Félin the french : Menet makeover, Sancineto stunner, and more to come

Hi !

Being a member or LFGSS for a few years I never really took a part in the life of this forum. The fact that I don’t live in London was a good reason for staying in the reader’s zone.

Since the french forum for fixed gears and bike-related chatter is down again, I am making a move on introducing my bikes.

Here is the latest I built, a commuter based on a Genesis fork I had in my basement for too long. I wanted to use it, so I found an old french cyclocross frame and tried to make it look consistent.

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Welcome!

Beau vélo

Hey there! Super cool Vitus, love how you've built it up from the fork!

Thanks for your replies !

Here is another project :

Sancineto Altec tubing,
Campagnolo everywhere except headset

Any thoughts about bartape, saddle and tyres ? I am thinking about a pink tape and a yellow/blue Flite.

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Nice project you got there.

Thanks :)

That's gonna look really good when it's finished. I say black saddle and tape but if you have to have colour then blue tape and yellow saddle.

Coucou ;)

Regarding the Sancineto, +1 for black saddle and bar tape: it cannot go wrong that way!

Putting colors there might be risky, but if you do, I'd try the opposite i.e. yellow tape and blue saddle: Since colors will probbaly never perfectly match, it's easier to not put them side by side.

@Dcls Hello my fellow frenchman !

Thanks for the replies from all of you. I quit the idea to put colours on the tape and saddle, since the frame is really bright itself.

I tried with a black Flite I had laying around.

What are your thoughts ?

I may change the bars since they don't look as racey as I'd like, plus they are a bit too shallow for my tastes. I'm hesitating between a Classic round one (best option since I already have a spare one) or a compact for a more modern-ish look.

Here's a quick picture of the bike with the Flite. Black tyres are on their way.

Thanks for reading

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I love contemporary French bicycle tinkering.

Welcome

Flite validated.

Thanks @Hulsroy @Dcls !

Tonight I'd like to write you about my CX.

This is my oldest project. I built it several ways since the day I bought it in 2014, from a lad I knew on the french pignonfixe.com.

The frame was sold with the Genesis fork and the Rigida wheels which belong to the Vitus now.

First version was also my first geared-bike, and the first time I had two bikes at the same time (I now own more than 10 ...).

Due to the "Shimano" writing in the seat stay I wanted to stick to the Japanese manufacturer to "look pro" lol. The best way to do so was of course by throwing on it the simple 105 8-speed I had on my drawer.

Apologies for the crappy picture.

After a few rides in the country side and some painful races, I quickly thought it deserved more than a heavy-duty setting.

I switched to a Ultegra parts and hopped on the 1x trend train, more because of my laziness regarding the front derailleur than because on any mechanical gain. It derailed more than expected until I found a much needed narrow-wide chainring.

Here on a nice afternoon ride with a Pan Bagnat and a bottle of Perrier in the front bag.

Despite the fact that everything on this bike was a mismatch, it all went well until I found a cool carbon fork.

Even if I really like what they do, I'm not a Fista-kind of man. I had to do a complete makeover. The breaking of the front shifter the very next day I installed the fork dug the last nail in that ugly blue paint's coffin.

What are your thoughts on the paint and on the groupset I should install ?

I am planning on a pale green and a Sram 1x groupset.

Thanks for reading

Frame and forks look great together. Don't paint

Indeed, don't touch that funky paint combo!

If you want to change something in the setup, maybe switch the crankset for one more fancy.
And maybe wheels with traditional/even spoke 'distribution'.

@Hulsroy @Dcls The paint is awfully scratched everywhere, especially on the non-drive side where there is a 3 inch paint scratch. Makeover needed.

Update about the Sancineto. New bars, wheels and bottle cages.

Feels like another bike !

About the tyres, what should I take, gumwalls or black ?

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Needs some adjustments but this is roughly what I want for this build.

Any comments are welcome

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Nice work. However, the cocottes are way too low on the handlebars, I understand you are trying to achieve a flat transition, but these bars aren't designed with this in mind.

That's usually a good rule of thumb.

@Lolo I forgot that rule thanks for the reminder !

Update about the Menet

Stickers kindly made by a friend (check his IG @evanoui.cc )

New paintjob is almost over !

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Mockup build for the Menet ! Paintjob is done, just need to set the cables. I am glad that all of the parts are second-hand.

I'm not used to the Sram shifting system, any tips ?

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I'm not used to the Sram shifting system, any tips ?

Sell it on and buy Shimano instead?

Just run SRAM and get used to it?

I'm running campag/shimano/SRAM. Switching does not take any effort. Just put in the mileage.

@Lolo @Carabo I wasn't very clear. I'm asking about the cable tensioning / setting. I plan to do it myself one evening of the week. At least try to, to stay in the "DIY + second-hand" theme.

Heard many people complaining about the struggle on making the Sram system shift correctly, is it really that complicated ? :)