Polo bike retirement project - Dawes Time Trial

So I'm not sure if I'll ever again be living in a city where there will be regular polo so I've decided to turn my polo bike into a time trial machine. Don't think it will ever be entered into any time trials, I just like the look of vintage TT bikes.

It currently looks like this:

But I'm going for something similar to this Aende, only with pursuit style bars. The frame, being the correct size for me when playing polo is slightly too small on the top tube, so I'm hoping that by using a pursuit bar I can stretch out a bit more.

So far I have some Cinelli Angel bars and Tektro reverse levers on the way. I'm planning to take of the arm rests and aero extensions so they are effectively bullhorns with a bit of drop. The bike currently has a quill to ahead adapter, so the bars should fit straight on.

List of parts still to get hold of:

• silver track or single-speed crankset like the one on the Aende
  
• a chain
  
• 27" rear wheel, 5-speed
  
• rear derailleur
  
• band-on shifter
  
  

Any ideas welcome

Sounds tasty.
Love those bars.
Do it.

This is mine:

I've since changed the saddle for a Turbo.

Tubs all the way!

Nice! Looks very fast. Pretty much what I'm aiming for

Where will you be living, Stu?

Norwich at the moment and come September will either be staying here or moving to Cambridge. If I do go to Cambridge I'll sort of be earning a salary, not just living off a student loan, so might be able to build another bike for polo, if I have the time/inclination to play that is

Bars arrived this morning. So rad!

Bars arrived this morning. So rad!

Still planning to take arm pads and extensions off? I suspect it would look a bit odd without.

I dunno, I like both of these

and mine have slightly less up-sweep at the end too

They look nice but not as nice as a plain base bar I think.

I found some cranks which I think will work nicely

http://imageshack.us/a/img842/4046/010dxl.jpg

I've gathered a few more shiny bits thanks to Bicycle Links in Norwich

Now just need to find a rear wheel and building can start!

Planning to build up the back wheel tomorrow, pretty standard 36h 3-cross pattern. Going to follow Sheldon Brown's advice but I don't have a truing stand so I'll be using the frame as a stand and will need to make a tool to measure the dish. I'm thinking a piece of plywood with a cut away for the hub would work. I've done a lot of truing of mangled wheels before but never a full build so any tips appreciated!

Download Roger Musson's wheelbuilding e-book for only £9. Pretty much everything you need to know, including how to make your own truing stand and dishing tool.

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

Those bars are sex!

Didn't get the wheel built today unfortnately but was quite productive nonetheless.

The bars have a stripped thread in the steerer clamp (I knew this when I bought them) so I went to a local engineering firm this morning and left it with them to fit a helicoil. I then tried to build the rear wheel but found the spokes I have are too short. Pretty frustrating as I bought those spokes to replace the ones in an old wheel that I'm using for parts and was assured that 294mm was the correct size after the old spokes were taken out and measured by someone else. In fact it needs more like 301mm. Quite a difference!

So it currently looks like this:

Pedals and seat may have to be changed when it's more complete, they're just what I had to hand. Also on order are some Continental UltraSports - one of the few decent 27" tyre choices.

picked up the bars yesterday and fitted them, so it's now finished!

Looks rad! I still might turn up and crash into you for the hell of it.

Very tasty.
Personally, I think gum-walls would make it perfect, but that's just me.....

i don't know of any decent gum-walls that come in 27 x 1 1/8". Doesn't mean they don't exist though. Any reccomendations?

Got Conti tubs on mine, but a quick G**gle of 27x1-1/4 (630 dia, which is what I'm assuming you've got) reveals:

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=27x1-1/4+tyre&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=3Sb&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16300094505706728024

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=27x1-1/4+tyre&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=3Sb&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=15121697139577289784

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/schwalbe-hs159-27-x-1-1-4in-tyre-gumwall-id71419.html

amongst others

If it is 27x1-1/8 that you've got, the Panaracers come in that size too. Not a huge choice, granted, but they are out there. SJS have most of the above in stock.