Tag: yellow

Porteur Makeover

This last week I was able to get the 51 Rambler switched over from its original drop bar build:

There was nothing really wrong with the way the bike was built up, and it fit my wife well.  The thing is, it just was not how she wanted to use the bike.  She prefers to sit upright, be able to put our minpin in a front basket of sorts, but still have the bike preform at a high level.  I sourced some new parts, others were already on hand, and set to work on the conversion.

It came out fantastic.  Some details worth note.  The Wald bars work just fine with bar end shifters.  The newish Tektro city levers are stylish and work great with the Paul Racers.  The Pari Moto tires were swapped for a set of Soma B-lines to add a bit more durability as well as the look of the red tires.  The Porteur rack is a Soma Fab offering as well.  I modified it slightly so that it worked more gracefully with the front dropouts as well as having a couple of struts welded on for mounting the top end to the crown bosses.  The whole thing is rock solid.  The cherry on top is the new Crane mini hammer strike bell.

Only a few test ride miles in so far, but all smiles.  I still need to do a final wrap on the grips and work out a basket or box for the dog, but it is pretty close to her dream bike at this point.

Rambler No.3 Built Up

Rambler No.3 is now fit and built up to what it will most likely be for a while.  I still need to sort out the racks, but am stoked on how it turned out.

After riding the bike a bit with the Hetre tires, they just felt to big and cushy for the nature of the bike.  One lap around the block with the Pari-Motos and I knew it was a perfect match for such a little bike.  The hammered Honjo fenders are the 50mm offered by Velo Orange, and are a perfect fit for the 38mm tires.  The verdict is still out on how the HWY 1 handlebars will be for the long haul, but I thing the shorter reach is a good thing.  The pictures tell the story of the frame details, lighting wire provisions, rack and fender mounts, etc.

Having been in the business of designing and making things most of my post college career, I will never cease to be excited every time a project comes together.  Having this bike in front of me to make the pictures, for my wife to ride, and to make available for other people to find joy in cycling is incredible.  Thank you for the opportunity to deliver a product that works, and might even be a game changer for some people.  Finding small bikes that work and fit well, like the one above is not easy, and I plan on changing that.