To clarify, I wouldn’t have Dario on the pedestal I and thousands of his other converts have him on if my TSX was an example of his workmanship. And I fucking LOVE my TSX.

I was just looking at my old cracked TSX frame and having a wry chuckle about how the chainstay bridge isn’t on the same plane as the bottom bracket and how the front derailleur mount is also crooked. You don’t get that sort of crap on a Pegoretti.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130504815722

Gonna tear off the rims and build up Gianni’s MP4 tubs around ’em. Then I’ll chuck the Open Pros on a set of wheels I’ve got on another bike that really needs new rims. Win-Win, with the only loser being my wallet.

As an aside, JB doesn’t play a note but has the balls of a performer which can take one a long way even on meager talent (pop music is rife with examples). And that is something that is never true in cycling.

Nate:
@frank
A lovely tale. Ambrosios, obviously.

+2

pls. URGENTLY remove these horrific Mavic “wheels”

frank :

This is the top tube. Can you say “Top tube”?
This is the down tube. Can you say “Down tube”?
This is Campagnolo. “Can you say Cam-PAH-ngolo”.
This is the little ring, and since Uncle Frank’s chain is on it, can you say “You’re a big Dutch pussy?”

hilarious

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2MmqbAaoZA&feature=related

@all
Brought some burgers down to Jim’s place tonight as we were both sans our VMH’s. Jim, of course was chillin’ with their 2 year old son. I didn’t feel like driving to Red Mill, so I jumped on the bike most handy – which happened to be the TSX as she’s still got a front-row seat in the living room. I got the grub and tucked the bike on the front porch before letting myself in.

We ate and afterward Jim brought Graham over to the bike, sat him down, and starting taking him through all the bits.

This is the top tube. Can you say “Top tube”?

This is the down tube. Can you say “Down tube”?

This is Campagnolo. “Can you say Cam-PAH-ngolo”.

This is the little ring, and since Uncle Frank’s chain is on it, can you say “You’re a big Dutch pussy?”

To the VMH: “I’m going to bid $175 on these hubs…but that’s my limit.”

“That’s your limit?!”

“It’s a steal!”

I think setting a limit is, in a way part, of La Vie Velominati. Sure, you can buy that most expensive part you want and still not have to sell the house. But, the bike you pieced together, angling your bids, being sly, and kept below your mental build project price point, now those are the bicycles you have just a bit more of a connection with.

Frank, I knew that was coming. I’d had the question in my head for a long time, but realized I should let it be.

I ask, and I get the simplest reply possible: a photographic reminder of The V.

Gotta keep the Followers in line.

Jim is Keyser Soze with a bad attitude.

+1

We all revere Frank as the founder of this site, but I’m increasingly convinced that Jim is the Keyser Soze of this whole operation.

* He rarely appears, yet seems to be the kingpin of all the relationships between the Keepers.
* While we’re chatting away on our computers, who is out there putting rubber to pavement? Jim is.
* When Jim posts, people don’t recognize that he’s a Keeper. “The smartest thing the devil ever did was to convince people he didn’t exist.”

You are wise and very perceptive. Jim is Keyser Soze with a bad attitude.

frank :
@allThanks for the kinds words on the bike and suggestions on the wheels. Its done nothing to help me come to a conclusion, though.
@roche kelly

But how the heck tall are you to have the saddle so high on such a big frame? Last time I saw a saddle that high the bike was a gate like creation ridden by a 6’6″³ German called Remig Stumpf from the 89 Toshiba team, or like the bikes Swiss rider Urs Freuler used with the head tube of his frames about 40 – 60mm higher than the top of the cross bar so the stem didn’t snap off! Surely the stem in the photo is a Cinelli Titano?

6’4 or so, but lots of inseam. I’ve been meaning to get around to those old frame designs…such an interesting deviation from today’s slammed down positions everyone is riding.
I’ve also been lamenting the lack of tall riders in the bunch these days…where are the likes of Urs, Big Mig, Ullrich…10 or 15 years ago there seemed to be a lot more tall riders than there are now…

Good point Frank & yeah you are pretty tall @ 6’4! With steel being out these days and the moulded standard carbon frames the teams are riding now in the ProTour, how do you work with a tall(er)riders, and how much energy is being lost due to the frame? The seat post would be almost dangerous sitting out so high on these bikes. This does show the limitations of these compact frames for anyone at the short or tall end of ‘normal’ & highlights the stupidty of what the UCI is doing by stopping one offs and innovation.
Back before everyone was the size of Andy Schleck or Contadoper there seemed to be more taller & bigger riders in the teams. Personally I prefer to see a rider with the build & size of a Thor, Hayden Roulston, Phil Anderson, Sean Yates or Hendrik Redant riding as they look so physical & strong. Not like some wimpy Spanish steak eating greyhound, or anyone from BeNeLux that is so dainty that they can’t change gears properly. On Sunday BMC had a really tall kid riding for them in Flanders, so perhaps there is still hope for us taller guys. BMC also have Hincapie who must be 6′ 2″ or more, so obviously their frames are suitable. Look forward to having Frank posting on the larger frames/ riders in the future, especially the Colnago & Pinarello frames for taller riders like Big Mig, Eddy Bosberg et al.

