Varonha Frameworks winter bike / FW Evans 650b conversion rat bike fun

read through this (and the saffron thread) earlier - now subbed to both and stoked for the madness : )

41? You don't look a day over 40! Take up yoga, cut the stem. ;)

No madness yet but I do (finally) have two chainrings... This has been something of a saga: I wanted a 33t inner ring for when I'm carrying panniers, so I ordered 33t/48t to keep the gap below 16.

But 33t / 11sp Zephyrs don't reeeally seem to exist, despite what the stock lists may say: I tried a couple of different places and both times recieved a 9/10 speed and had to send them back... In the end I gave up and went with 50 / 34 Syrius inner and outer.

Which means I COULD have just bought a compact R7000 chainset... but where's the fun in that?!

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There's a certain charm in Spécialités TA products.

Let's hope so!
I actually do feel quite loyal to TA, at least for chainrings. I have done my best to destroy them in the past but have never yet suceeded.

Spa Cycles has a good selection of chainrings. I use their own zircal rings 48/33 with 11 speed

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m8b0s210p3055/SPA-CYCLES-110-BCD-Zicral-Middle-Inner

I'd be interested to hear how these are holding up if you've had them for a while?
I've used the cheap triple chainrings from Spa before and they died within months... although to be fair these look / sound quite a lot better.

Progress....
Any last words?

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hack hack hack hack hack hack hack
AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!!!

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And finally, after much filing and chamfering, glorious triumph over a worthy adversary:

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Nice work. Have you decided on a colour yet?

Actually yes, at last!

On Friday Winston told me the frame was finished and ready for paint so I went to see Mario to go through it all. I ended up going for the same dark metallic burgundy as my Roberts, but with the addition of a black head tube and a barber's pole on the seat tube. Lug lining will be done in metallic black so hopefully it'll be kind of visible / subtle next to the plain black.

Basically a classic 60s / 70s paint job in slightly unusual colours... and no unicorn piss, I'm afraid.
I shall, however, be dowsing the Saffron in as much sparkly piss as I can... so fear not, champions of the unicorn.

I did more rubbish photoshopping:

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What’s the latest with the rotors?

Just beat me to it!! Rotor progress updates please!!

Sneeky peak

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Nice! What you doing on here anyway, less time perusing the internet, more time frame building please (even if it is the weekend!) ;)

Not to down play your potatoshop skills, but let's hope the finished artical is somewhat superior. Fine colour choice too, really like your Roberts.

Ha ha, hi Winston!

No news yet; I only got round to dropping them off on Friday morning.
Should be ready within 5 - 7 working days, will update when I have them back.

Quite apprehensive about the results if I'm honest!

OI!!! mY skILlz ArE SupErb

Oooh lovely sixtiesy stay caps or whatever you call those bits.

'Thingimy whatsits', I think.

They're based on the ones from my old WP Newton frame... they now have four little notches cut into them.
: )

Buenos notches

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I'd think about going white detail instead of black, especially in Varhona text and barber pole. Part of the reason your twin Roberts look so classy is the white / burgundy contrast. With burgundy and black it dulls and muddies the colours together and ends up a bit...supermarket merlot