cormacf

I'm turning 50 next year, and I'm starting to see a trend of "little" things adding up more frequently. Nothing big--just an achy knuckle here, a quirky knee thing there, etc. But there aren't going to become LESS common over the next 15 years, so as I plan my NEXT bike, I want something that can age more gracefully than I do.


Things I want:

• Some sort of flat bar. Possibly trekking bars, for the hand positions and gear options. I've had them before and love them. So that would mean a longer top tube.
  
• A front rando rack (assuming I can get it to work with the bars). This MIGHT have some impact on the trail I'd want? I had a low-trail Rawlan with a front rack and I really dug it.
  
• The option of running a Rohloff. So probably sliding dropouts?
  
• Something easy on the hands, so definitely hydros, and either the Rohloff grip shift, or maybe DI2
  
• Steep seat tube, due to really short femurs
  
• Dynamo routing
  
• Fenders
  
• 650b
  

Most of this I can go over with the builder, but I'd love to get group advice on a few things if you have opinions:

• Split chainstays for a Gates drive?
  
• Tapping the frame for DI2?
  
• Any other holes for dynamo routing for the rear light? Not even sure if that's a thing. The fork will definitely have internal routing.
  
• 142x12 in the back? It's what I have on my Lynskey and it seems to be as close to a standard as any, but if something else is emerging...
  

This will be sort of a light touring bike. Something I can do a couple centuries a year on between the ages of 50 and 70, plus grocery getting and lots of 50-milers. I don't have a lot of bucket list rides left (PBP, Alpe d'Huez, an Everest, and RAMROD, and I have bikes for all of those), so this doesn't need to be anything super-specialized. It just needs to fit and look right with a Brooks. Something Grant Peterson would ride if he didn't hate discs.

Andrew R Stewart 

A few comments- Steep seat tubes and Brooks saddles don't play nice sometimes as the leather Brooks saddles tend to sit somewhat further forward then most other saddles do. Additionally a hips forward position tends to load your hands more.

I do like the idea of a stay splitter, especially if you're running a IGH. If never used it doesn't present any issues. I would consider the seat stay before the chain stay though.

Not sure how the shifter set up effects hand discomfort, other then when shifting.

I'm not a fan of internal anything. But being a LBS wrench I like to be able to work on the communication links with few challenges

142x12- I haven't done my homework here. Just make sure any rear hub/gearing design you are thinking about supports this.

I'm not a front end load rider but I understand a low trail geometry is preferred by many who do choose the front to load up.

Fender clearances and dedicated eyelets- YES

Generally I would design a more relaxed handling bike then is popular. I'm 15 years older and the way i rode at 50 and how I do know are rather different. The days of quick and reactive bikes is going into the past the older I get. I would also suggest you revisit the various handle bars (and those bike's geometries) again before you spend a couple of thousand for a next 20 years ride. Andy

Darth Lefty 

Take a look at Soma Wolverine B. It might not exactly match all your requests but you can put it in your idea box. You could even run it behind one of their low trail forks.

unterhausen

I was trying to figure out if the Rohloff compatibility test would work on the new sliders from Paragon. My guess is they will be compatible. They are 142x12mm Test


I have never really figured out how to do internal routing for rear dyno lights. On my travel bike, the wire goes out the back of the bb shell, so that it can be fed into the front of the fender. Not sure what I would do if I wasn't going to run fenders

cormacf

Funny you should mention that. For shorthand, I was going to say "Basically, a Wolverine with a slightly longer top tube."

Fantastic suggestion. Maybe I buy all the rest of the gear and try a flat-bar Wolverine build while I sort out what does and doesn't work, then I'll know EXACTLY what mods I'll need to make for the ti custom frame-to-end-all-frames! Thank you!