As for your MTN shoe cover question. This question can be circumvented by asking whether Sven Nijs uses overshoes or not when he’s layin’ it down during the ‘Cross season. Since the answer is “none”, the question is neutralized.

General question here: I sometimes use Shimano spd mtn. pedals on my rain/around town bike. Like the ease of double sided on wet roads and winter road. But, the only shoes I have for those pedals are some older Shimano mtn. shoes with kind of cleated soles. Makes it very hard to get my cold/rain booties over them.

Do they make mtn. shoe booties? Or do mtn. riders not use overshoes. I can pull my neoprene winter booties over them, but the bottom cleats make it hard (not just the pedal cleat, they are like walking/hiking shoes) Enjoy riding in the rain, but wet cold feet gets annoying.

frank :
I’ve also been lamenting the lack of tall riders in the bunch these days…where are the likes of Urs, Big Mig, Ullrich…10 or 15 years ago there seemed to be a lot more tall riders than there are now…

Lennard Zinn had a peice about this some time ago when Magnus Backsteadt retired. I think he was about the last of the Big Men. At 2m or so, the UCI dimension rules really put a cramp(!) in the ability for uber-large men to get maximum power out of the machine. I’ll bet Graem O’Bree could come up with something, but sure the UCI would can it as “ugly.” One suggestion was to make larger wheels – 740’s or larger – but the realities of neutral support limit this.

Cycling is a sport for the eggtimer sized guys.

What forks are they? already started looking but am struggling to find some forks that will look good as well as fit.

Yeah…and obviously the rake will affect the ride etc…I took the fork out of the EV2, so it’s a Bianch-branded carbon fork with a carbon steerer. Not sure of who really made it…The EV2 got a fork with a little more rake and alu steerer which Jim gave me in exchange for a helmet.

@roche kelly

But how the heck tall are you to have the saddle so high on such a big frame? Last time I saw a saddle that high the bike was a gate like creation ridden by a 6’6″³ German called Remig Stumpf from the 89 Toshiba team, or like the bikes Swiss rider Urs Freuler used with the head tube of his frames about 40 – 60mm higher than the top of the cross bar so the stem didn’t snap off! Surely the stem in the photo is a Cinelli Titano?

6’4 or so, but lots of inseam. I’ve been meaning to get around to those old frame designs…such an interesting deviation from today’s slammed down positions everyone is riding.

I’ve also been lamenting the lack of tall riders in the bunch these days…where are the likes of Urs, Big Mig, Ullrich…10 or 15 years ago there seemed to be a lot more tall riders than there are now…

@ZachOlson
Yup. It’s all good.

Love the bike – weight becomes irrelevant with these – I’d put the original fork back on and just ride it as it was meant to be – it will make you stronger.

@Lepidopterist
Welcome. Nice name. Don’t diss the Ti. Go for it. Those of us who are not so fortunate can then at least get to enjoy it vicariously…

Sometimes I’m up for a build and really enjoy the process, but other times just want that final damn part so I can get the bicycle ready to ride already. Tough to be patient when you have a new steed nearly finished and the nice weather is coming.

I do love the constant tinkering though with a beloved bicycle. It works fine, looks great but…I think I need a new _____.

How come 10 sp Chorus is a challenge to find? I’m in the dark on this one, shed some light please.

Lepidopterist – welcome! First post under your belt, nice. Ti can wait, but all Velominati should have at least one nice steel bicycle. If you need any further inspiration to go steel over Ti, at least for now, try searching Tommasini here. Maybe my story/bike will make your decision easy.

frank:
@Oli Brooke-White
Hey Oli: Yeah, YOU! Why don’t you change your name to “Dream Crusher”. Maybe Dario was fuckin’ hammered, did you ever think of THAT? Huh?

