JaccoW

I do and it's really satisfactory to finally see my plans for this bike come to fruition.

Though by no means profitable if I were to sell the bike (which I won't) I do need to keep myself in check from time to time.
However nice a respray and new stickers might be...

I plan to ride to work on it the next few months and get some real kilometers/miles on it.

mountaindave 

noglider 

Yup, his profile says his location is Rotterdam. And you can tell he's very tall, as most Dutch are.

@JaccoW, I enjoy this, too, because you pay attention to so many small details, all for good reasons.

JaccoW

@mountaindave and @noglider: I edited my profile for you gentlemen so it is a bit more clear to others. But yes, I am Dutch andd tall though most of my length is in my legs. But thank you, I am glad other can enjoy what I am doing.

I think that with people like Jan Heine, Grant Petersen and the general rise of the interconnectedness the internet offers, people in the US started looking into older designs in the wake of the 650B rediscovery.
It helps that there were some holdouts in the randonneuring field and several smaller French, Japanese and Taiwanese manufacturers that kept some of the knowledge alive.
In most countries where bikes are more of a tool than a hobby the developments continued.

So when Americans started looking into ways to combine their love for road (racing) bikes with a more practical allyear approach the French already had an answer. American 'gravel' roads are very different from modern European 'gravel' roads mostly because the rocks are bigger and the weather is generally drier. But they are comparable to 50's/60's French country roads. This where wider tyres and lighter bikes come into play.

So combining that traditional (French) design with modern manufacturing techniques and a population that is able and willing to spend more on their bikes gives rise to the small boom in rando/gravel/touring/bikepacking models and accessories like we have today. And I'm glad we did.

I've never been into road bikes and racing but I do enjoy riding a bicycle and having something to tinker on. Whether that is photography techniques, mechanical keyboards or vintage bicycles. There is just so much more available today than 10 years ago and even boutique or smaller brands can be found and acquired through the internet.

mountaindave 

JaccoW

I know the feeling. I generally wear 36" inseam trousers but I actually came across a shop that has the occasional model in a 38" inseam! I need a new pair, perhaps I should drop by tomorrow.

Come shop here! Many tall people around here but even then the nicer tall frames are rare. It often tops out at 62cm frames.

I came across this very pristine looking 1987 Koga-Miyata Randonneur-Extra with all the accessories like the additional low riders. It's as old as I am but I really shouldn't take on an extra bike like that. I need to get rid of some bikes first before my girlfriend comes back at the end of summer.


Time for me to head to bed. I spent most of the day finishing up the wiring of the lights. If you think pulling the cables for dynamo lighting through the frame is a pain in the ass then just wait until you try doing the same for a rack!

The results are worth it though.





I might return to redo some of the wiring again in the future but for now I'm just going to leave it alone and enjoy it.

Edit: Added a drawing to show how the wiring goes and why it is such a pain. It's too twisty for the thicker SON coaxial wire and even B+M's double wire is often to thick or catches on to small welding imperfections (?) on the inside of the tube. My solution was to take two single-strand wires and connect them at the rear. Still, very patient work though.

mountaindave 

ascherer 

Just outside of Schenectady...

JaccoW

I actually had to google that one

Minor update:
Commuted to work today. Bike rides like a dream. Had a nice headwind, rain and hail today but it was just barely warm enough that I didn't need gloves.
Put all my stuff in my secondhand Carradice bag using the leather straps. Which worked pretty well except those straps are a pain when you are trying to mount or remove the bag. Fortunately I already had the QR kit on the way... it only took a lot longer because they mislabeled it to Sweden.

Anyway, it arrived today. I opted for the non-supported version but it does have the holes for the supports if I change my mind in the future.




Plenty of space. The only funny annoyance is that it just barely touches my rear brake QR and bumps it into the open position. Opted for a piece of velcro to solve that bit.

All in all I think I have a bike now that's great for longer spirited rides and can carry enough for a pretty decent tour.
80L in total is more than I'd want to be carrying anyway. (~17L in the front rando bag + 23L for the Carradice + 2x 20L for Ortlieb front roller plus panniers)

No outside shots... because I forgot... again.

EDIT: Also, Etsy is a great place if you want to decorate your bags with embroidered patches or enamel pins.
I'm a big fan of tea so I opted for an Oolong tea patch in red to start with but who knows, I have a wishlist.

This for example is a bit more bicycle related. Or TimTasRek that made my rando bag.

JaccoW

Managed to get my hands on an IRD double roller drive (needle bearing) headset! These things are hard to find and next to impossible in Europe. The needle bearings should have a dampening effect on any shimmy and should be more durable than classic ball bearing or sealed bearings. More pics later.

non-fixie 

So, at their next website update it'll be "Jobst Brandt, Sheldon Brown, Grant Petersen and JaccoW"?

JaccoW

We'll see.

Don't mind doing a review if people are interested.


What's that? Am I seeing double?


No, I actually managed to find another one in my size and decided to buy it as a... backup? extra?
We are having great weather right now so I drove it back from the outskirts of Utrecht to the train station.

