My current rain bike is a 1998 Cannondale that has always been too big for me. It fits the bill of a rain bike though – not too nice, don’t mind getting it dirty, don’t mind locking it up (also my around town bike). But, the TT is so long that after riding it a few days in the rain the handling of my other bikes feels odd. (have a 60mm stem to help compensate). I’ve decided life is too short to ride a bike that doesn’t fit, even just in the rain.

Thus, I’m in the market for a new bike/frame. I’ve considered getting a frameset and just moving over all the parts. But then I realize I don’t really like Shimano 105 stuff that much (don’t like the shifters/shifting/reach after using Campagnolo stuff – shifting from the drops is made MUCH easier for medium-sized hand guys with Campag shifters).

So I’ve thought about complete bikes and then just selling off the Cannondale.

I’d rather steel, as this is my winter miles/rain bike. No carbon, no Al, Ti is out of my price point.

But as I look around at framesets I keep running into a conundrum. I can get a beat up, mid level steel frame for $200 or $300. Or I could aim for a full bike at a higher range, somewhere in the $700-$800 range. Or, I could grab a nice steel frameset and build that up. A lot to be found around $400-$500.

But, I keep on running into the question of will I want to/is it wrong to ride around a nice, rather high quality steel frame in the rain and sleet and winter muck? Plus, I already have two nice steel Italian bikes. Is getting a third nice, steel bike silly? (One is my Sunday very nice weather, very special bike, one is just nice and also doesn’t see much rain).

I’ve dug up a few nice, older steel frames and would love to build them up, but I don’t know if I can resist the temptation to hang nice parts on it. And if I do then I might be reluctant to ride it in the rain. Or, I can simply accept it is lowest on depth chart and just ride the damn thing in any weather.

Can’t fit another bike into the current living space. And I do want a geared road bike I can ride in the rain and bad weather. And my GF also has a decent steel bike she hardly ever rides. That could be my lockup bike and a new-to-me one could be more my rain bike, but not really around town lockup.

Anyway, as you can tell I’m a lost Velosoul and need some advice from the sage Velominatus.

Marko:
Goddam if the Antares isn’t the sweetest saddle out there for me though. I don’t even know it’s there.

No kidding. I wandered the wilderness of numbness and saddlesores for years after the Flite stopped working for me, switching saddles between bikes to trade off pressure points, etc, until that sweet thing appeared. I think the first time I saw a picture of an Antares saddle I thought “damn – I’ll bet that’s really comfy”. I used one on my new carbon ride (will put together a bit for The Bikes someday) and darn if it wasn’t love at first sit. Now saving my pennies to put an Antares on every other bike I own (not a small undertaking when one has been following Rule #12 as diligently as I do….).

Nice job on the build. The only thing I think is a nicer touch than what we did is the American seat post in the catalog shot; that’s a sweet post. The bars with the classic bend look way better that what’s pictured, and I think I heard a few people recommend the Flite saddle, which is the coolest looking saddle in history. Not for my undercarriage, but the coolest looking one for sure.

Some subtle differences in the frame make yours a bit nicer, too – like the paint scheme on yours with the exposed alu rear triangle and BB area.

Marko :

@wvcycling
which part? the second mortage part or cobbled together part?

Both, Kinda.
My second mortgage is being unemployed for 9mos, and college loans.
Cobbled together for me means Buying my LBS owner’s 2008 ultegra, using a spare wheelset, and begging a company to send me a cross frame to review for cheap. Ritchey WCS Handlebars/stem/seapost is pretty sweet for being my bottom of the basket leftover parts~

Image didn’t upload last time:
http://i54.tinypic.com/98yn46.jpg

Marko :@James
Having already done the second mortgage on the carbon rig, there is much truth to your observation. There is much satisfaction in a simple, durable, cobbled together bike that doesn’t need/warrant a high degree of fretting over.

That sounds like me and my cross bike:

Applies a personal set of rules that hint at looking as ottengalo as Cipo’s rigs…

frank :

@Gianni, @Steampunk
Bikes totally Rule. I’ve been sportin eBay wood for like 4 weeks since Brett posted his first Progrectto.

