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I used super light seatstays on this and they're just not stiff enough to cope with a rack loaded up with proper panniers. I'm keen that this bike has the capacity for long tours and since I found the anything cages on the forks super practical I decided to add some mounts to the seatstays.
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No, just the climbing buttons. Like you, in cross races I'm on the hoods most of the time so didn't feel the need for additional shifters. That said, I have climbing buttons in each shifter and, as it's a single ring set up, I've set them up so both right hand buttons shift up a gear and both left buttons change down.
I started with a single button, but in the heat of a cross race, when you're going cross-eyed from the effort, working out which button to press to change gear was challenging.
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And onto the final piece, the paint...
I'd actually booked this in a while ago to get painted and had asked for something based on the old Marin Eldridge frames from the early 90s:
Then thought no, black is always cool, then baby pink, then our painter surprised me with a bright pink track bike so maybe back to yellow...then a customer got a dope matt grey and white...and so on and so on, it was a tough one!
We also had a customers bike recently that paired an anthracite grey with a bright yellow and it popped so good, paired with a soft touch clear coat I liked it a lot:
I was sure I wanted it to be quite simple and did a few mock ups, then narrowed it down to 4:
But really it's a black bike! and to me it loaded up with all black everything just works so I decided to base it on one of my favorite paintjobs from my old Orlowski :
so simple, so good!And so it's decided! Soft touch anthracite grey with yellow logos and I told the painter he can choose or mix the yellow so long as it pops. He was a little "meh, boring" as it's not a super exciting paintjob and with little creative freedom but happy as it gives him a chance to try out some sort of matt surface sealant which is supposed to seal to the paint from grime and oils without affecting the look
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I think those levers mess with the Ritchey Neo-Classic bars, they look oddly long. (But that could also just be the angle.
I recently switched to a set of EvoMax bars, which have a bit of flare in the drops which is pretty comfortable on longer rides. Also swapped out a Gevenalle set for regular levers and a bar end, could just not get along with them somehow.
Do want to know what mudguard you are using, the front looks longer than usual, which is exactly what I’m after. -
No you're right: the levers are super long but for me that's a plus point, they're super comfortable, just don't sit right on the Ritchey bars
I find the Gevenalle's super intiative and really like being able to dump the whole cassette in one go, how come you didn't like them?
They're Gilles Berthoud guards, can reccomend! These are some seconds with a little twist in them I got for cheap but the protection is good and no rattling
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As always: amazing! I really enjoy your writeups and the detailed information about which decisions were good and how to improve if they weren't. I guess you could call it development..
I have been riding Hylex brakes on my commuter for years now without any issues at all and really like them, so was excited to see you using the Gevenalle option. The DI2 option looks neat, curious to see where your 'development' approach takes you.
Friction shifter, the good old square BB, steel stem etc all good for touring.. might just be a case for another geared 'race' twin-sibling.Yellow and black, definitely, the halve and halve one. I would have voted for the simple Orlowski design but the 'Fern' logo is soo small.
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I like to think of it as tuning to my needs and preferences. For me the metrics and priorities are feel and durability.
I’ve not had it on the scales but it feels heavy when you pick it up however it feels light and nimble to ride so I’m not really interested in chasing weight reduction and certainly not at the cost of durability, cracked rims etc.
With the steel stem I could feel the flex (could be a benefit in a different situation) and didn’t like it hence the swap to Alu .
The cranks look good, square is dependable and I personally can’t feel any flex compared to Hollowtech so they’re staying.
The Gevenalle is indexed (though can be run friction if needs must), can’t imagine trying to tune 11s friction in a race situation!
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i was trying to avoid the GB due to price, but might just need to take the dive I guess. The spray coming off the front really bugs me and I need to clean my front light way too often.
As for the Gevenalle's, I think it's just personal preference. Also couldn't get used to the cable dangling in front of me.
Also came across these bars, but I suspect you woukld have the same problem as with the Neo-Classics.
Otherwis, great build as always and look forward to more pictures!
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Beautiful
See the next trick is getting electrocuted by the tig torch, which is a weird experience. Dont hold the ground and tungsten then tap the pedal kids.
Oddo
fredtc
andyp
LeMesjeu
Arnomatic
Coffeeholic
Eingang
Josh
PhilDAS
Biggles567
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About
Fern Cross Tourer
Posted by
@Skant
I've had this setup on a cross bike for the past few years and really rate it. Shifting has been absolutely flawless and the Hylex brakes require minimal maintenance, just the odd sticky piston which is easily resolved.