vanilla in the works...
 

been lurking here for a while, thought i'd post a few teaser pics from sacha at vanilla. this is a single-speed project that will be finished in late august. the HT lugs, fork crown, and stem will be chromed sometime this week. still deciding on final paint scheme, although i will likely just leave it in sacha's capable hands.

Gorgeous!

leave it raw and clearcoat it. it'll look SICK.

i like that stem.
want more pictures.
need more vanilla pr0n

Wow, jealous...

Thinking about a CX w/ chrome lugs. Curious how yours turns out.

1) What's his current waiting list?
2) How long from being on the list to build start?
3) Did you have to go to Oregon for a fitting?

OSB:

1. his wait time is right at 12 months (that is to final delivery)
2. sacha pinged me at 9 months or so to start the build process. of course, i then monkeyed around with the geometry and some other things so i've pushed the total turnaround time to 13 months. other than that, he appears to make every effort to stick with his anticipated deadline (which for me was originally exactly 1yr).
3. nope. i took a circuitous route on the fit: i chatted with a different fitter/builder for some of his thoughts, then gave some measurement info to sacha, and then also took the geometry of my fav road bike into consideration. from all this, sacha pieced together the fit. again, i had a pretty good handle on the geom i like for road riding and that's what i plan to use this ss for. sacha put the finishing touches on it and made some solid recommendations.

you don't gotta run up to OR for the fit. sacha is very competent in the fit dept and can help you out remotely. also, you could find a good local fitter and have him set you up, and then send that to vanilla.

Holy yum. You're going to be like a new puppy when you take that thing out. More pics!!

More pictures are required. Could we see more of your bike and some shots of his shop/workspace please?

Thanks moondog. Vanilla is on my short list for my 40th in about 1.5 yrs. Just want to make sure I don't miss the window.

Moondog! Way to go. It's looking great. Mine is rolling along too. Not sure when to be done, maybe next few months or so. (Remember, I'm on the weekend only plan, not a regular production bike).

Sacha sent me some killer photos of my frame in progress, but I'm a moron on how to post them here. Previously I emailed them to another forum memeber and he posted them for me. I'll either try that again of figure it out on my own. Anyways, like I said, your's looks killer.

Chromed? Tell me you mean 'polished stainless steel'

here are some add'l pics. i'll post some final pics when the project is complete.

and yup, i hate to say it but i had to go with chrome lugs rather than stainless. it isn't apparent from these pics, but this frame will have a slightly sloping TT - this is because of my extremely short inseam. sacha and i discussed this at length, and there really weren't any viable options for stainless lugs which would accomodate this slope, as well as fit onto a short HT. i can already hear the traditionalists screaming, but we had to adapt wherever possible. i feel confident the chrome and sloping TT will work on this.

nice.
a vanilla came into my shop last week for a tuneup, a super-small touring frame with S&S couplers, that was super-hot. Sacha had cut the couplers to match the lugs, mounted metal fenders that were painted to match the frame perfectly, and god, the lugs...
needless to say, there was much drooling. much. drooling.

As far as I know, chrome lugs are a lot more traditional than stainless ones, so the traditionalists should be happy / happy for you / happy that there's another beautiful bike being born. Congratulations on a sweet bike.

thats just cruel and unusual, your naked frame is quite the tease

What shop do you work at?

Ok, I need a volunteer. Cannot figure out how to get my photos up. They're DAT files. Forum doesn't support that format. Any good citizen willing to receive my email from Sacha and post my Vanilla-in-progress photos?

ah the minute details worth hundreds of dollars...

I only dream of having a Vanilla Bike

So Pacenti Slant Six lugs in stainless was....too much slope, or too oversize?

Chimay, since your username is the same as one of my favorite beers, I'll post your photos. :) Just forward the email to ley at cowboysofjustice dot com and I'll post them asap.

peace,
sam

Phideaux, thanks for the help. when your browser asks what to open them with, use Internet Explorer. They're best viewed full screen. Thanks again! Btw, you've got good taste. :)

mmmh belgian beer. I prefer caracole.

Here are Chimay's bicycle pictures! They are looking fantabulous. :)

Oh what I wouldn't give to have this be happening in my workshop.. Or to ride it when its done!

peace,
sam

Sam! You're the man. Thanks for getting these posted. And thanks for the good words on the bike. I'm getting really psyched about it.