Looks great!

thanks. i still have a few little issues to work out before spring but she sure looks pretty hanging under my tommasini. the two builds contrast each other beautifully.

RIDE REPORT!!!!

alright, so it was only a short stint around town but it was enough to know that i love it

the short fork, straight seatpost, and long stem resulted in geometry that can best be compared to riding a cafe racer. the bike is a little twitchy, it feels like you are balancing on the front wheel, and the brakes suck but you cant help but have a big smile on your face when you ride it. the biggest surprise was the shifting. the laughable italian plastic drivetrain shifts very smoothly when teamed up with a modern hyperglide cassette and modern KMC chain. even the front shifting felt nice if you backed the power off slightly. not bad for a flexible FD and a nonpinned chainring. my only concern is the back wheel the freehub sounds pretty dry. i may have to pull that all apart before i ride her any further.

i have a feeling this bike will see many more miles than i originally thought.

i know i promised weight but i have had time to hang it on my friends scale. maybe it is time i buy my own.

That is really fantastic news.

You and me both

Just got back from my first test-ride since having the gears re-adjusted after the first run. I'm loving this Ergo setup and think the retro rigs will take a bit of a back seat come nice weather this spring and summer!

Good to hear the black beauty runs great and you only have fine-tuning to do. Again, a great result

DD

The irony for those that don't know, my ergo rigs will be taking a back seat when I ride this. Don't get me wrong, I love ergos and think they are superior, but I forgot how much fun downtubes are

Just a touch over 22lbs

Sorry for the delay...

A good set of wheels would bring it sub 20

FTFY.

Looks like your weight estimate was right on the money. This is still one of my favorite bikes on here. I'm happy for every update, in part because I'm living vicariously through every cool build on here until my rims finally show up.

I agree that it would loose a good deal of style with standard wheels. If these are trouble free, they are here to stay.

Thank you for the complements. I will have to see what you are building. Do you have a thread?

Edit:
I just saw your sig and realized you have the igh gios compact. That build is so wrong I like it. I am already subscribed.

I am back from the first real ride on this bike. here is what i have learned:

1. it takes approximately 20 seconds to adapt back to downtube shifting after about a 12 year absence
2. 140mm stems, plastic spokes, 1in carbon steerers, or some combination of the three are quite flexible
3. cinelli spinachis are great
4. the sound your wedding band makes against your spinachi when you hit a bump is the sound you expect to hear when your steerer fails (see #2)
5. the dia compe bsr brakes are almost worthless on descents
6. a 42x21 combo on the years first long 8% grade really lets you know how lazy winter has made you
7. a slipping friction shifter on the years second long 8% grade makes you wonder if your chain will brake before your legs explode
8. 12cm of saddle to bar drop feels just fine
9. despite 2 and 5, these wheels make a very notable whistle as one approaches 40mph.

haha

The death whistle?

i am still alive, so i can not confirm. further testing is slated.

I'm glad to hear a ride report. I was just thinking about this when I saw the thread was updated.

I'm thinking all of the above. My main bike has a CF bar and 1" fork, but a modern 31.8 stem. I just rode it for the first time with the new bar today.

Previously, the bar was aluminum while the fork was CF; and befor that, the fork was steel. When I changed the fork, I immediately noticed that it flexed more easily, but didn't flex as far as the steel fork. But when I added a 31.8 CF bar, the perceived stiffness improved. The cockpit felt stiffer overall and the bike was even more confidence inspiring. it's probably not actually stiffer, but it feels that way because the bar and the fork both flex easier but don't seem to bend as far overall, which seems to have the effect of better road holding overall.

I'm sure you are aware from chassis tuning on autos, that increasing stiffness doesn't always improve handling.

Well it certainly doesn't sound boring

ive built enough bikes and used enough long stems that i know that it is all of the above, but the total effect is more than i would have guessed. at first i thought the wheel was the main offender but now i think it is the fork. in all honesty it may be my perception that makes it feel so sloppy. most of my miles are done on a bike with 31.8mm bars, a 1 1/8th steerer, and a really stiff wheelset. i will throw my eurus wheel in it one of these days and see how much of a change it makes.

i am quite aware of the effects of chassis tuning on autos

not boring at all. i am quite excited for round two.

We all are.

Yeah, I was really flattered when I saw you subscribe in that thread. Hopefully I'll have a worthwhile update & ride report before too long...

check my latest addition to your thread

thirdgenbird,
outdated request based on a way previous photo you shared: https://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...a/100_0987.jpg
are these on Rigida or FIH rims? If Rigida would you happen to have a spare rear drive side spoke to sell?

They are rigida.

I have no spares but if you end up parting a wheel to get some spares I would be interested in buying some to help cover the cost.

Ok I will let you know, unfortunately for me it is looking that way!