Fred B

Please share your photos and ideas for building a modern bike with a "vintage" look.

A photo of my bike is attached below. More and better quality pictures can be seen at https://www.flickr.com/photos/7645270...oto_7569137368 . (I could not figure out how to attach a picture much larger than a thumbnail to this post, so please forgive the small image size posted below.)



Finishing and component specifics for my 2011 Mercian Strada Speciale ( https://www.merciancycles.co.uk/ ):

FINISHING AND COSMETICS
Frame - Reynolds 853 with Reynolds 631 forks and stays
Frame Color – No. 1 Emerald Green Flamboyant
Head Tube, Seat Tube Panel, and Bands – No. 7 Ruby Flamboyant lined with No. 10 Gold Polychromatic.
Lug Lining – No. 10 Gold Polychromatic. Cast Clover Leaf Cutouts and Fork Crown Cutouts filled with No. 7 Ruby Flamboyant and Lined with No. 10 Gold Polychromatic.
Down Tube – Gold Gothic Text Transfer
Head Tube – Mercian Headbadge
Seat Tube – Crest Transfer
Top of Seat Tube – 853 Tubing Transfer
Brake Guides – 3 Through Guides on Lower Left-Hand Side
Rear Dropouts – Vertical
Geometry - Custom

COMPONENTS
Full Campagnolo Athena 11s silver alloy gruppo
Campagnolo Record alloy threaded headset
Campagnolo quick release skewers
Campagnolo cables
White Industries H2 and H3 hubs (Front-32H and Rear-36H)
D/T Swiss Competition double butted spokes and Pro Lock brass nipples in Black Color
Mavic Open Pro rims in Silver Color
Schwalbe Ultremo DD 700 x 23C tires
Schwalbe SV15 40mm butyl inner tubes
Nitto S-83 seatpost
Nitto Technomic stem
Nitto M190 Euro 80 handlebar
Nitto Bottle Cage R
MKS Prime Sylvan Touring Pedals (Silver Color)
MKS Super Deep Steel Toeclips
MKS Spin-II Pedal Flips
Brooks B15 Swallow Chrome Saddle in Honey Color
Brooks Leather Bar Tape in Honey Color (with oil finish on wood plugs)
Brooks Toe Straps in Honey Color
Zimbale Leather Saddlebag in Honey Color
Jagwire Tube Tops rubber cable/frame protectors


** The Zimbale Leather Saddlebag is just the right size to hold a Lezyne Pressure Drive mini pump, an inner tube, and some tire patch supplies and still maintain the leather and steel retro look. ( https://www.zimbale.com/Front/Product...isplay_group=1 )

Also, I did put a light colored oil finish on the Brooks handlebar plugs before the bike was assembled because I did not like the look of raw unfinished wood.

Finally, a couple of somewhat unusual features of the bike include:

(1) the Nitto M190 Euro 80 handlebar, which I had to order from Alex's Cycle in Japan. This handlebar is compatible with European brake levers and has a second groove for Campy Ergopower cables. The curve is slightly different on this Nitto bar as compared to the Nitto STI bars for Shimano levers, and it flows better into the Campy controls. ( https://www.alexscycle.com/handlebars...0-euro-80.html )

(2) the three through guides on the lower left side of the top tube. These guides allowed the use of a full-length shielded rear brake cable which resulted in a nice feel when working the rear brake, less chance of something gumming up the rear brake cable, better alignment with the modern cable routing of the Ergopower controls, and a somewhat retro look of a completely shielded rear brake cable.

Ex Pres 

Posted one for 'ya


click on the size of pic you wish to post from flickr. The one above was "large". Right click, go down to properties, click, copy the URL and paste into the "insert image" icon field from the tool bar on your post as requested.

Fred B

Thank you so much!
Fred

Tuc

Very nice bikes, really liked the bag and those high flange hubs - those are the White Ind ones?

SJX426 

GREAT looking bike! Thanks for sharing.

Fred B

Thank you both for the kind words about my bikes. On my Flickr pages, the green bike is the modern one with the White Industries hubs ( https://www.whiteind.com/fronthubs.html ). I bought the black Bertin bike new in 1980, and it has the original hubs that came on it.

