This is how I execute the internal routing. I was thinking to go thru the shell but I don't like curving the tube guide as too much friction involved. Wire slides smoothly now. . #limitedoffer5 ↘️⬇️↙️ If you're interested in getting yr bespoke steel frame, then know that I offer Columbus Futura fork including the frame. Check out my profile ☝️ . .
If you are friends with me on Facebook or follow my Instagram account, you have probably figured out that I like bicycles. Quite a bit. For one reason or another, I am especially drawn to steel bicycles with aesthetics that were common in the mid- to late-60s and early 70s. I have collected more than a few bikes over the past few years but I did not have a randonneuse, the very specific high-falutin’ term used to refer to bicycles made for randonneuring.
In 2015, I decided to take a class at the United Bicycle Institute in Portland, Oregon to learn how to build a brazed steel bicycle frame. The class was excellent. The instructors were fantastic, the facilities were terrific, and I was in Portland in mid-September, which, as every Portlander has told me, is a deceptively perfect time to be there.
Things started out pretty rough. I chose to build a lugged frame instead of a fillet-brazed frame. I picked very pretty lugs that looked like they came from an elven land, but instead they came from a dude in Connecticut named Richard Sachs. I also chose to use a bunch of braze-ons, little bits that are useful for randonneuring bikes but take time to add. Like these:
I probably spent a full work day just filing lugs to get them to fit with my tubes. Here’s my first attempt at lug brazing. The gold material is brass. I was more than a little sloppy.
Here are the actual lugs I used, Richard Sachs “Newvex”. They’re sitting on top of the full-scale drawing we had to make of our frame. You can see how the head tube, top tube, and down tube all fit into the lugs.
Raking the fork (i.e., bending the legs of the fork to a specific point) was nerve-wracking because you’re literally just pulling down on the blade and trying to get it to just the right bend. Twice. I stuck with a conservative rake of 45mm -- used for many road bikes -- but later changed my mind because I wanted to put a rack on the front of my bike. The rake wouldn’t be changed until after the frame was painted, because I am stupid.
I used a Pacenti fork crown and did only a slightly awful job on the brazes here.
Here are the lugs from before brazed to the head tube, top tube, and down tube.
Pacenti bottom bracket shell. I picked it for being similarly elven.
Long story slightly shorter... here’s the (sort of) finished frame and fork:
After the class ended, I went back to California and the frame sat around, taunting me. I messed around with some logo ideas but realized they wouldn’t work on the thin downtube. My inspiration was initially from the Columbine company’s head badge and late 19th century lettering styles.
Later, inspired by some old pictures of Jacques Anquetil, I came up with a basic paint scheme:
And then elaborated on it.
I worked out the details with Cyclart in Vista and sent my frame to them for cleanup and paint. Cyclart has a great staff and they were able to address my various minor mistakes like excessive brass on the fork dropouts and an ill-placed pump peg. I gave them an old Silca Impero pump to match to the top tube color. It took a while to get the frame back, but this was the result:
At this point, I had to decide on components. I wanted a traditional-looking build, but I also made a few concessions for convenience. I wouldn’t use integrated shifters, but instead would use Gevenalle Audax brake levers with Silver shifters mounted at the end. I had been saving a pair of Dia Compe 610 centerpull brakes for a couple of years to use on a bike like this. For the drivetrain, I decided on a Campagnolo Veloce 10-speed rear derailleur with a 10-speed Centaur cassette. I went with a reproduction René Herse crankset from Compass Bicycles with a 46/30t double chainring. For the hubs, I used a White Industries rear hub and a SONdelux generator front hub. The frame was drilled for internal electrical wiring so I could run lights front and back without having exposed wires.
Here’s the frame with a Stronglight A9 headset, Dia Compe quick release brake hanger, crankset installed, and the H+Son TB14 rims built up. The tires are 28mm Compass Chinook Pass Extralights.
I tried to fit a Velo Orange randonneur rack to the frame with Honjo fenders and ran into a ton of problems. The randonneur rack was beautiful, but ultimately I couldn’t make it work; the front fender kept running into the bottom of the rack and the rack kept interfering with the brake arms.
In the back, I was alarmed to find that the cassette didn’t have enough room near the dropout for the chain to run on the smallest cog. This was later solved with a 1mm spacer on the end of the hub.
Around this time, I also had the good folks at The Bicycle Stand in Long Beach re-rake the fork from 45mm to 60mm. The change was visually subtle, but should translate into a more stable front end when the bike is carrying a randonneur bag. I also had them handle all of the internal wiring and install a different front rack that wouldn’t interfere with the brake or fender (a Nitto M18).
Once I got the bike back, I assembled all of the remaining components as quickly as possible. After a few test rides and adjustments, I feel comfortable saying the bike is finished... for now. The only things I’d like to add at this point are a randonneur bag, a headbadge, and decals for the Newvex lugs (Mr. Sachs was kind enough to mail me one) and Columbus Zona tubing I used.
Thanks to Dan and Ron at UBI; my classmates who inspired me; the painters at Cyclart; Evan, Nicole, Mac, Josh, and Dave at The Bicycle Stand; and all of the frame builders who do this for a living. It was an eye-opening experience and I’m tremendously grateful that I was fortunate enough to have it.
If you are interested in classes at UBI, I can’t recommend them enough. The classes can be expensive, but there are various scholarships that may be available through UBI partners. It’s worth asking to see if you qualify for any.
Full build info:
Frame: Sawyer Cycles Randonneuse (59cm ST c-c, 57.5cm TT)
Tubing: Columbus Zona and Nova
Lugs: Richard Sachs Newvex, Pacenti Artisan Crown, Pacenti BB Shell, Paragon Dropouts
Crank: Compass/René Herse 46/30t
Bottom Bracket: Phil Wood Stainless
Pedals: Time ATAC
Cassette: Campagnolo Centaur 10-speed 12-30t
Derailleurs: Camapgnolo Veloce 10-speed (medium-cage rear)
Brakes: Dia Compe 610
Rims: 700c H+Son TB14 (32h)
Hubs: SONdelux, White Industries T11
Tires: Compass Chinook Pass Extralight 28mm
Headset: Stronglight A9
Stem: Nitto NP
Handlebars: Compass/Nitto Randonneur
Decaleur: Compass/C.S. Hirose
Brake Levers: Gevenalle Audax
Shift Levers: Silver
Seat Post: SimWorks Beatnik
Saddle: Brooks Cambium C15 Carved
Rack: Nitto M18
Fenders: Honjo Smooth
Lights: SON Edelux II, B&M Lumotec Secula Plus
Bottle Cages: King Cage Stainless
Pump: Silca Impero
