panels turned out to be a pretty close match for VeloCals' "ruby red" decal color.



@gugie has called this brand "Motobacon" for a long time and I think even has some decals that say that. It was only after I put the decals on that I realized the colors I chose are pretty much exactly the colors you get with bacon flavored candy (assuming you're unfortunate enough to have bacon flavored candy).

This is a "before" shot of the frame.



And this is my mock-up of what I wanted.



I love it when a plan comes together.

joejack951

1984 Trek 660, full 105 5800 groupset, some early 2000s Mavic Cosmos wheels I had (11 speed compatible!), Ritchey Classic seatpost and handlebars, hand polished -17° Kalloy Uno stem, custom threadless conversion headset.

athrowawaynic

What?! I NEED THIS.

Andy_K 

I have no need for that at all, but it's a really cool idea. Seriously, share some details!

RiddleOfSteel

Good Lord, is that perfect or what?!? That stem conversion is. on. point. Everybody, please notice that the classic profile bars (from the side) have the tops+ramps angled perfectly in line with the stem's angle. This is how it is done! Hood angle matches drops angle... I could go on, but the gesture of everything is all in complete harmony, not to mention the colors of everything.

athrowawaynic

I'm going to guess it's a normal threadless converter that's been machined to desired length. I just would never have thought to do that.

joejack951

Thanks for the love, ROS! And thanks everyone else who commented, too. Rather than post a bunch of stuff in here, I started a separate thread to discuss the conversion: Threadless Conversion Headset

mstateglfr 

it is quite nice for sure and i usually dont dig the fully slammed look.
just wanted to chine in that ramps in line with a -17 degree stem looks great. Ramps in line with a 0deg or positve stem(so threadless, typically), looks wonky. It puts the STIs upnreally high and the drops end up pointing down too much to look great or to use easily.


back on point- the black components on red frame is great too.

Timo 2.0

My 1993 Merlin Extralight with Ergopower...

RiddleOfSteel

^^^^ Simply beautiful! I like how rich looking it is with the red and black elements (and scant amounts of silver).

ski4bob

Built this up from a find on "Offer Up" that I picked up for next to nothing. Built it up for my wife she loves it.

ski4bob

I love this bike, very pretty!

RiddleOfSteel

@ski4bob that looks great! The coordination of the additional pinks is very nice. Your wife must be quite tall--that frame is only 1" smaller than the one I ride, and I'm 6'5"!

ski4bob

Yep, she is 5'11" with long legs. My frames are all 25" also, as I'm the same height as you.

Jeff Wills

Interesting coincidence.... my wife is 5-foot-10 and I'm 6-foot-4. She's much prettier than me, though.

athrowawaynic

I had a question that didn't get much traction elsewhere, presumably because no one cares about old ergos/stis but the folks in this thread...

I have a Campagnolo Mirage FD and shifter (2x9), I would be surprised if it was newer than 2002.

I have a Campagnolo Veloce FD and shifter (2x10), new, last year.

Can I mix and match these shifters and front mechs? Will they work well all mixed up?

I know Campagnolo has a few different iterations of ergo systems (QS, Escape, Powershift, Ultrashift, etc.) but I'm not too familiar with the differences.

flying_rhino

Hi,

Compatibility is a function of the actuation ratio. Take a read through this and you should be on your way to an answer: Art's Cyclery Blog » Science Behind the Magic | Drivetrain Compatibility.

John