If you’ve been following the Great Escape, you’ve watched E and S take on the Alps with their touring bikes, loaded down with camping equipment. I love following their rides and still check in on their Tumblr every day and it wasn’t until seeing this photo that I realized there hasn’t been a plug for a while.
Check out that bike… Most importantly, check out that seatpost. Whatever E is riding, it looks pretty boss.
Photos by Brad Wenner
Oh man. I’ve got the touring bug yet again and the newest Poler Adventure isn’t helping. Check it out here!
In a lot of ways, my first Geekhouse Woodville touring bike served as a catalyst for me taking cycling more seriously. It was my first custom bike and provided me with ample motivation to just get out there and ride. The first major tour being Portland to SF and from there, I took it on numerous other trips here in Austin. When it was stolen last year, I began planning out a replacement with Geekhouse. There were some things I wanted to change, but mostly I just missed having a touring bike to ride around on.
As it sat en queue, I couldn’t decide on how I wanted it to function. Initially, I wanted a dirt-drop 29′r pack-bike tourer for riding the MTB trails here in town, but then my Independent Fabrication took over that role, so I revisited what I loved the most about my first touring bike. The riding position is what I would consider traditional but having acquired the Bruce Gordon Rock n Road tires, I wanted to make sure it would roll at least a 50c. I also opted for external cable routing and passed on the S&S couplers.
I’ve had great luck with the SRAM XO rear derailleur and its 11-36 range matched with a compact crank. This time I went with White Industries VBC system and a Force front derailleur, converted to a top-pull. With a 50 outer ring and 32, inner, I’ll have a wider range than I would with a triple. Chris King classic hub on the rear and a SON hub with matching Edelux lamp on the front for light.
Paul components throughout: Tall and Handsome post, Touring Cantis. Other components include a Thomson seat post collar, Brooks Swift saddle, Salsa Cowbell 2 with SRAM barcons, TRP levers and MKS Lambda pedals. With all the Made in the USA bling, I got Marty and Brad at Geekhouse to fabricate a one-off custom stem as well as front and rear racks. The beauty of the front racks lie in their low-rider detachable hangers on the front…
I always load front and low on trips. The bike rides a lot better since the handling isn’t compromised as it would with a rear load and these low-riders are low. My large panniers sit about 6″ off the ground, which is perfect on a 43c tire. On top of just looking amazing, these racks weighed a lot less than the Tubus system I had been using previously. The fork is another highlight: internal cable routing for the Edelux lamp and the segmented shoulders have rack attachments.
Even with all those details and that component list, a build can still go south with a bad powder job. Brad really knocked this one out of the park. Olive Drab green with a matte clear adds to the utilitarian / military aesthetic I wanted. I’ve been scooting around town a lot on this beaut and took it on a few trail rides last week and am in love. Even the ride out to shoot these photos was super dreamy…
I still need to dial it in though. The derailleur cables are now routed under the tape, mostly to make it easier to mount a Swift Industries Ozette randonneur bag. I’ll also need to splice some more chain so I can use the 50t with more of the cassette but for now, it’s riding really well.
That said, it’s not a touring bike until you’ve at least camped on it and summertime in Texas will provide ample opportunities. Right now, I’m just pumped that it came together so well. Many thanks to PAUL, Bens Cycle, Chris at Mellow Johnny’s and the Geekhouse crew for making yet another dream come true.
… also, buy renter’s insurance! Most plans will cover your bikes when they’re stolen!
UGHHHHHHHHHHH…. I want to get out there again. It’s been too long! Most importantly, I’m stoked for friends of mine who actually are getting out there this summer. I know Ty’s getting stoked on the Great Divide. Check out the latest campaign from Blackburn.
“What’s Out There?
Designed with Blackburn’s founding principle in mind – the spirit of adventure – the Out There program tells the story of two iconic cycling routes, the people who ride them and the uncommon adventures they have along the way. These routes, the Pacific Coast Highway and the Great Divide, serve as the blank pages that the Blackburn ambassadors, nicknamed “Rangers”, will craft their stories of adventure upon.
Watch the video for a glimpse into the people, the places and the uncommon adventures that make up the Out There program.
Visit blackburndesign.com/outthere in late July to hear the rest of the story.”
This weekend in SF, the world-renown bicycle company Rivendell opens its first ever pop up shop. There’s no official flier or anything, just this post on the Brooks England blog, which gives us these details:
Rivendell Bicycle Works SF
June 1st through 9th
12pm – 7pm
3156 24th Street San Francisco, CA 94110
… just as much as it’ll be content on the roads.
