Design
This will be the longest part of the process.
I officially have 6 drawings but in reality, it was probably 7-8, the other 2 being quick edits to see if an idea would be viable or what I had in mind.
That speaks tons of how patient and accommodating Sumi had to be to get me through the process.
All in, I think it took the whole of 1.5mths of back and forth to get thru the design phase.
A lot of this involved me having to take a few days to a week to review and think thru a drawing and design.
Often, I had to make a small A4 print of the drawing and tick on the dimensions to make sure they were what I wanted and had checked them.
Sometimes it was to draw over the design in a photo editing program to see if certain aesthetic considerations made sense (eg a straight / sloping top tube or a thicker thinner downtube )
In the end, sizing down a Enigma Excel while keeping to some of my design objectives was not totally possible and I had to make some changes to my criteria.
Stand over height while retaining a straight top tube and wide tires were design considerations that I had to get a balance of the most as they were in conflict with each other.
A sloping top tube would have solved the issues easily, but since it was to be my dream bike, the straight top tube aesthetic was a must.
Must have
1. Breakaway
2. Fit
3. Straight top tube with a more traditional bike look
4. Thin chainstays for compliance
5. Threaded BB
6. Try to be as light as possible with 8.5kg as a guideline weight (based on how well I like my Bike Friday which is about this weight)
7. 700c but takes at least 38mm 650b tires : 700c but takes at least 32mm tires and 38mm with 650b
Good to have
1. Straight 1 1/8" headtube to reduce weight and give compliance : 44mm headtube for better access on fork options
2. Fender mount points : Aesthetic considerations to keep lines as clean as possible
3. Rack mount points : Keep weigh down for what ever it was worth (and I'd use it with strap bags anyway for light touring )
4. Seatpost 27.2mm for softer ride
The final design I decide on was this one