Oh dear! So sorry Frank, but you know me; I’m a bit of a stickler for the facts. Dario’s non-involvement though doesn’t take anything away from the fact that our TSX frames are a great ride. I’ve ridden and owned a lot of nice steel frames (Viner, Cinelli, Olmo, DeRosa, Colnago, Bosomworth, Mitchell, Raleigh and Guerciotti to name the ones off the top of my head) and the ride of the Bianchi hasn’t ever been beaten, even though it’s a lower end model than many of them. Kia kaha, as we say in Godzone.

frank:
@Pedale.Forchetta
I am so glad you mentioned his name. I know I already said this in the article, but for some reason it really sticks with me that maybe – just maybe – Pegoretti built this one. That really is the amazing thing about hand-built frames, both the Bianchis I have have such a phenomenal feel to them…whomever built these bikes had the perfect amount of Grappa prior to assembling these frames.
Next Spring – when I’m in Europe again – I will look you up and commission you to photograph my bikes. Having you shoot them will be worth the expense of having them all shipped with me.

Frank, as I relate here there is sadly no chance Dario built your TSX. I’m glad too, because while I think they are lovely frames (I own 2 of them and have built/seen dozens) he’s capable of much tidier workmanship than is displayed on any of them.

Sourcing parts for a build can be fun, but it can always be a long, slow nightmare.

It’s actually my favorite thing…and the only way I’ve built a bike in the last 10 years. Get a frame, and start working towards a dream. Vive la Vie Velominatus. I feel dirty thinking about buying a built frame…back to the ‘Cross bike – Saul (SpeedyReed) and I are racing ‘Cross this winter (V-Cross Skinsuit coming for Fall ’11) and considering worthy steeds. I know from him that I can get a better deal (barring eBay) for a complete bike, but…it won’t be what I want and won’t feel like it’s mine.

Back to that OCD thing. (I’ve been diagnosed. Not kidding.)

Oh yeah, I totally understand your point. My bike #1 is Alu, and I wouldn’t want to ride it without a carbon fork – and lord knows my 45lb(!) steel bike doesn’t get much love any more due to it’s weight (sorry, I’m pretty shallow that way). Too bad it’s not the right color. Maybe you can do a trade with a paint shop or something, get them some free press for repainting the fork and color-matching it to the rest of the bike.

Dude, do you still have the Flite saddle pictured in stage one?

The black Flite. I was such a Flite adict for such a long time, and I still think it’s the best-looking saddle ever made. Too bad it makes my crotch feel like it’s in a vice.

Which I realize is perhaps a vague statement. I mean to say I don’t like how that feels.

Next Spring – when I’m in Europe again – I will look you up and commission you to photograph my bikes. Having you shoot them will be worth the expense of having them all shipped with me.

I’m in a Panel-Approved (budget yet to be determined) market for a Cross bike. Toying with Ti as the material of choice. Discuss.

As for Ti and buying more bikes, as I mentioned to @EightZero on our Ronde Tribute Ride on Sunday, titanium isn’t the last bike you’ll buy – it’s just the last bike you’ll need to buy. Rule #12 always persists.

p.s. I weigh around 180lbs, so I’m no twig.

Are you also the Duane Allman-looking bloke layin’ into a G Major bar chord with the harp in your avatar?

All that said, my rule with bike mods such as this is, NEVER make an irreversible changes. I have the fork, I have the stem, and I will never get rid of them. I even have the headset, although it is really not usable anymore. I can always go back.

Ti is the duck’s guts, I pine for a Ti frame someday down the track.

Brett:
I’d go with Ambrosios on Campy, 3x of course, probably Competition spokes to support the fuckton of girth and power you’ll be putting through them.

FTW!

I’d go with Ambrosios on Campy, 3x of course, probably Competition spokes to support the fuckton of girth and power you’ll be putting through them. The set Oli built up for me (Chorus hubs $60 on TradeMe, new rims) have been bombproof and ride smooth and lively. We’ll see how they stand up to Welli-Roubaix this weekend (they survived the pre-run no worries; I’m more concerned about the Bozzie’s fork snapping!)

Speaking of forks, I agree with mcsqueak, the bike craves a chrome steel Columbus to really set it off.

And a Campy headset. Which reminds me, the Bozzie needs one too…

@all
The sun unexpectedly kind of came out and I took some updated shots of the bike and updated the photos in the article. Brett, you happyish now?

Man, I hate those K-Wings on the EV2. For sale: a pair of 42cm FSA K-Wings, excellent condition.

“It’s funny how eBay together with PayPal doesn’t even feel like actual money.” I couldn’t agree more. It is crazy how easy it can be, especially after you’ve had a few beers, put in a lot of riding that day and think you deserve a treat. Click, click…new bike gear I didn’t really need…Dangerous stuff!