Since my last Woodville touring bike was stolen, I wanted the guys at Geekhouse to make me another. This time around, I went all out, while still staying on the line of practicality. Everything about this bike rules, but I wasn’t happy with the first photoshoot, so I’ll have to wait to post more.
Right now, this bike has no stories to share, save for its tale of a birth from torch and steel but in a year, it’ll have many miles under its saddle. John’s randonneur is the latest from Royal H Cycles. See the full set here.
Any guy will tell you that putting a bike together for his lady can be an emotionally taxing event. Luckily for me, Lauren knew exactly what she wanted when I proposed the idea of buying her a new bike for her birthday. She loved my Icarus and Ian’s work but wanted something practical to commute on here in Austin. I was pushing for a full-on touring bike but she doesn’t like the idea of bigger tires and wanted something zippier.
What we agreed on is a mashup of a few things: primarily a long-reach caliper, lower trail road bike. It’ll fit 28c tires and fenders or 32c without, it has rack mounts on the front and the rear for any sort of light touring or camping we’d do but most importantly, the front cockpit is by no means racey…
She liked the riding position of her Tokyo Fixed Dream Machine build but wanted the bars a little wider and better stopping power than her cantis. After finally wrapping my head around figuring out what she wanted, we met up with Ian of Icarus Frames, who measured her and went through the new frame procedure.
In the meanwhile, I started looking for parts. Rather than going all budget, I splurged a bit and went with a lot of American-manufactured products. Ian was making a stem to accomodate the back sweep of Nitto Albatross bars to which we’d run barcon shifters on. Chris King had these “ox-blood” Sotto Voce headsets at NAHBS, so I picked one up. Then, I consulted my friend PAUL and kinda went all out. Soon, I had purchased Canti Levers, polished Medium Racers, Moon Units, Polished Tall & Handsome seat post, Funky Money cable hanger and it didn’t stop there…
As with any commuter, gearing is a key factor. Lauren had been riding a single speed to work consistently but some of the hills en route to her teaching job were a bit tough. We also want to be able to do longer rides out to the hill country, so I chose the White Industries VBC cranks (46/30) with a mid-cage Shimano 105 rear derailleur and a 12-32 cassette. Shimano 105 hubs to H+Son TB 14s are bomb-proof, budget wheels. Topping the build off are Panaracer Paselas 32c, Brooks B 17 S saddle and tape.
The paint would be from Fresh Frame and the color we chose is an elusive one. Was it blue? Or green? It changes with the light. In the shade, it’s sort of jade but in the sun, it sparkles blue. Whatever it is, the final product is stunning.
While the bike is shown here, sans racks, we’re in the process of tracking down a good front basket and a rear rack for panniers. The bike is light, coming in at just a hair over 19 lbs and it “rides like a dream”. If it were my bike, I would have done a few things differently but that’s the beauty of a custom bike, you get what YOU want and trust me, there are few arguments I’m willing to engage in with this lady. She always gets what SHE wants… who can blame her? Further down the road, I’ll look into new panniers and maybe a porteur bag but for now, I’ve spent enough money on this thing!
Many thanks to Austin Bikes for the build, Bens Cycle for the assistance in the components, Ian Sutton of Icarus Frames and Bryan Myers at Fresh Frame.
I finally shot proper photos of Lauren’s new Icarus yesterday. Spring is officially cracking in Austin and I can’t wait for Summer…
Above is an photo of a one-off, custom brass plated Shinola Runwell that has been created for the Baselworld watch show in Switzerland next month.
“Based out of a factory in Detroit, Shinola is the first brand to make watches at scale in the United States in over 40 years and Basel will be the brand’s global premiere.
The bike was conceived by Shinola’s Creative Director Daniel Caudill and executed by Sky Yaeger (formerly of Bianchi and Swobo) as well as a team of builders at Shinola. The bike is based on a Shinola Runwell chassis that was built at Waterford Precision Cycles in Wisconsin and then brass plated in Detroit. Plated fenders, chain guard and a vintage lamp round out the package. After plating the frame, fork and components were given a patina that gives the bike a rustic sensibility.”
This is the only one that was made and it is not for sale. Coincidentally though, Shinola has launched their ecom site and kicking off their pre-sale campaign for watches right now. Anyone can order a Shinola Runwell watch or bike by going to Shinola. I am jonesin’ for one of their watches!
See my Initial Reaction to the Shinola Runwell here and feel free to contact Shinola to carry them in your shop. Also, check out the Places We Work section of their site. It’s pretty rad.
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