The Progress Continues

Chuck has been a busy man. He put in a wood stove and insert this week -- and finished up the rear triangle of my new randonneur frame. Also, he's completed most of the braze-ons. All good stuff. Notice the nice bullet cable stops on the top tube. That was one of my requests.

Next up is the fork. I'm going with the modern, unthreaded steerer rather than the quill stem. The reason is simple: the modern set-up is much easier to travel with. With that detail settled, I suspect I'll see pictures of it soon.

We've discussed how to attach the front rack. Here's what Chuck suggested, based on another fork he's done.



I like, and told him to go ahead with that design.

Some other odds & ends:

I'm going to go with a clamp-on front der versus one that mounts to a braze on.

I'm going with Dura Ace Bar end shifters. I guess that means a 10-speed set-up. Chuck mentioned the 10 chain is not as strong. But they're stronger than I am. I've yet to break one. So no worries there.

Brother Rob has a low-mileage Campy carbon compact crank (50/34) and square taper BB. He's being generous on the price, so in they'll go. We'll soon find out how they like their Shimano neighbors.

Rob has also suggested a medium length rear der, which would allow a 29 rear sprocket. If that's available in Shimano Ultegra (haven't checked) I'll go that way. Otherwise, it will be a 27.

Chuck has been great to work with. It's been a very enjoyable experience to be involved in all of these little details.

Stay tuned.