My first build - The Portsmouth Porteur

About a year and a half ago, after a long time lurking LFGSS, trawling through the ratbikes thread and reading countless interesting posts (and memes) I decided I would finally put a bike together.

So I purchased a Reynolds 531 Dawes Galaxy frame from ebay. The paint had been stripped and I thought it looked pretty nice:

Not long after it arrived, I took a dremel to the mudguard eyelets and cable stops. Don't be angry at me, I was new to this, and made an eager school boy error. I just wanted a clean looking frame. I have learnt my lesson and (probably) wont repeat:

I like pictures of old path racers and porteur bikes and had seen a few pictures of raw frame fixed gears, so decided I'd keep the frame bare, polish it up, and then if I liked how it rode and when inevitably it would be covered in rust, I'd get it sprayed. So I spent too much time sanding and relentlessly polishing the frame. Autosol and micromesh pads everyday, then I gave it a few coats of car wax to attempt to hold the rust back:

I purchased parts from various places, Nitto, Velo Orange, Mafac, learning as I went, buying a handful of incorrect things, re-selling and re-buying. I couldn't decide on bars, I spent too much time thinking about things that didn't matter, I sold the bars and got some others. Some parts are new, some used. All used parts I cleaned and polished, until they were really shiny and I could see my face in them, because I'm a magpie:

I had the rear wheel built up from a new Mavic Open Pro rim, a Zenith sealed bearing track hub (flip flop) and double butted spokes. The front wheel was someone's spare, a new rim built up around a lightly used Campagnolo hub:

I had long known that the frame was probably too small for me, but I built it up anyway. The plan was to get a nice little front rack and put a small wooden crate on it, to give it the porteur look and I could cycle around with a baguette or something...

Then I got busy with life and this has been sitting in my lounge ever since. I figured I should finally put it on here so I don't forget that I had a great time obsessively putting this bike together for a good few months.

Really nice job man.

Lovely! Shame you took the eyelets off, would've looked great with chrome mudguards :)

What lever is that btw?

Thanks Charlie!

@kboy The lever is one of these Tektro RX inverse levers. I sanded it down and then polished it up.

smart!

nice man!

Beatiful!

pasela's look so rad with the open pros!

Hot!

Lower the seat a bit and get it leveled. Will probably ride a lot better ;)! Lovely build nonetheless.

small tip! I also have that VO Porteur bar and I'd recommend wrapping the bartape from the end to the middle! Otherwise it feels uncomfy when it's wrapped from middle to the end!
I still have mine the "wrong" direction but when they come off I'll do it like that!

During the driving you'll notice you slip forward and therefore against the wrapping direction!
just my 2 cents

Gorgeous! Fantastic.