jamesdak 

So the DT shifters are off and some nice Dura Ace 7403 shifters added. Original plan was to wrap the bars with the matching green tape I got for it a year or so ago. But I think I like the black better and that has led my mind down yet another rabbit hole. I want to swap the bars with something with a more modern, flatter ramp and have silver Nitto Noodles and two black Soma HWY Ones on hand. Thinking it might look really good with the black bars, stem and seatpost. What do you think, too much black? Or maybe with all the black the green tape won't be too much. Or maybe.....

I also removed those Ribble decals that were quite thick and damaged in parts. Been talking with Velocals about some Martelly ones to put on it. Seems only respectful. Yet as sort of expected there's some ghosting from the old decals that cleaning and even polishing compound did not remove. Yet in the sunlight the "ghost Ribble" shows up pretty well and looks pretty cool. Maybe I should leave it like that.

Anyway, going to contemplate this a day or two and curious what others think?

As it sit's this morning without the decals and with the silver stem and seatpost.



And an underexposed shot to show the Ribble ghosting, to the eye in sunlight it's easy to see.



The original green bar tape I was able to resource.

dddd

That sure looks livened up!

mstateglfr 

Black tape and cockpit for sure.
I always prefer modern bend bars with STIs as the transition is smoother, so some black hwy1 bars would look fantastic.

Ferrouscious 

black tape all the way. black seatpost and stem might be too much. silver stem and black bars always looks slick.

rccardr 

You have exquisite taste in bicycles and you know this particular bike as purchased haunts my dreams... but we do not share aesthetic viewpoints on components.
The star here is clearly the frame. It’s stunning.
If it were mine, I’d stick with 7403/7410 Dura Ace, strip and polish the downtube shifters and brake lever blades (or find a nice set of BL-R600’s), stick with the polished stem and seatpost, and install the Noodles.
Use a less aero wheelset with polished hubs & stainless BD spokes (instead of bladed ones) laced to black rims with machined brake tracks like an Open Pro.
Black low profile saddle and black tape. Maybe black Cinelli Calaido if I wanted to draw just a little attention from the frame.
And please, in the name of everything holy, put new Ribble decals back on it.

jamesdak 

This is what is so cool about this hobby, how differently we see things and how alike we see things.

For me most of the time I'm picking function over looks. This is a fast bike and I want to optimize that. I've had three different wheel/tire combo's and the ones on it now seem to be the best for giving me what I want out on the road with this one.

And the more I thought about it the more I think the black cockpit is going to make that frame pop. So that's where I'm taking in. At least that's how I feel right now.

But then I think the actual builder deserves his due. I pestered a lot of people on this one and have not found any connection to Ribble at all. Without a doubt it's a Eddy Martens made bike. Ribble did not make it or have it made, Ribble didn't even repaint it according to their records. And I have found no link of it being a Ribble team bike from years past. So I think it's cool to honor Eddy Martens by putting his name on it, maybe...... May just leave it as it because it looks pretty cool to me.

One thing strange I ran into with the Noodles Saturday was a fit issue with a brand new Deda Murex stem. For sure the Noodles are bigger in the clamp area than either the Soma's or the Cinelli Giro d' Italia bars I've paired with the Deda stems before. Need to break out the caliper and see what's going on there. I tried using them on the Wayne Evans bike as I built it back up.

Oh and I even considered grabbing a brand new black groupset to put on this to really go all black but told myself to quit thinking about spending more money, LOL!

jamesdak 

So this is where I've taken it for now. Found the bar tape locally and while not my favorite kind the color is a dead on match to the lighter sides of the bike. Still have a love/hate with the saddle and it's green. It matches the darker green on the bike beautifully from the front or back but looks off from the side.

Since JR had researched and worked coming up with Martelly Decals I did go ahead and order them. Sort of liking it clean like this but I wasn't going to leave JR hanging on the buy after he worked to take care of me.


Hard to nail the colors using the cell phone but this gives you and idea. I need to find the perfect dust covers for this one.

One of the few times I've picked looks over comfort for my bar tape.

I'm trying to avoid the voice in my head that is saying this needs black components so that the frame really pops! It's a special kind of madness inside my head sometimes, LOL!

19 lbs, 13 ozs as pictured. So the latest mods put on an extra 4 ozs, terrible!

noobinsf 

Looks good! What's your preferred crank length? I think Velo Orange still has their black drillium crank set for sale in 170mm and 172.5mm, sale price $120.

https://velo-orange.com/collections/...nt=50653763847

3speedslow

With that frame you can never have too much black

jamesdak 

Ok, this one hurt a bit....

With my focus issues and need to thin out the herd I put this up for sale locally also without ever putting a mile on it since the last work. Young lady came by today, fell in love with it, and took it home. I was sort of hoping this one wouldn't sell but it's one that made sense to let go...sorta...I think...yeah it did....augh!

I think that makes 13 bikes I've let go since the beginning of winter.

squirtdad

hurt but good karma going to someone who fell in love with it.......I have saved pictures for copying the paint if I ever pull the trigger on a custom

krakhaus 

That must have been a tall young lady.

jamesdak 

Yep, I'd say she was an inch taller than me.

P!N20

Can you remember what brand of bar tape that was?

jamesdak 

Bontrager. Got it at the local Trek shop, the only guys in town I trust my bikes too when I'm not doing the work.

randyjawa 

Too much black? Not in my opinion, but I am not really a bright colors guy...

jamesdak 

Well even though I am on a massive downsizing project I did just order a "custom " bike of sorts. This will be my new errand, winter, cargo, get old on, bike. Even went with a step through for those days when my lower back and knee are hating me.

Stuck with the green but not SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO green, LOL!


Should look just like this just went with a different chain guard once I finalized the order. Total other end of the biking spectrum from the Martelly.

genejockey 

"...can there be too much black?"

Yes. Local Craigs List has a Lotus that was rattle-can painted black. Everything. Including derailleurs, headset, cranks. That's too much black.

Nice choice on the bar and tape, BTW. I'm a big fan of the Highway Ones. I've got them on 3 out of 6 bikes.