I'm not sure yet but the frame is in a better state than mine and for some reason this fork has two holes on the dropout which will be great for the front rack I'm using right now.
This one still has the kickstand plate, no engraving on the seattube (it was a common anti-theft measure at the time) and doesn't have holes drilled in the seatstay for a frame lock.
I'll have to check the rest of the paint after a good clean but so far it seems pretty well kept.

It came with a Stronglight triple and Sachs Huret Rival derailleurs. The seller mentioned he got it from his girlfriend at the time around 1982 which fits with the parts.




One bit of mystery is the front fork. It doesn's seem to be a Reynolds 531 fork and has different lugs than the other examples I've seen but bears an <S> logo on both sides. Anyone know what it is?

The Golden Boy 

I have given you the first "like" I have ever intentionally given on any Internet forum.

That is super.

BTW- the reason I really paid attention to the post was the trekking bars... They are pretty popular in Europe, aren't they... not quite so much in the US...

mountaindave 

Ha! N+1 strikes again!

JaccoW

I appreciate it.

Butterfly bars used to be pretty popular here on trekking bikes. nowadays I'd say most come with flat bars and bar ends but you still see them on new bikes from time to time. Take a look at this Dutch thread

We do see the influence of drop bar touring bikes here as younger tourers often use gravel bikes.

JaccoW

I actually needed to get rid of some bikes in two months. The task just got... easier. Now I know everything else that is a potential project has to go.

alexnagui

Same here. I think I have to stop looking at what is for sale around!

paulkal

Where did you find that headset? I need a new headset for my Gazelle and always liked the needle bearings one.

JaccoW

@paulkal I bought it on eBay and had it shipped to my girlfriend who I was visiting in the US last week. Saved a lot of money in shipping and import taxes.
Got it from here. The modern ones are expensive though. This one was $95 and that was the cheapest I could find it.

Your best bet for a vintage version is older Koga Miyata frames. The GentsTour I'm putting up on Marktplaats has a needle bearing headset. I still have a Miche headset too that I wouldn't mind parting with either.



I would say it fits the build and it does take away virtually all of the shimmy at speed.

JaccoW

I other fun stuff, I'm slowly building a tool kit for when I am commuting to take care of most problems on the road.

• Road Runner goodie bag jersey pouch
• Victorinox Bike tool with various bits. I can probably save some weight here by removing the tyre levers.
• Knipex Mini Pliers Wrench
• Wolf Tooth Components pack pliers for chains and holding master links.
• Schwalbe tyre levers. These are awesome for putting tyres back on as they can be clipped onto the hooks of the rim and prevent the tyre from slipping off again.
• Schwalbe airmax pro digital pressure meter
• Park Tool SW40 4-sided spoke wrench
• Contec security skewer remover
• 4 nitril gloves
• Zip ties
• Replacement brake pads
• Small bag with spoke nipples and pump adapter
• Backup shifter cable
• Duct tape
• Glueless patches

Total weight: 450 gram (15.9 oz)

All I need now is a brake cable and a chain tool but that will probably be the Park Tool CT5 mini chain tool.
For touring I might add a crank puller as the Specialites TA has 23mm threading instead of the common 22mm but I am not spending €50-60 on a Stein Crank Extractor right now when I have the VAR version.

non-fixie 

Can I call you when my car breaks down?


+1 on the Schwalbe tire levers, BTW.

JaccoW

There must be some usable tools in there. I just have no experience working on cars though. Are you willing to risk that?

Maybe I can work up something using duct tape

Phamilton

Just found this thread today. Very satisfying build on many levels, thank you for sharing it. We have a Dutch bike we got for my wife a few years ago, an Alta or Altra or something like that. It's a single speed w/ coaster brake, like an omafiets. I don't have any pics of it. She didn't love riding it. I'm not sure what to do with it now, nobody here wants bikes like that. It's a little big for her, I thought about keeping it for myself, it doesn't bother me that it's a step through frame. But I'm not crazy about the coaster brake either. And my daughter lost the key to the frame lock, I had to destroy it to remove it. It's a real nice bike, also has a bottle dynamo. The wire was disconnected by the previous owner, I never hooked it up to test it. Thanks again for sharing the build. I scanned through it quickly but will enjoy a closer read.

JaccoW

Took it for a good long ride yesterday. The bike feels so much better with it. The dampening just gives a nice and solid feel without any noticable resistance when riding.

What did improve though is the shimmy and no-hands riding. Shimmy is virtually gone and I can comfortably ride no-hands for longer periods of time while leaning backwards to grab snacks from the Carradice saddle bag.
I'm convinced.

JaccoW

Rode 112km (69miles) around lake Garda in Italy the day before yesterday. 2100m (6890ft) of elevation because I accidentally went up a MTB trail before turning around and taking the tunnels.

Still enjoyed myself riding up those rocks and boulders. Especially the look the people on e-mountainbikes gave me.

Took the ferry across to the other side because the full round trip would have added another 80-100 km.