BengeBoy 

I posted in the 50+ forum photos of the build for my new custom commuting / light touring bike, but since many of you are too young to enter the 50+ forum unless you show an ID, I thought I would cross post the thread here FYI.

I got this primarily for year-round commuting in (often wet) Seattle, so clearance for fenders and big tires was a priority for me. I'd been commuting he past 2.5 years on touring bikes of one type or another that I had rescued from Craigslist, but I wanted something a bit more up to date and sportier, while still being able to carry a load.


Here's a sneak peak -





Full pics of the build, and details of the components, are here --

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...74#post9919274

Chris_in_Miami

Looking good enough to eat! What kind of broth do you stew a frame in?

Chris_in_Miami

Just looked at the finished product - love the paint scheme, it's a beauty! Congrats!

Dirt Farmer

Can you make me one, please?

d2create

Nice looking ride! How's she ride compared to your craigslist bike?
Interesting "special sauce" color.

BengeBoy 

Thanks.

The new bike rides great - my last Craigslist Special was a Univega Gran Turismo, which I put a lot of work into restoring/upgrading/etc. It fit me really well, and has been a loyal companion. In fact, I spent a lot of time considering whether to get a new bike or continue upgrading the old one...

The biggest difference is that the new bike is enough lighter that I can tell the difference; the brakes are better; and it has STI shifting (I had downtube shifters on the Univega, and then changed to bar ends). Also, I am able to fit slightly larger tires on the new bike, and it's a noticeable difference on bad pavement.

wneumann

Good gravy, that's beautiful.

Kabir424

Are you going to be putting on a dynohub and headlight? I don't know if you will be doing much night riding but that would be pretty much the only improvement on that bike. Nice build!

BengeBoy 

I thought a *lot* about a dyno hub. Decided to pass for now.

I ride a lot in the dark - this time of year most of my (20 mile round trip) commute is dark, in a few weeks it will be completely dark.

Ultimately I decided that:
- I should get more use out of the Dinotte headlights I own; I just upgraded and so I couldn't justify a new lighting scheme and
- I was too involved in spec'ing everything else on the bike that I didn't have enough brain cells left to decide on a dyno hub / light combo, and
- It's a great future upgrade.

elcraft

Is it a trick of the photo or are the wheels different sizes?

rugerben

That is just way too beautiful for words. If it rides half as nicely as it looks, I'd be thrilled to own one!!!

BengeBoy 

Same size.

Another shot -- this angle may help.

echotraveler

wow! i love it! explain a bit on that build...what exactly did you manufacture? the frame??!!!

eye candy fo'sho!

BengeBoy 

Whoa! Sorry if I was misleading at all, I didn't build *anything,* except a bunch of emails back and forth to the hero of our story, Chris Boedeker, who builds frames under the name Boedie Cycles. He also put the bike together. My role was limited to pestering him with questions and writing a check.

The link above (a link to the original thread in the 50+ forum) explains it all...and there is a link in there to all of Chris's pictures that he took while making the frame.

Here's Chris's website...

https://boediecycles.com/

echotraveler

thanx! you've got good taste! those fenders look so nice!!

im saving up for something like this!