Any pics of the reversed b screw? Curious.........

I can take one if you really want one. It's not that exciting

I'll probably just end up using a longer screw when I find one.

An update: Fork is on, got some red hetres, put on the wood-bed rack, and trying out the B17 black now rather than the narrow. What do you think of the black saddle/black tape vs brown? What do you think of the new fork? I think it looks better even though it contrasts with the lugless frame.

Here are some pics:

Glad to see an update on this beautiful Rodriguez!

Definitely like it better with the black saddle/black tape combination. As far as the fork goes, looks good, too. With the Hetres now in, will you still have enough clearance for fenders? BTW, fenders in stainless steel or shiny aluminum (as opposed to black) will look great, imo.

Woody rack - hmmm not sure if I like it. Must be the honey color on the wood platform not matching anything else on the bike. It might look better if it matched better the red color on the Hetres. Otherwise, a similar rack (all silver) might look better. All in all, this is minor though.

Now, the million dollar question after all these changes, tell us HOW DOES IT RIDE?

I seem to be late in this thread (hey, wait for me!), but ...

Even better would be a flat or forged crown with eyelets!

Depending on how one likes the bike to ride, it might be worthwhile to get a fork that will deliver the trail the frame was originally designed for. You can measure that off the original fork, or perhaps Rodriquez could look it up or give you good advice. Having a custom fork built is not always super $$, and you can get it nailed for blade length, brake type, rack or low-rider mounts, lighting mounts, offset, flexiness, tire clearance, headlamp wire guiding, generator mounts, or ... can't think of anything else. Buying forks you're essentially rolling the dice each time.

When I sold my Woodrup I put its 700x32c wheels on my Trek 610. I changed the tires from 32's to 28's, and did not notice much difference on that frame. I sympathize regarding the 32's being too narrow.

The radial and lateral clearances on that frame are starting to become tight with those 42's. Heine and Peterson agree (!!!) that it's desirable to have 15 mm or more radial clearance between the tire and the chainstay bridge, seatstay bridge, and fork crown underside in order to have good clearance (8 to 10 mm) between the tire and the fender. If you don't have enough clearance here, road debris could cause the tire to jam while you're riding, leading to fender failure or a crash. Or careful riding.

The issue with tight lateral clearance is intolerance of misalignment. If a spoke or two fails and the rim springs out of true, it might not be possible to ride the bike home.

I plan on getting these since they are on sale: https://store.velo-orange.com/media/c...e-0043_1_1.jpg

You are right regarding the rack. I have a nitto rack sitting on my other bike that I might swap out. Alternatively, I can also remove the wood bed from this.

The ride is awesome. Super cushy + quick handling since this bike was built as more of a race build. The MKS grip kings are really nice and give you very secure footing. It doesn't come close to clipless pedals, but I think it's nice to have at least 1 bike in the stable that you can take anywhere at any time. I took this on a short gravel trail and the hetres aren't as secure offroad as I hoped they would be. CLDV's do much better on gravel since they have a little bite to them. One thing I don't like about 650B is climbing in them. Although the low pressure and high volume soaks up bumps on flats and rides very quickly, the tire compression when climbing slow you down on the hills, especially if you like to mash.

The fork on there rides really nicely. It is a little dated for this frame, but it matches up closely in terms of rake and A-C length. Down the line, I will get a fork built to match and possibly build up a dynamo. For now, I will outline the fork lugs in gold to at least give it a little more semblance to the frame.

There is about 3mm on each side of the the chainstays. So it's close, but it's not awful. If I pop a spoke, I deserve to walk home because it would have been me who didn't properly tension these wheels At 145lbs and 32 spokes + low pressure/high volume tires, I don't think I'll have any problems. The pictures don't show it, but there is ample room between the tire/crown and tire/brake bridge. It will be fine for fenders.

A warning to everyone regarding 650B tires. It can be a huge pain getting the bead to seat properly in the hooks. Even with adequate seating, you can still get a relatively large wobble in your tire. I have tried 3 or 4 times to get a tiny wobble out, but it's pretty difficult. Jan Heine has talked about this and there is also currently a thread about it in the 650B group... Time to whip out the soapy water or talc.

Next up - Finding a new seatpost for this. Not really feeling the American Classic. Also trying to get some compact silver 26.0 bars. Some is out of stock for now. If you know anyone with a set or have any, speak up!

Some new pics. I have put on soma hwy one compact bars, which are awesome. I found a team pro that matches the colors well. I switched out the AC seatpost for a dura ace one. I switched out the 50t for a 48t. The salsa ring doesn't have any ramps or pins so the shifting isn't as buttery, but it works for my purposes. Might have a sugino AT triple crank coming in. I would run it as a compact double with 46-48/30. I also added a Retro VO cage that I need to find a match for.

I also bought fenders but ran into some issues at the rear bridge. It's a bit tight, but I think I can get everything to fit. They really are the missing pieces to this. Might have to chat with the folks at Rodriguez to build me a low trail fork with eyelets sometime soon too.

This bike is looking more AWESOME every time I see it. Hope you can make the fenders fit. In regard to the low trail fork, that sounds like a great idea. Souncs like you'll be using this bike for commuting. If so, besides eyelets, you might also consider getting your custom fork built with those new dropouts for a "connector-less" generator light. You can spend the $ on a generator wheel conversion later, but you'll be pleased to have the special dropouts already installed.

Love this build, amazing.

Very nice, dude! It looks much better with Pro and the new bars.

good move on ditching the carbon fork

well i guess it was necessary huh

Yessir, though I must say, if it were in fine condition and had fenders/adequate clearance, I would've kept it. Nothing like an OX Plat tubeset complimented by a carbon fork. Sorry fellas, I'm a heretic after I got my Gunnar Sport, which is set up with a carbon fork.

Met Scozim today. Chatted a bit, did some parts exchanging. Nice to put a face to the names here.

Anyways, stay tuned for a more classic looking crankset. Sugino AT 165mm. Will try it out as a rando compact 46/30. Might take a while because I hate polishing things!

dont polish it! i think its time for this bike to get diiiirty!

ah you picked my favorite pedals! if they aren't grippy enough for you, don't be afraid to spike em. it does wonders

How I've been riding it for the past month:



I've been commuting on this 10 mile roundtrip just about every day and it's been a blast. I get compliments on the Burke Gilman all the time. Lots of people asking if I ride with Jan heine too

The fenders took some work to get on. Had to use P-clamps on the fork, which which actually works pretty well. Had to trim them at the chain stays and dimple them at the bridge/fork. Hetres are kind of a pain to get perfectly mounted on synnergies. The front has a hop that I cannot, for the life of me, get rid of. Even an extra 5 PSI will give it enough hop to touch the front fender. I am thinking about moving to B-lines.

Still planning to change the crank to 165mm Sugino AT and run 46/30 gearing. Will probably knock the rear down to an 11-28 instead of the 11-32 (with 48/34 up front) right now.

Has a Selle Anatomica, which I am enjoying the more I ride. I will have to throw the team pro back on just to remember what it was like.

I am toying with the idea of running VO porteur bars, reverse levers, and paul thumbies with the 9s DA shifters. What does everyone think about that?