BTW, Brett – you gonna post a full-on Phase III update or make us keep jumping over to your sweet-ass Brett OK site?

On it’s way… busy as hell trying to get a dual-sus 29er converted to singlespeed for this weekends SSWC in Rotorua. It’s giving me grief… OLI?

I’ll try and put up some pics Thurs night if I get a chance.

Merckx, you people don’t miss anything do you…I fucking love it.

BTW, Brett – you gonna post a full-on Phase III update or make us keep jumping over to your sweet-ass Brett OK site?

You’ve got me thinking about converting my old Giant OCR to a rain bike, it’s currently only seeing trainer duty….Hmmm…

You can’t put a bike nor rider through humbler times than riding the turbo. Unless you’re embarking on Joe-esque hours of post-binge repentance, there is no greater honor to bestow on a non-Number-One bike than to ride it in winter, on bad roads, in bad weather – allowing it, for a while at least – to be your vessel, your channel to The V.

Gianni :Bikes are cool.

Truer words…

Glad to know there’s a housing stop exemption for Rule #73, as my Wilier is non-compliant for the same reason, as as a lowly Level 2 I was kinda fishing around to see if I could squeeze by on this one… You’ve got me thinking about converting my old Giant OCR to a rain bike, it’s currently only seeing trainer duty….Hmmm…

Actually, that came on a cx bike I bought a couple years ago. That bike now has a nine speed gruppo on it which is why I had this gruppo that needed a home. Long story but maybe one you can relate to. After a while you just accumulate shit laying around the shop. It always works and is sometimes a bit eclectic. Although I may end up swapping the 9 and 10 back between these two bikes but that seemed too much work as I just wanted to get riding.

And thank you Oli. That’s a high compliment, I’m to understand, coming from an aesthete like yourself.

Marko’s and Brett’s builds are inspired though, what a great looking pair of bikes. Bikes are cool.

Marko :@frankI went with the 28″²s. I figured they’d smoothen out the ride some and be best for gravelling. Ended up with gatorskins (like nobody noticed) as opposed to the 4-seasons. They were in stock at the LBS 2 for 1. Good deal.

Conti 28’s = about 25mm

OK, whose next?

As for the Cinelli 101, I’ve been meaning to write a bit on the change in bars. Look how deep that drop is, that thing is all Merckx, baby. None of that modern compact shit.

What tires are those, mate? 25 or 28?

Rad build up all around – and great community project. Well done!

@Rusty Tool Shed
Rusty Tool Shed is correct. Nice eye Rusty Tool Shed. The combination of housing stops and tapered down tube did not facilitate the crossover, believe me, I tried as I think that is at once elegant and functional.

@Steampunk

Point taken, thought about that too for pics. I was going for as parallel a chain as possible in hopes of capturing the that gorgeous wippermann connex. Sweet chain which definitely follows the principle of silence.

@Geoffrey Grosenbach

I’m glad you like the position of the shifter/brake levers. I gave that considerable thought before taping. It’s close but I’m still within the parameters of Rule #46.

@Cyclops
Thanks man. That means something coming from a guy with your artistic eye. And you didn’t even mention the wheelset. Good boy.

sgt :I’m afraid we have a Rule #73 violation too…

Sometimes the placement of the housing stops and downtube shape prevents this from being possible.

Geoffrey Grosenbach :That looks way too nice to ride in the rain!

I fear this might be right; watch out for that water, though. Nice job, Marko! That’s come together very quickly and nicely. Black and black was definitely the way to go in retrospect. I’m a little concerned with how high up (or low down, depending on your perspective) the cog the chain was. Even on rain bikes, there’s a Rule #5 issue here for pics. Also, the pedals are pretty close to 0 degrees…

Lookin’ good, Marko. I still think you need some SRAM on the bars, tho. Just looking at those shifter cables makes me woozy…

I was going to buy a shorter stem for my LeMelvis, but someone suggested that I achieve better comfort by positioning the brake levers higher on the handlebars. I like where you have them placed there.