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@Sumo
So a little while ago I came in to some money and thought to myself "I need to buy something with this money that I would otherwise never have been able to afford and not piss it away or give it to my landlord." Pretty soon after that I was looking at bikes. I got thinking and decided on something I can ride everywhere, everyday and enjoy it every time. To me that says good quality steel.
I initially looked at Demon Cycles after being impressed with their stand at the cycle show in 2010 and I heard they were going to be doing a signature line for Mosquito Bikes which is very near my flat. I asked around and didn't hear anything, I asked in the shop and didn't get a definite reply. Then a few days later I was talking to Nik, one of the mechanics at LMNH and out of interest asked how much it would cost her boyfriend, Ryan of Oak Cycles, to make a steel road frame.
Things got a bit more interesting after that, it turns out Ryan was looking to start doing a line of frames, like 3 different levels of road frames at different price points. We got talking on more exact details and it turns out the exact frame I was wanting built is the same as the one he was wanting to build. And so it began. We decided on a geometry, steep front end and short chain stays for quick handling but a relatively low bottom bracket for stability at speed, much like classic Italian frames. I really wanted internal top tube cabling and Ryan suggested stainless caps on the entrance/exit holes so as the frame wears they will shine through. Ryan was keen on getting some custom CNC'd drop outs imported from Paragon Machine Works, which arrived a few days ago and apparently are amazing. There will be a 6° slope on the top tube to show more seatpost to increase comfort. We have also gone for beefy tubes for stiffness, the down tube is ovalised vertically at the head tube and twists to be ovalised horizontally at the BB. This whole process he has been as enthusiastic about it as I have.
We did a bike fitting after deciding the details and found out my current road bike was way too bike for me. I put a shorter stem on my track bike (which has a shorter top tube) and lowered my seatpost by about 2 cm to replicate the new setup and it already feels better. Riding the Dynamo recently I had no back pain or knee pain or anything, so it seems to be working.
Since all that I paid the deposit, Ryan ordered the tubes and the drop outs, drew up the to-scale diagram and I started collecting parts. I spoke to him this Friday gone and all the tubes have been mitered, the top tube has the internal cabling passage brazed in and the rest of the joints just need to get brazed. Then it will be off to Atlantic Boulevard to get painted then built up back here and ridden until death.
I'm very excited. Nik was saying she wants a frame exactly the same as it now after seeing it the other day.