The second Chapman Cycles bike was for Lori-Ann who is one of the few people who actually need a custom bicycle. She had her bike stolen a while back and she needed something new ASAP. She had tried some off the shelf bikes that were 47cm but the handlebar reach was still too far. Since she wanted a touring/commuter bike, we decided to go with 26″ wheels so she could have fenders yet not experience toe overlap. Since the bike is so small, I opted to use standard size tubing. The frame has a 43cm seat tube with a 6° slope in the top tube. The bike is designed to have a rear rack and possibly a low rider rack on the front for long excursions. Because the wheels of this bike are 26″, it left a large gap between the rear fender and the seat tube. To make this gap useful, I made some threaded mounts on the lathe that a Lezyne Road Drive pump could thread into. They were brazed onto standard pump pegs and then mounted onto the back of the seat tube. The components on the frame are a Shimano 105 drivetrain with Dura Ace bar end shifters. Lots of Velo Orange components including the pedals, headset, crankset, hubs, and fenders. I managed to track down a proportional set of Nitto handlebars that were 36cm wide and had minimal reach and drop. Perfect for a bike this size. Lori-Ann picked the orange and it looks amazing with the painted pump and fenders.
The only bad thing is that when Lori-Ann took it on its maiden voyage, someone attempted to steal it! She even had two locks on it (a standard new custom bike precaution). The thief cut the cable lock but was not able to get through the u-bolt. The bike is fine although Lori-Ann was a bit shaken by this. I have to say that one heavy duty u-bolt should be good enough for the streets of Providence as long as the frame is locked to a rack or post. Here’s to never having to experience that again.
See the full slideshow of pictures.
Lori-Ann’s touring/commuting bike
February 27, 2012
The second Chapman Cycles bike was for Lori-Ann who is one of the few people who actually need a custom bicycle. She had her bike stolen a while back and she needed something new ASAP. She had tried some off the shelf bikes that were 47cm but the handlebar reach was still too far. Since she wanted a touring/commuter bike, we decided to go with 26″ wheels so she could have fenders yet not experience toe overlap. Since the bike is so small, I opted to use standard size tubing. The frame has a 43cm seat tube with a 6° slope in the top tube. The bike is designed to have a rear rack and possibly a low rider rack on the front for long excursions. Because the wheels of this bike are 26″, it left a large gap between the rear fender and the seat tube. To make this gap useful, I made some threaded mounts on the lathe that a Lezyne Road Drive pump could thread into. They were brazed onto standard pump pegs and then mounted onto the back of the seat tube. The components on the frame are a Shimano 105 drivetrain with Dura Ace bar end shifters. Lots of Velo Orange components including the pedals, headset, crankset, hubs, and fenders. I managed to track down a proportional set of Nitto handlebars that were 36cm wide and had minimal reach and drop. Perfect for a bike this size. Lori-Ann picked the orange and it looks amazing with the painted pump and fenders.
The only bad thing is that when Lori-Ann took it on its maiden voyage, someone attempted to steal it! She even had two locks on it (a standard new custom bike precaution). The thief cut the cable lock but was not able to get through the u-bolt. The bike is fine although Lori-Ann was a bit shaken by this. I have to say that one heavy duty u-bolt should be good enough for the streets of Providence as long as the frame is locked to a rack or post. Here’s to never having to experience that again.