Here is a link to an article that discusses building new wheels with high flange hubs that would give a very similar look - https://bertinclassiccycles.wordpress...ange-pbp-rims/ . Also, the bag on the black bike is made by Naborsa - https://www.bicyclehero.com/us/nabors...bag-black.html .



https://www.flickr.com/photos/7645270...in/photostream

shoota 

Gumwall tires on the green mercier would really finish out the vintage look. Beautiful bikes

KonAaron Snake 

I'm not sure if this qualifies or not...my approach was traditional Italian build with classic accents, but modern where it counts...I'm also not sure if MAX tubing has a vintage look.

KonAaron Snake 

Whoa! Beautiful...wow.

RubberLegs

Pretty Green Mercian, agree, that gumwalls would add to the classic look

Chombi

It's so close to really looking the part, even the forks are nicely curved and no sign of the dreaded "Unicrownism" there, plus the classic gumwalls!........except for the brifters and bar position. Why the lever bodies have to be made so big and why using such levers seem to necessitate tilting the bar up so high is something I can't figure out.....yet...
I wonder if a larger radiused (at the drops) bar can be used so the brifter levers can be mounted higher on the bar and end up closer to level with the stem without having to tilt the handlebar up so much.....I think, some older Cinellis, like their "Campione Del Mondo" have such a bend.

Chombi

KonAaron Snake 

I think these might be champione del mondo bars

I know I tried the giro, criterium and champione models, but can't remember where I ended up.

martl

1995 Mike Appel with assorted vintage parts - modern?


Mike Appel Special Custom, Bj. 1995, Serial# 10/1995 Columbus SL
Brakes: Campa Cobalto
Derailleur: Campa Superrecord
FD: Campa Record
Hubs: Campa Record
Rims: Nisi Countach
Tires: Veloflex Roubaix
Seatpost: Campa Superrecord
Stem: Shimano Dura Ace
Handlebar: Cinelli Pista
Crank: Assos
Pedals: Shimano Dura Ace
Bar Tape: Cinelli Kork, shellaqued
Saddle: Brooks New Swallow
Bottlecage: Nitto

jr59

I got a few;

Chris Pringle

My modern take on C&V: 2012 Rodriguez Touring Bike...

Chris Chicago

chrome lugs look great on that orange marnati!

fietsbob

My RB1 got a mix of old and more recent components
Old Campag Rally , victory leisure FD, bar end shifters
newer 'race triple' 50,40,24t.. Shimano aero brake levers

Nitto dirt drop bars , drops at bottom flare outward,
for the knee-shifter clearance.

SvenMN 

My daughter's "modern bike with a vintage look" is a Fuji Connoisseur. She wanted a true vintage bike but grew impatient waiting for me to find her the right one in her size. A good compromise for now...

frantik

2010 Motobecane Fantom Cross Uno

some "C&V" elements from the factory

Steel frame
Horizontal top tube
Lugged fork with sloping crown
Cantilever brakes

More C&V I've added:

Shimano 600 cranks arms (FC-6207) and 39t Dura Ace ring
Shimano Deore cantilever brakes (BR-MT62) (not pictured)
Blackburn USA waterbottle cage

canyoneagle

Agreed.

RobbieTunes

Great looking bikes. Nice niche.

Lenton58 

Miyata builds 4 models of a bike, which except for a free-hub has all the looks and earmarks of a vintage machine. These are lugged frames using Miyata's proprietory "spiral", butted CrMo tubing. It uses a Nitto quill stem and no carbon appears on the bike. They are made to order with various options but in a fixed catalog of sizes. When I get on my home computer, I'll post the URL to acccess the Miyata page.

onespeedbiker

I am also fond of some of the "new" Vintage bikes. Like the steel Allez

And the Dolomiti

https://lawyerjim.blogspot.com/2008/0...irst-look.html



And 2011 Tipo Corsa frame

https://www.bianchiusa.com/bikes/road/steel/tipo-corsa/(a painted up Dolomiti frame I believe with a steel fork)


Now there is I frame I would like to build up; I even already have the components !

gomango

I like Chris Kvale's work.

gomango

I also find John Holland's style to my tastes.

This baby is a real mile eater!