When Huw came to me for a city bike, he was not alone. He came with a crew of friends called the Bike Purchasing Committee (BPC)—two (originally) from Wales and two from state side. Although they say too many cooks spoil the broth, I was ultimately the cook catering specifically to Huw. I took the information from all involved and simmered it down to what you see here. The bike is built primarily from Columbus Spirit for Lugs tubing and Richard Sachs Issimo lugs. The drive side chainstay is polished stainless for chain slap purposes. The 1×10 drivetrain is the classic TA Pro 5 Vis crankset with a chain guard machined on the lathe, Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur, and a single Dura-Ace thumb shifter on the bar. The bar is the Nitto Jitensha bar wrapped with leather tape to the stem for additional hand positions. The vintage Shimano XT cantilever brakes were polished and updated with the new Compass Cycles brake pads and straddle hangers. Dura-Ace hubs on 700c SunXCD rims make for a light but durable wheelset. A custom chrome plated fillet brazed stem and rear rack are bright but not too flashy. Most of the bling on this bike is derived from the Honjo hammered fenders with the red pin striping and the vintage chrome plated Cinelli twin plate crown which was modified to match the lugs. This bike had several inspirations for the paint including the porteur bike I built a couple years ago and the Welsh flag (hence the green, white, and red scheme). The final product is a distinguished gentleman of a city bike.
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A Welsh Inspired City Bike
October 13, 2015
When Huw came to me for a city bike, he was not alone. He came with a crew of friends called the Bike Purchasing Committee (BPC)—two (originally) from Wales and two from state side. Although they say too many cooks spoil the broth, I was ultimately the cook catering specifically to Huw. I took the information from all involved and simmered it down to what you see here. The bike is built primarily from Columbus Spirit for Lugs tubing and Richard Sachs Issimo lugs. The drive side chainstay is polished stainless for chain slap purposes. The 1×10 drivetrain is the classic TA Pro 5 Vis crankset with a chain guard machined on the lathe, Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur, and a single Dura-Ace thumb shifter on the bar. The bar is the Nitto Jitensha bar wrapped with leather tape to the stem for additional hand positions. The vintage Shimano XT cantilever brakes were polished and updated with the new Compass Cycles brake pads and straddle hangers. Dura-Ace hubs on 700c SunXCD rims make for a light but durable wheelset. A custom chrome plated fillet brazed stem and rear rack are bright but not too flashy. Most of the bling on this bike is derived from the Honjo hammered fenders with the red pin striping and the vintage chrome plated Cinelli twin plate crown which was modified to match the lugs. This bike had several inspirations for the paint including the porteur bike I built a couple years ago and the Welsh flag (hence the green, white, and red scheme). The final product is a distinguished gentleman of a city bike.