Great to see that you're loving it. I've a dSogn that I picked up the frame two years ago for a scandalously small sum that's my absolutely favorite bike. 700cc wheels change the ride a bit, enough so that I tend to stick with 650b much more than I initially thought. At some point I'll have some brazeons added to the fork and repowder it, but I've got no complaints with it.

Got a chance to test out my new camera today. I took some pictures of the Rawland at lunch:

Me like!

such a nice bike. I like the morning commute coffee [SUB]beer[/SUB] holder.

All that's left to do is ride and enjoy!

Sean at Rawlands seems to have a pretty good sense of a "practical" bicycle.

I could see this one doing so many things, kind of like my Salsa Fargo.

Hmmm, I wonder what you'll build next?

I wonder what he will design next?

How much clearance is between the brakes front link cable and the tire? Looks tight!

Yes it does on one of the pics.

Looks fine on the others though.

That's an optical illusion because of a shadow, I think. There's an inch and a half of space.

Iced coffee all the way (to work)!

Next is selling a bunch of stuff, and phase two of this same bike:

Getting racks and bags mounted (tricky due to v brakes but I will succeed!)

And a set of off-road tires. Need to figure out what will work for the D2R2 I've been roped into doing in August.

Phase two complete. The Blackburn rack may be temporary, but if it holds up well enough it may stay for a while. I'd only switch it out to get a tubus rack with a lower mounting rail for the panniers.



New bartape today:


Note the droplets of spilled coffee, signs of daily use:


Phase three will be getting lights hooked up to this thing:


Having some trouble with the swift...


Close up:

That looks great! You built up another fantastic looking bike.

Did you have any issues with the Ortliebs on the Blackburn rack? I had the same set up and had to move the panniers all the way back to miss my canti brakes. It really lightens up the front of the bike when I fill them. Fun times popping wheelies with groceries in the back.

Love the build.

I will try some Lizard Skin as well this fall after I jettison the crappy Cinelli wrap on my Fargo.

Issues with the Swift?

Not enough setback?

Creaking?

Lizard Skin bartape is awesome, it especially shines when it gets wet.

I'm guessing not enough setback.
Which means a problem with the post not the saddle

I do like the bartape.

it's not the post or the setback, more just the curvature of the leather. I can't find an angle that works. It's better with padded shorts but still not great.

Specialized Romin Evo to the rescue

Yeah, time to try some cut-out saddles.

Cool! In what way do your 700c wheels change the ride? Is the outer diameter of your 700c set very different than your 650b set? I'm curious because I plan to build a cyclocross wheelset for this bike.

It changes the trail from about 49mm to 53 or so. Going from 650b with hetres (actual measurement of 44mm on my rims) to 700c with 42 schwalbe marathons (actual measurement of 38mm.) I prefer the steering with the 650bs. It seems more...precise I guess. I ended up building an errand runner/bad weather bike around the bigger wheelset. I don't dislike it, I just prefer the 650b. Some of that is due to tires I'm sure.