not to rain on your parade, but generally speaking: kind of sucks that the rohloff, for what it costs and for what it is (the nicest IGH there is that i know of) is only compatible with a twist shifter.

Great looking bike. I like twist shifters btw.

Very nice work.

Thank you all for your comments! Please note that I've updated my original post with complete specs.

You definately have a keeper there twinquad, and the bike is pretty cool too. Congratulations on both.

same question here -- i'm about to buy the shimano hub for my front wheel, avid bb7. i know problem solvers makes an adapter, but i don't know if there are any other choices...

Hmm.. do you think they are fibbing? I think your front hub and light adds about a pound, the saddle maybe .5 lbs(?), and the rack a little, too. Then there is the question of your 2.5 lb. rear hub vs. all the normal cassette, derailleurs, extra chainrings, etc. Still seems like yours would be less than 7.5 lbs. heavier than what Salsa claims for their stock triple.

Everytime I want to build up a bike of this style, the weight thing is what makes me hesitate. My old 60cm steel (531) bike weighs less than 22 lbs. and it's hard to accept the idea of having more weight for the kind of riding I do, road riding with lots of hills (not commuting or city riding). But I'll have to give it a try someday!

Awesome bike. "Dream" bike is right.

Deciding where I was going to mount my shifter plagued me for quite some time. Because I converted my front brakes to disc at the same time, I cut the steering tube a little bit longer and mounted a MTB stem underneath the main stem. Thus I can stand and climb without smashing my knee into the shifter.

Ideally I would like the shifter on my drop bars, but I'm not comfortable with two-piece handlebars.

two questions. 1. How much did it cost to go disc brakes? Also are yours mechanical or hydraulic? 2. The dynamo front hub charges the lights correct? How much to get one and how do you install?

Interesting solution. They make a few adapters that do the same thing:
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30...and=245&type=T
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30...and=468&type=T
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30...and=149&type=T

There was also a thread awhile back where some shop figured out how to set up a barcon shifter and Problem Solvers pulley to work a Nexus hub.

For disc brakes, you need:

- Fork with disc tabs. The one I used is currently on sale for $140.
- Disc hub. The dynamo hub is about $80, but you can get an entry-level non-dyno front disc hub for $20.
- Disc brake & rotor. You can get the Avid BB7 for about $60, including rotor. It's mechanical. I also had to get a rotor adapter since the Shimano dynamo hub is centerlock ($20).

In addition, depending on how handy you are, you'll need to pay for some LBS labor. Rebuilding the front wheel with the new hub could be $20-$40, and they'll have to transfer some headset components to the new fork. If you have them do the whole install for you, I'd guess it would be in the $75 range.

Regarding the dynamo hub specifically, again, it involves a wheel rebuild, then there are the cable runs for the lights which aren't much more complicated than cabling for a cyclocomputer.

Happy shopping!

wow, just wow. that is amazing - just what i'd like!

if you don't mind me asking - how much did it all cost?

Well, let's just say it's in the same neighborhood as production Rohloff bikes, e.g. from Civia or Thorn.

i guess that isn't too bad then - im guessing it is near the top end of the production models.

would probably not go for the expensive hub, but a cheaper one, however i do want a shifter on the handlebars.

does anyone know where i can find those two part handlebars in the UK?

Regarding the bars, I think they're made to order by the company in Germany only. At least that was the impression I got when I called them to ask about availability.

ah well, did they give you an idea of the cost?

I can't remember what the cost of the bar was exactly but it seemed very reasonable.

Shipping costs might be painful though.

Quoted for truth!

shouldn't be too bad from germany - i got my nintendo wii from there and shipping was about £10-15 i think.