Big Ted’s Second Midlife Crisis Build

It is but quite different now as, with the stupid IF sealed tubes, water got to the bottom of the seat tube and it rotted through from the inside!!!!

I’m currently rebuilding it but this is the really neat repair

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Loving that cyclocross :)
Three orange bikes here , not sure why but feels like perfect bike colour..

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Wow that is interesting that the sealed tubes create an issue , nice fix though..

Yep, water gets in via the seatpost or bottle bosses then just pools - imagine my horror when I saw a bit of flaky paint and just pushed a screwdriver gently through the tube!!!

Sealed tubes are a daft idea - let the water in and out and the issue of internal rust decreases hugely.

The repair was done by Geoff Roberts, £75 including postage which seemed an insanely good deal.

I really must get it finished off, it’s almost there just needs cables etc

I have bumped unto many a frame without a vent hole underneath the bottom bracket.
A 5mm metal drill bit makes short work of that.

Absolutely, even if it feels crazy to take a drill to a nice frame

Sounds like it's going to be a great build. As for paint, surely the answer is always sick fadez?

I will take a good look over my Indy at the weekend :)

Definitely in the frame although, for no good reason, don’t want to paint the fork.

But which colour fading into which?

Get the b/b out and see what it looks like inside

Something like this?

Very hot!!!

Seatstays mitred

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Yep would agree with this. Serotta are very underrated when it comes to their fadezzzzz

That Serotta fade is hot 🔥+1 for orange. How about orange to orange red? This is more orange and metallic than the first pic looks better in the metal
Quite looking forward to my next midlife crisis now

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Second onset midlife crisis has been unexpected but also a decent excuse for moar bykes

Headtube is looking good

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And more progress

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Looking lovely .
Geometry looks interesting
Not as long as your if cross bike ?
Did you spec the design on a bike fit or an existing bike you have ??

I’ve always adhered to the “ride a bike until you fit it” approach, the IF is a touch long but was such a mad bargain that I just used it with a slightly shorter stem than usual and it rode really well.

For this one, we started off with the geometry of an XL Open W.I.D.E. and then tweaked it a bit to take into account a couple of bikes that I have that fit - I could have had a bike fit but that might have lead to despair when I realised that all my bikes didn’t fit (although that could have lead to a Chelsea style fire sale and a shed restock - maybe I should have gone down the bike fit route after all 🤔)

Thoughts are having to get serious re paint, currently thinking a two colour fade with colour matched fork and builders name painted on.

Blue Whippet (Rourke) have been recommended so I’ll contact them for a quote, any other recommendations from personal experience?

Thanks Ed. Looking forward to the outcome , proper project here .

I’ve really enjoyed the process of working with a friend on this, constant updates have been great, just want to give his work a decent build but it’s the frame that will be the star

Ok, to the build, thinking:
Wheels - Hed Belgium disc (already purchased)
Cranks - Rotor Rex3 with a single ring (cranks via eBay, ring, chainring bolts and b/b still needed)
Gears and brakes - Force AXS (already purchased)
Seatpost - carbon ElitaOne in-line off AliExpress (arrived yesterday)
Saddle - Arione or Aliante (I have a carbon railed one of the latter, but tatty, could get recovered?)
Stem - Fizik (got) or Kalloy (need)
Bars - got some Ergosum that need cleaning up
Tape - cork, black black black
Cages - don’t know
Luggage - got various but surely this needs bougie custom bags?
Cassette - need
Pedals - SPD of one sort or another

Tell me the above choices are flawed as I need a degree of jeopardy to keep me honest

You forgot the tires, but for an all-around use I suggest you some Pirelli Cinturato M!

Good point, need to add tyres to my list!