Dear Susan

His bikes are not what I’d build, but that’s a positive thing- we need a broad range of ideas, and he makes things that no one else does. I suspect that there is a degree of envy that goes unsaid- he’s able to support himself whilst he does what he wants to do, which I would imagine means an income stream independent of framebuilding. I’d love to be able to do the same thing, in many ways.

I thought it must be it.

It felt so good to ride that I wouldn't mind having one like it (though not with brakless installed).

He was quite recently bemoaning his low income on Instagram. Surely he only sells a bike every month or two, so I can't imagine it's paying the big bucks.

Time to learn welding and make one yourself? :)

There’s no way his business generates enough for him to live on unless he’s selling each frame for 4K.

Some sort of wide bar monstrosity being constructed. 690mm apparently.

690mm apparently

#sexnumberbars

Here's the thing from above. Anyone see it at Grinduro? Really can't see how this is comfortable personally

That eccentric bb setup looks interesting, wonder how secure it is

I like that the chain can come off without having to break it

That is awful

it's a pinion gearbox

Isn't that setup a bolt on BB, designed to fit the pinion mounts?

jeez, looks like a dog's dinner.

Looks like a 90s MTB crossed with that canyon with the aeroplane bars and one of the Instagram famous crust builds.
Plus those forks.
Whow.

It's singlespeed.
He was saying it bolt on BB means you can change completely how the bike rides by moving bb/saddle front and back.

The extra wide handlebars looks horrendous to me, but guess they suit some people.

Challenging but I like it

How can they suit anyone? You'd have to significantly shorten the toptube/stem just to be able to reach the brakes, no? As you move your hands further apart your reach decreases

What I mean is with bars that big I can't see how it's possible for the tops, hoods and drops to all be comfortable.

Interesting. It would be easy to add a belt drive too.

Well that bike has a tiny stem, i believe it's to make it feel more like the control of the MTB on rough stuff by being wide. Pete did say he had wanted the drops to be a lot shallower than they came out on these.

I know a super tall guy who loves the crust/ultraromance ones. I would never ride them.

@Sumo good point about ease of installing a belt-drive. That chainstay is great I think. Sadly can't see it catching on...

Some more:

10/10 functionality score for shopping bag duties to be fair:

I dont think it is. I dont think you can put those cranks and chainrings on pinions, and theres only 2 hydraulic hoses coming from the bars.

self indulgent bullshit is self indulgent. wypipo

Most of Dear Susan's stuff isn't really my bag. I don't understand why he's built it this way or that way or I don't understand if there's meant to be some functional aspect that I'm just not seeing etc but the thing I find hardest to understand is why so many people get so pissed off by it all.

The guy has just chucked some tubes together in a rather unconventional manner, he didn't come into your home and shit on your coffee table for fuck sake.

Personally I feel like aesthetically he shit on my eyes, and functionally I'm looking at the framebuilders equivalent of a Rorsach blot and this guy is the Hannibal lecter of pointless and extravagant custom builds.

In saying that I'm not angry tho, i just like florid expressions. Which is perhaps how he designs bieks. Anyway, not my bag but would be interested to hear a more detailed explanation of WHY!? they are designed the way they are.