52telecaster

british racing green with red letters and gold lines. early xmas ornament for me. i will post pics. it is my first ever handbuilt frameset i have bought new.

Squeezebox

Way Cool!!!

stardognine

Should be excellent, congrats, or Merry Christmas, or something. 😁

BobG

Back in the mid 60s I was a high school kid working for Mel Pinto Imports in Arlington VA. He was one of the the original importers of Gitane bicycles, Campagnolo components and Clement tubular tires. He also imported the very first Bob Jackson frames to the US. I got to drive the van out to Dulles airport to pick up the first arrivals. I know how you're feeling. Enjoy!

jefnvk

You better! It is a bannable offense not to do so, isn't it?

52telecaster

this is a horrible pic but its the best i got right now. not rideable yet and i have gigs to play and camping to do so i may not be done for a day or two. the bike will be a continuing project for the rest of my life i am guessing. the guys at the bike shop liked it a lot when i had the headset pressed in.

52telecaster

here are two better pics from earlier in the process.

Mo06

Those handlebars ..... NO!!!!!

seeker333

You should consider getting a work stand. They're indispensable for building, modifying and repairing bicycles. I waited years to get a decent stand at a good price and finally bought one of these when it was still made/owned by Ultimate Support; now it's Feedback Sports. Five years or more after I bought the stand something in the head clamp unit failed. When I contacted Feedback regarding warranty repair/parts, their CSR explained the replacement part had been modified to accommodate revisions to the stand upright and was no longer compatible with my failed head unit. Instead of a little $10 part, they sent me 90% of a new work stand - the whole thing from the head unit down - free under terms of the Ultimate Support product warranty they inherited when they bought the company. Extraordinary customer service in my experience.

Sorry, I digress. Enjoy your new bike. Think about getting a stand, they're a real back saver, you can see your work better and get better results.

36Oly_Rider

I don't know...they're not my first choice of handlebars, but they do look good on the bike. Overall, looks good, Telecaster!

52telecaster

if you had my back you would love those bars. plus they fit barcons. anyway i can average the same speed in an 80 mile day with those or with drop bars in a loaded touring situation. plus at the end of the day my arthritic neck only requires 2 ibuprofen instead of 4!

took it out for a 1 speed spin a little earlier and its a dream so far. a little stiffer than an older 531 frame i had but certainly comfy. plus if anyone is wondering, if you are extremely careful i think you could get 35's on it with fenders. i had a 35 on the back while fooling with the bike. i will be running 32's and its nice there is plenty of room for them.

trailangel

Nice record collection

jefnvk

Love the British Racing Green, although I think it would look a bit sexier with some hammered chrome fenders! Beautiful ride though!

And yes, I agree with @seeker333, a workstand was probably one of my best biking purchases.

DanBell

That's a hell of a frame. Congratulations.

Squeezebox

Yea! but I'ld get rid of the sofa!

52telecaster

i have had many workstands over the years and need a new one now but am dealing as well as i can with the apartment.

36Oly_Rider

I meant no offense. I wholly understand. I do think they look good on the bike, very classy.

52telecaster

i got rid of about 1000 records when i moved. my gf is very sweet about the collection though. i just have a hard time moving them.

52telecaster

none taken for sure. i know my tastes are odd. getting ready to go play a gig for a bunch of harley people where i will play the kind of stuff they like and pretend to like it myself.

stardognine

Ha, there were several hundred, maybe a thousand bikes going from Dodge City to Garden City this morning. Something to do with the VFW. They weren't ALL Harleys, but most were.
I was up and moving before them, but chose to take a break for coffee, to let them get out of my way. 😉😁

trailangel

When you say it's stiffer than other 531 you have, is this because they made it with thicker tubing for a tour bike, meant to carry some weight?
If it's a 55cm, I'll take it. That's my color too.

52telecaster

its a 23" 58cm aproximately

its oversize tubing compared to the 531 i have. they are both quite light for steel.

jefnvk

Just out of pure curiosity, did you weigh the bare frame? While full bike build weights are readily available, frames are not, I'm curious to understand how much of a difference there actually is in various framesets.

52telecaster

i did not. since i moved in with my gf we dont have a scale. she wont allow it. its light enough for a touring frame for sure.

Tourist in MSN

A low cost luggage scale can be your best friend, it helps prevent you from showing up at the airport with a bag a few pounds too heavy.

Some of my relatives saw my luggage scale a few years ago and were envious, that told me what to buy for each of them for the following christmas gathering.