AHemp

Early last month, I purchased a road bike as a birthday present for my girlfriend. It was a great gift and very much appreciated by her; unfortunately, it was one of those gifts that the giver wants just as much as the recipient. Thus, shortly after picking up the bike and with very little deliberation, I set out to build a road bike for myself. I had not owned one since selling off my sole geared bike last year during a stint of living in the city, and six months of fixed-gear riding in Connecticut had rekindled my forgotten appreciation for gears.

Fast-forward several weeks, and parts were coming in every day. With a derailleur here, some bars there, and other random bits strewn about, my living room was beginning to accumulate the makings of a bike. Unfortunately, I was having trouble locating a frame that fit my criteria; I needed something that measured about 55cm square, was made of nice steel, and, importantly, was relatively cheap. After lots of searching here and elsewhere, I was finally contacted by a member looking to pass on his '98 Schwinn Peloton. A slew of emails was exchanged between him and I, and soon I was on my way to Massachusetts to fetch my new ride.

One week later, she was done. I received the last parts on Friday afternoon, and that evening my living room became a whirlwind of a work shop. Despite being my first-ever road bike build, I encountered very little trouble in the assembly process; the only problems were solved with just a bit of filing and some creative use of am empty orange juice bottle. Though my girlfriend fell asleep on the couch while watching me adjust the derailleurs, I think she felt my enthusiasm when I came inside after the initial test ride and reported that the Peloton was the best-fitting and best-performing bike I have ever ridden. It's fantastic.

Along with the bike have come several other "firsts" for me. On Saturday, I rode 70+ miles (my first "metric century"); on Sunday, I participated in my first group ride; and this evening, I shaved my legs for the first time. While the group ride went very well and I am likely to join them regularly after coughing up the membership fee, the shaving was decidedly not the most fun I have ever had in a bathtub. In short, I won't be doing it again save for very special circumstances -- muscle definition be damned. At least my legs will be as sleek as my bike for a few days and people who notice will have something to poke fun at.

For those who care more about the bike than my long-winded story, the component group is a mix of Campagnolo Veloce and Centaur. The wheels are Mavic Aksiums, which I am happy to report are very fast and strong (particularly for the price). I wanted to retain the frame's classic look with the build, so the bars are Nitto 177s (42cm) with Ambrosio Handlebar Ribbon. Eventually, I intend to switch out the saddle and pedals for some more comfortable pieces. In the meantime, I will continue to ride more than I ever had in the past.

Thanks for looking!

Cjzoller

Looks great!

mrbubbles

What kind of stem?

AHemp

Thank you for the kind words.

The stem is a Kalloy that came with Giant packaging. Ugly, I know, but it's 1" threadless and I got it for cheap on eBay.

Hocam

Nice photography and excellent build, enjoy the miles!

shakeNbake

Nice and clean!

FlashUNC

Awesome build. I'm undertaking a similar project with my first road frame that's been sitting in storage for the better part of a decade, a cro-mo 1996 Specialized Allez Sport. Even going with mid-range Campy like yourself.

Kudos again. I hope my Specialized comes out half that nice.

HAMMER MAN

looks outstanding and the ride wil be the same.
Nice build

mattm

very nice, well done!

Phantoj

What kind of camera?

AHemp

Canon 40D with a 50mm f/1.4.

jyossarian

Nice build. I just finished building up my own Peloton w/ Campy Veloce, but used a 1" threaded fork and quill stem instead of going the 1" threadless route (which I was resisting doing).

ridethecliche

Nice bike! That's a beautiful build!

I just built a steel trek 760 with a campy centaur/veloce mix but shimano wheels/cassette/chain, and I love it. Steel bikes are so much fun!

scuzzo

just did a bit of a refit with my peloton, new old style Ultegra crankset and some Easton circuits. good all day ride bike. really dig the old peloton makes me wonder why they stopped with steel production bikes. enjoy the ride man. perfect example of all you really need for a road bike.

Mike552

Adam it came out GREAT!!!

At least I know she is in good hands... I really took care of that bike when it was mine!!!!!!


BUT, this^^^ part you have wrong... I believe it was YOU who contacted me, as I was in no real rush to get rid of that smooth ride.

kniprm

classy build indeed.

ridethecliche

ACK!

I just realized who the OP was!!!

Dude!!! I'm stoked that your bike came out looking great! I told you it'd be worth the wait!

There have been so many of these really nice clean steel bikes on the form lately. It's awesome!

daytonian

i raced this past Sunday with a guy that got third in the cat 4 race. How i remembered him was he won the same the cat 5 RR last year on a Schwinn Peleton. Good stuff

Treefox

Very sharp. Well done.

buff

Beautiful build.
I love my Peloton, and my fellow riders always say how classy it looks...but only in that speckled yellow.
That frame looks like it doesnt have a scratch on it...I wish I could say the same about mine.