Very sweet! Orange is very, very good!

Thanks. It actually reads more as red outdoors... but it was hard to photograph with fluorescents.

Build plans:

Wheels:
Deore XT rear, Schmidt Dynohub front, Velocity Syngergy 650b rims.

Drivetrain:
TA Cyclo-touriste 50-36 compact crankset, Deore XT RD, Campagnolo Veloce FD, SRAM 11-32 8-sp, Rivendell bar end shifters.

Brakes:
Paul Moto BMX, TRP RRL levers

Contact points:
Brooks Swift on Ti seatpost, Soma Hwy 1 bars on Thomson X4, pedals and bartape: undecided.

Ready for the Divide!

I really like your plan.

Maybe you can do something with the white balance outdoors to make it always appear more orange? Shouldn't be too hard to gel the sun, or do something to the atmosphere to change the bluish light to whatever you'd need to make the frame more orange. I like orange... :^]

The parts selection and build plan look/sound outstanding. Can't wait to see it built!

Hah! I like orange too, but I've got that covered with my Colner.

I have a coworker that, rumor has it, has only orange bikes.

I bought a Salsa La Cruz that happens to be orange.

Picked it up from a forum member for my son, but I seem to be riding it more often than he does.

Does lots of things really well and I love the disc brakes when it's wet like today.

It's a great looking gravel bike, even when it is covered in mud.

Makes me wonder why Salsa discontinued the model.

Slight progress. Should be test-rideable by the end of the week.

It's growing on me!!

26" wheels?

650b.

This 650b set for regular use, with plans for an eventual 700c pair to switch to, for certain types of riding.

Are you using v-brakes or mini-motos?

Moto BMX so I can switch between 650b and 700c

Cool!

Nice.

Please let us know about the performance at some point.

I'm stuck in a Neo Retro/Touring feedback loop and am open to hear about another solution.

Will do.

It'll be my first time using v-brakes on my own bike, though I've worked on them a lot and have to say I do like them. They look a bit goofy but this bike's general attitude, I've decided, is goofy. Maybe it's the sloping top tube

The neo-retro/touring combo seems pretty popular. Hard to go wrong with those brakes, and I would have gone that way were it not for wanting to keep wheel options as open as possible for this build.

Yep, the performance of that combo with Kool Stops is excellent, but I like to try new gear.

I am itching to try a Rawlands, but I am trying to not buy another bicycle ths summer.

Fat chance with these influences!

That's shaping up to be a pretty cool project....

Looking forward to seeing this one finished. I should (crosses fingers) be finishing up my sport-tour/gravel/all-rounder build this week. A new RD and the jtek shiftmake should both be on its way. The near month wait is killin me and has put me dangerously close to looking for the "next project" before this one is even done!

You'll be riding the SH before you know it.

Don't forget pics when you finish.

Please!

Man this thing looks so different, can't wait to see it built up. These recent gravel grinder builds have been some of the most interesting threads going, IMO. I'm digging the black perforated tape. I assume that is fizik, but if it's something other I would like to know more about it.

Nice progress! Why not Shimergo? The brakes would require Travel Agents?

I think it needs fatter tires.

You mean shifting the 8s shimano with 10sp ergos? I want to try out bar end shifters first. Never used 'em.

As for the tires, 42mm are on their way from Compass.

Si.

What 42mm tires are you getting? Still looking for just the right set of tires for my travel rig, at this rate I'll have quite the collection to pick from for each ride's conditions.

The Hetre in black.