Frame No 3 finished. It is pretty much the same geometry as the last one (pics a few posts back) but I aimed for this one to be a bit more of an all day distance machine. I dropped the seat angle half a degree and used smaller seat and top tubes. This together with a slimmer seat post and non oversize bars (I am sure Deda 215s give about an inch of suspension) should give it a bit more compliance. I have only ridden it up and down the street so far and will report back after some big rides.
Being in lockdown it made sense to have a go at spraying this frame myself. I used 'Spray Bike' paint and made a half decent job of it - as long as you don't look too close! Like everything you learn a lot first time and if I did it again I would make far fewer mistakes. Overall I would recommend the stuff with slight reservation about durability. The finish was very fragile during the painting process, but I am yet to see how it will hold up now it has been lacquered and had time to fully harden. The good thing about spraying your own frame is that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg for a complicated paint scheme.
Most of the components for this build were stripped from another bike, we have no space for any more bikes, so I now have a "one in - one out" rule. The problem I now have is that all my bikes are my own builds and I am already planning the next, so at some point I will have to decide which one has to go! How do I do that!
I am considering carbon for the next one -- back to the start of the learning curve
Thanks for looking and once again thanks for all the generously given expert advice from this forum.
