All Road Custom Steel (DK -> UK)

I am moving to the UK around august 1st. This means I have to give up my workshop and therefore also frame building (I will keep all my tools in storage).
Good thing about this is that it gives me an excellent excuse for building myself another frame.
I have long wanted to exchange my current road frame for something that takes slightly bigger tyres.

Ever since seeing this actually:

My current way of road riding is between 50-150kms, with as much gravel as I can get. So the bike I am building won't be a precious art piece, it will be a tool!

Specs:

• 28c ish tyres (thinking about buying Open Paves, Paris Roubaix or Strade Bianchas)
  
• Eyelets for rear fender (as I am thinking about joing a club so I will have someone to ride with)
  
• ø44mm head tube
  
• Columbus Fel forks
  
• Shimano 105 5800 groupset (BSA, 175mm, 53/39T, 11/28T, black)
  
• Undecided on wheelset, but probably 105/A23/Comp
  
• 3T kit as I have it already (Doric Pro, Team Arx, Ergonova Pro)
  
• Hope headset
  
  

I already have a disc brake tourer/cx/gravelgrinder thingy, so this has to be faster and lighter.

As for tubing I went with:

• ø44mm x 220mm machined head tube
  
• ø35mm Zona DT
  
• ø31.7mm Zona TT
  
• ø28.6/29.8mm ex. butt. ST
  
• Zona MTB S bend chain stays
  
• Spirit straight seat stays.
  
  

Dropouts will be breezer style dropouts like these

Still have to decide whether I want internal or external rear brake cable routing. I have bought the stainless tubing to do this, but as I have never done it before I am not sure if I will be satisfied with the end result. Also external routing is much easier to do, easier to maintain and is much more the design philosophy I normally preach. ;-)

I am not completely sure what geometry I want. Most of it is decided, but not sure to go for 74 degrees og 73.5 degrees HT.

Awesome, sub'd

As for color I am all ears for suggestions.

Currently working on these colour schemes:

Top three are my favorites so far. Thinking grey to black fade in metallic paint could be great. Would allow me to swap color on bartape and decals once in a while... To keep the bike fresh looking...

Sub'd! This sounds great, my vote would be for the first paint job, looks sharp and as you say you can tart it up with finishing touches. A friend got a v similar build done at Saffron and it is perfect for UK roads, club rides and general year-round abuse.

Thx. Do you have a photo of the Saffron? Really like his work generally.

I am thinking decals will be something along the lines of this:

I might leave the DT decals off though.

Subbed, bound to be an exciting build. Was hoping for a lighter paint job though, shows off the frame more!

Can't wait to see it built. Nowt wrong with the colour of the Rock Lobster.

^he's right you know. a big part of the lobsters charm lie in the brightish colour.

Are you going to use long drop brakes?

Probably just going to make it work with 5800 brakes. They seem to clear 28c, but haven't got a pair so I haven't measured yet. Still som tinkering to be done...

All colours are up in the air still.

Yes pls; avoid long drops and if you cant just go disc. Would love to know what you can fit (max tyre width or tyre + mudguards) with 5800 brakes. I saw someone riding 28s with mudguards with Athena brakes today.

I wont go disc as I already have a bike that can do that, and I can not afford hydro disc/gears.
If I can't fit mudguards I will run 28c in the summer and 25c and mudguards in the winter. In the winter I will be training on my cx off road anyways.

external rear brake cable routing

... for all the reasons you said.

@amey - any reason for not recommending long drops?

Awesome project.

Breaking is really bad compared to normal race lenght brakes.

If you are going steel forks why not these?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-105-5800-direct-mount-brake-calliper/

More clearance than regular calipers; more braking power; lighter.

It will have carbon forks.

@hugo7 just stripped some housing last night trying to get it out of an internal cable route. :-( in other words, it probably will be external on this frame

long drop callipers are fine, i've got R650 on my Saffron and they work really well.

this is the frame i want! would have snapped up your other one if it could only accommodate bigger tyres. great project

'This means I have to give up my workshop and therefore also frame building'

Nooo :(

Subscribed!

for tyres I would 100% recommend strada bianca, and 100% not recommend pager roubaix. Open pave are great obviously but actually not that big- the 27s came up smaller than my 25c gatorskins.

If I get a proper job and can afford a space where I can build stuff I might bring over my tools...

@JT do you have a photo of your setup?

@bmx_fred sounds weird. Won't the become bigger if you infalte them pretty high and let them sit?

They didn't seem to. I think the Opan Pave tyres are probably tougher than the Strada Biancas, but I've preferred the strada bianca to ride on. They're much larger and more supple, and I've had 2 punctures in 2 months, including a fair bit of gravel (where they've never punctured) which to me isn't that bad

I have had 32c Durano Plus (on 23mm wide rim) fitted in the FEL forks and they can rotate freely, but I wouldn't dare to ride it. Strada Biancas are 30c no? What do they actually measure?

I guess it depends what rims you have but this is on mavic open pro

Cool. I will see if I can get hold of some and try them out in my forks.. Thank you.

sort of.... not my build but you get the idea. pinched the brakes for my commuter :)

http://www.saffronframeworks.com/build/columbus-sl-light-tourer/