at the corner of No and Where

Why does this sound like the beginning of Star Wars IV – a New Hope? I really hope it doesn’t take 6 full-length movies to get this done.

I found a really great deal on 3T carbon handlebars and an Easton alloy stem, so that’s the direction I went. They arrived and are just as the seller described – excellent condition. Whether the stem length is right or not is something I will have to determine by riding, but at least I have something to connect the handlebars to the steerer tube and I read somewhere that it’s not optional.

I ordered some Michelin Race 3 tires with red sidewalls, and they happened to be on sale. How often is something that you want for a build on sale? OK, I’m 1 for 725. Not bad. I got some tubes too, I hear they’re necessary.

I was checking out the headset bearings, and the crown race was pitted, probably from being ridden with the bearings loose. Well, it just seems dumb to build a bike and use the old pitted headset, so I ordered a replacement headset. Now the fun part of removing the old crown race. I have a crown race remover, but after using it I would say that it’s more of a crown race lifter. Don’t get me wrong, it lifted the race off the bottom of the steerer tube but not far enough to actually remove it from the steerer. Off to my friendly bike shop and within 3 minutes of walking in the door the old race was off and the new one was in. Good folks at Oswego Cyclery in Oswego, Illinois.

Now the headset can be assembled, spacers put on, and the top cap tightened to set the bearing preload. Then clamp the stem and I’ve actually begun. I wasn’t sure I’d get to this point, but recognizing that I’m not in a hurry and that I have another bike to ride gives you a different perspective on the build of a new bike.

At least, it did for me.

Now that the Bianchi is road-worthy, it’s time for the next project. A road bike, with a reasonably current frame, groupset, wheels, pedals, etc. Ultimately, the frame may be replaced with a different one – it could be carbon fiber (but probably not), or it could be a vintage lugged steel frame (much more likely).

But for now, the frame is a Cannondale CAAD8. It’s BBQ (flat black) with the full carbon premium Slice fork. In excellent shape, this should be a good starting point for the build.

The groupset is a 2010-11 full Campagnolo Veloce in black. I wanted the ultra-shift brifters, and the ultra-torque cranks and this was the best way for me to get those components.

I chose Boyd Vitesse wheels with 24F and 28R spoke counts.

The seatpost is an Alloy Fizik Cyrano, and the saddle is a Selle SMP Pro.

Here’s what I still need to decide on:

1. pedals
2. stem
3. handlebar

I’m going to stay with SPD-compatible pedals so that I don’t need to buy shoes AND pedals. I’m not racing the TDF, so the fact that they’re not purely road pedals is unimportant to me.

Once the Bianchi is completely dialed-in, I will take some measurements and that should take care of the stem decision.

If things progress as expected, I should be taking the first ride sometime in April or May. Since I’ve never built a bike from components, this will be a learning experience along the way.

Follow along, and we’ll see how it goes.

Handlebar tape. I’ve been putting this task off, mainly because I wanted to be sure the brake levers were in the right place, and I was working on the stem – but that’s done now. I didn’t want to waste $15 worth of handlebar tape either.

I looked at some youtube videos and read about the process on the Park Tools site and decided that my lack of experience would be equally lacking tomorrow or the next day. Time to get this finished.

Got scissors, some yellow electrical tape, and the handlebar tape. From start to finish it took less than 10 minutes to do both sides. I started at the bottom and wrapped up towards the stem. It’s not perfect around the brake levers, but that’s OK. Sooner or later it will need to be replaced and hopefully I will do a better job then. Until then, it’s tight, pretty evenly wound, looks decent, and adds some padding that was sorely (quite literally) needed.

I guess the Bianchi is complete now. Today’s weather looks good, so I’m planning a lunch ride.

The handlebars were too low and I couldn’t raise them any further. So, I ordered a taller quill stem from Harris Cyclery. But it was too tall so I cut off 3cm and it is close enough for now. To remove any more stem will require a different bolt as I’m out of threads on this one.

It rides much better (as tested on the indoor trainer) and I ran through all positions on the front and rear derailleurs. Brakes are good, all bearings are good, time for a road test. The temps are in the mid-60s, and it’s dry. Time to go.

Well, it was only 10 miles, but that was all it took. The bike rides great, makes all the expected mechanical noises – whirrs, clicks, shifting noises, etc. but no bad noises. The only obvious change necessary at this point is a mirror of some kind – more a survival aid than anything else.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I’ll go a different direction for another 10 miles or so.

The bike arrived and unfortunately there were a couple of shipping scratches. I’ll get those handled after the mechanical going-over is complete. The bike was in very good condition and the only obvious issue is that the tires/tubes won’t hold pressure for long. Well, they are 30 years old so I really shouldn’t be surprised.

Taking things apart to check the bearings and adjustments isn’t too difficult, but I wanted to use the correct tools for the job. I purchased tools to remove the freewheel, to remove and adjust the bottom bracket, to remove and adjust the wheel bearings, and the headset.

I had a good quality grease available, cleaning supplies too. The job went smoothly with the proper tools and soon it was just about ready to ride. I knew the tubes weren’t holding pressure for long so I picked up replacement tubes. When I took the tires off to replace the tubes, the tires were cracked and falling apart. I’m not sure why I thought a 30 year old tube needed to be replaced but a 30 year old tire would be fine. See, I do get smarter as I get older – but it’s a slow process. 🙂

Anyway, I replaced the tires with Panaracer RibMo 700Cx25s and they ride very well. I haven’t had them on wet pavement yet, but they have good traction and ride quality. I’m running them at 90psi front and 100psi rear. For looks, gumwall tires are better(at least on a bike of this vintage), but these are fine and I have no plans to replace them anytime soon.

I do like the ride of a nice lugged steel frame…

Not a motor-powered one, a human-powered one. A very nice early 1980’s Bianchi Limited. Even though it is more than 30 years old, it is in nearly mint condition. I’ve wanted a nice steel framed bicycle and because smaller frames fit me best but are harder to come by, when this one showed up I didn’t hesitate.

This winter it will see a complete going-over and will be ready for next spring. To tell the truth, it may just see a few miles yet this year – weather depending.

Take a look at these photos – very nice for a 30 year old bicycle.

This time, without gasoline. That’s right, bicycling.

Last year, my wife and I bought new bicycles. Good, not great, Trek bikes from a very good shop in Oswego, Illinois. When I was in high school in upstate New York, it seemed like I spent entire summers on the bike with a friend named Steve George. Up and down the hills of upstate New York; long ago I lost count of the miles and hours we spent riding. The bicycling bug never actually left, just was dormant for a while.

We started going on rides around the house, and also on the Fox Valley and Gilman bike trails. It’s been a lot of fun and good exercise too. I have a old Fuji Dynamic 12 I bought many years ago that is in need of restoration, maybe that will become a winter project. Precisely which winter remains a mystery.

Anyway, I decided this year to ride more and it’s been great. We’re fortunate to live in the country so we can go on several nice rides right out of our driveway.

More to come…