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

...a template to make sure I get the saddle in exactly the right position. Bike fit is serious business!

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Ha, so simple, but so effective, nice work.

I’ve found a laser lever to be a bike setup game changer (that and installing kitchens). If Scherrit isn’t using one yet I’ll have to drop him an email.

Not sure it would be easy to make for any other saddle... this one has a handy central gully with a flat plastic base to rest the cardboard on. No idea how I would do this for a curvy saddle like a Flite.

Anyway, I'm off to Condor now to have a look at their seatpost. Hopefully it's what I'm after and I can get some photos done and finally go for a ride : )

Looks like rain for the rest of the week (month) so fingers crossed!

He has a digital spirit level (you can only see the liquid things in that photo though).
Scherritt has his methods down to a fine art!

This is why you have a bike with mudguards and a dynamo!

And it was built just for these weather conditions, or that's what I got from Gareth's thread title.
@ .gaz. was the hunt for a seatpost successful?

Guilty as charged : /
Although surely no one sees it pissing down and thinks "Wooop! Time for a ride!"

It was! I went for Condor in the end. They had a Superzero in stock and it looked a bit funny... the curve at the top goes quite far down so I'd need a bit more showing to make it look decent.
The condor is a quality item irl, and the clamp is longer at the back so it doesn't look too weird.

Disappointingly, the logo is underneath the lacquer so it'll have to stay.

And......a pic of said post please.
No, I don't jump for joy when it's raining, but it doesn't stop me going out, that's what mudguards and waterproofs are for.

What about the WR Compositi WRC, 20MM setback, very light and somewhat classic looking. But twice what you want to pay :)

A second hand Record carbon seatpost would look OK perhaps too.

Not sure if this is sorted but this might do

https://ultimateuse.com/ultimate-components/ultimate-road/road-seatposts/duro-carbon

Anyway, took some photos and went for a ride this afternoon.

There are a few tweaks I'd like to make...

It turns out these handlebars are 38cm instead of 40cm - Deda measure from outside to outside instead of centre to centre. Scherritt said it's fine from a bike-fit perspective but it does feel a bit narrow for my liking, and I'd like more leverage up the hills.

The saddle is definitely not that comfortable. It was recommended by a man with a pressure pad and a computer, and it felt fine when I tried it in the shop, but on today's ride it just made me miss my Flite! Anyway, I'll give it some time and see how it goes.

The only other thing was that the front mudguard is quite rattly... but that should be easy enough to fix.

Aside from that, I'm extremely pleased!
The handling feels very solid; the extra rake, slacker headtube and longer wheelbase make it feel much safer than the Roberts on wet roads, and the 28mm 4Seasons feel like they're glued to the road. It's a huge relief for me to feel more confident cycling in this kind of weather as braking my femur a couple of years ago made me uncharacteristically nervous on descents and in corners ... and this bike more or less solves that.

It's definitely a tad slower than the Roberts but (obvs) so much faster and more fun than the Galaxy.

Basically, it does everything I wanted it to do - It feels safe, has mudguards and decent winter tyres, easier gearing, takes a rack... and (most importantly for custom bike) looks extremely pretty!

https://ultimateuse.com/ultimate-compone­nts/ultimate-road/road-seatposts/duro-ca­rbon

Ah, yes, they're perfect! One day when I'm feeling more flush perhaps : )

Anyway, photos:

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Oh so good!

Thanks Jon!

Next time it's sunny out I'll try and get some with the paint looking zingy.
And I realise now I that don't have many photos of frame details...

Looks great!

Nice, looks about my size, dibs :)

Particularly like the colour.

Looks like your front brake quick release is in the 'open' position.

That is just so nice. Good job

Eagle eye! Yeah, I was fucking around with the mudguard before I went out to take photos so took the front wheel off.

Dammit.

Fantastic! Looks effortlessly just right!