I like low profile rims on thin-tubed Italian bikes. But, I did just put some Mavic CXP33s I have on a thin-tubed frame and they kind of look good.

Fronk: Here’s a link to what they look like…

http://www.velobase.com/velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx?ID=fd75f747-fb9b-4fc3-839c-3d4499e6e29f

…then Gianni – whom I didn’t know at the time – arrived in Seattle to visit Jim…

We all revere Frank as the founder of this site, but I’m increasingly convinced that Jim is the Keyser Soze of this whole operation.

* He rarely appears, yet seems to be the kingpin of all the relationships between the Keepers.
* While we’re chatting away on our computers, who is out there putting rubber to pavement? Jim is.
* When Jim posts, people don’t recognize that he’s a Keeper. “The smartest thing the devil ever did was to convince people he didn’t exist.”

I rest my case.

As I said previously, I love the yellow and black Bianchi, seriously a beautiful bike.

The red one however, I feel like the black/grey fork is out of place. I think you need to keep searching Ebay for a red/chrome one to match. Otherwise it is a fine looking ride!

I just built up a set of wheels on 23mm rims. Ever look into something like that? Wider rim allows lower tire pressures without increasing rolling resistance and are supposed to improve aerodynamics. Pretty damn comfortable.

Nice suggestion; the wheels would not be a daily-use wheelset, which is why I’m going with the hassle of tubs vs. clinchers. I really want to find a wheelset config that maximizes the qualities that a bike like this can have. Which the Ksyriums are the oposite of.

But a wider tire, lower pressure fits right into that spectrum – especially with an eye to the idea that I’ll take them on either the steel or the R3 for a ride over the stones in Belgium/France next spring.

What is the best way to tell if a set of Record hubs are 8-speed or 9/10 speed? It appears to be a challenge to determine…

Lovely. And nice to see “metric fuckton” employed so soon after “shitton”. I am intrigued re the vocabulary you’ll employ to describe anything an order of magnitude heavier.

To take a leader from Team America – and who on Earth in their right mind takes a leader from Team Fucking America – with their “JESUS TITTY-FUCKING CHRIST”, would it be a titty-fuckton?

Sorry, ladies. My VMH is in Vietnam which means I have no adult supervision here at Fort Awesome in Seattle this week. Things are getting ugly around here.

Headset = Stronglight Super Competition

Hubs = Campy C-Record

Rims = Mavic MA-40

Oh, and I believe the word you were looking for is Ex nihilo.

@Bo
Welcome and you’re right, those bars really tie the room together don’t they?

@all To be clear, a fuckton is a shitton times two which is a crapton times pi.

Fuck me, the 32x open pros will be mounted on Il gruppo progetto today and I was going to post an updated pic but hell if I’m going to put that up against frank’s TSX.
Dude, do you still have the Flite saddle pictured in stage one? That would look nice on that bike. As far as a headset, sure, you can’t go wrong with a King but what about a campag? Once you build up the boxsex with campag hubs you’d have a complete campag gruppo on that lovely steed if you went with campag headset.

A wonderfully told tale and a true testament to the power of patience in pulling a build together. Chapeau…

love the downward sloping top tube, seems to be a thing of the past those Giant compacts seem to be the trend, having said that they do seem to be leveling out in the peleton

@Sam: The beauty of the TSX is that the chrome plating covers the entire frame, so chips aren’t a corrosion issue. The chrome can be, but that’s a whole other issue!

For general touch-ups I’m a big fan of careful application of modelers enamel – a close colour match can nearly always be found, and even if it’s not exact after a day or two the eye doesn’t fall to the chip any longer so it ceases to be an issue.

Some of the bad colour matching and sloppy touch-ups on my Bianchi are super obvious if you actually look, but people looking at it still say things to me like, “You obviously never ride this bike.” when I ride it constantly and have for 14 years…

Brett:
What about the position of the cranks, the chain on the small ring, and the valve stems not at 6 o’clock? Shoddy work son…

Did I miss this somewhere? I don’t remember seeing it before, but that’s like a fuckton of genius.

frank:
I’ll fix it when it stops raining. Which will be in a week.

Sounds like a fuckton of a dry spring you’ve got going over there if the rain is going to let up that soon. Concerns yet about the reservoir?

@G’phant
And, yes: I’m a fan of fuckton, too. I can see that getting dropped in class tonight…

@G’phant

fuckton squared?

And +1 for this: “…a stunning, handmade Italian steel bike looks as out of place with Japanese components as a big slab of Spanish beef at a Tour de France rest-day banquet.” Fuckin’ spot on, mate!

Ambrosios?