Hinault the Time Travel Touché: A sensible modern fixed bike.

As much as I love my Neil Orrell it isn't really that practical. I got fed up of using zip ties or P-clips to bodge mudguards on, which then fell off or broke. And the lack of bottle cage bosses is an issue: I've destroyed too many bottle cages when the rubber strap on bottle cage mounts from Decathlon slipped round as I was riding over rough ground (or those nasty brick ridge things that are used to slow down speeding bikes on canal towpaths).

If I was going to replace it then something with more sensible geometry made sense too: ideally audax geometry but if not at least road not track geometry.

The only way I'd get an audax geometry fixed bike would be custom, which is out of the question at the moment as we're planning to rebuild the back of our flat in September, so it had to be OTP.

Looking around there were surprisingly few options. I narrowed it down to the Pearson Touché/Once More Unto the Breach, or a Condor Tempo.

I'd sort of decided that the Tempo was my favourite because it was steel, but they are also £599 for frame and forks, which seemed like a lot of money. And I couldn't really bring myself to pay £499 for the Pearson either, especially as I was a bit meh about the paintwork, which is any-colour-you-like-as-long-as-it's-blue-and-white. I kept my eye out for a secondhand 54cm Touché but every single other size in the world came up, except 54.

Just as I was sat thinking how I wished I could time travel back in time to buy a black Touché or a Tempo for the prices they used to sell them for, an eBay alert popped into my email for a new Pearson Touché, direct from Pearson's (they were clearing out old stock) for £299.

So I snapped one up:

I quite like it in the flesh. Although I've never ridden an aluminium bike, so this may all go horribly wrong.

Hopefully not. It has been nicknamed Hinault because it is black and white so looks a bit like a badger.

It also looks pretty darn similar to my road bike, but I can live with sort of matching bikes :)

In fact that's fitting because I love riding that so much I plan to build this up in quite a similar way.

I knew I wanted wide rims, and I always slightly regretted selling my Mack hubs, but knew if I got some again I'd want low flange and ultralight.

So when tomsvoboda decided to sell on his Macks on archetypes from his cursed Roberts build I snapped them up.

I'm going to need some 'traffic purple' to match that traffic purple stripe, I know.

I was thinking maybe I could add a little traffic purple band around the seat tube next to the little white band:

Although this will make it look like a Rapha Condor team bike from a few years back.

Maybe not such a bad thing?

Parts wise it didn't come with any forks, so I can't see any reason not to get another pair of Enigma Etape's, especially as they seem to be the only non-long-drop carbon forks with mudguard eyelets in the world.

http://static.lfgss.com/attachments/47479d1325535552-enigma_etape_fork.gif

I fancy the same brakes I now have on 'the other Pearson':

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tHsEjp-QL._SY300_.jpg

And planning to transfer my black Sugino 75 chainset across from the Orrell to save money.

Bars definitely ergonova's, because I find them so comfy, but not the team ones this time, the pros I think for cost reasons:

http://www.3tcycling.com/i/p/ergonova/PRO/790/ROAD-ERGONOVA-PRO_PIC7967.png

Plus because they are black and white, obviously. Matching stem:

http://media.chainreactioncycles.com//is/image/ChainReactionCycles/prod55167_IMGSET?wid=500&hei=500

And that's about as far as I've got.

Oh - Romin, because my arse gets on with it.

Also, guards - how could I forget. Portland Design Works, because I'm very pleased with the ones I bought for the audax pro:

https://www.ridepdw.com/sites/default/files/styles/product_photo_slideshow/public/product-images/308_full_metal_fenders_1.1.jpg?itok=tAcAEvsy

Quitter!

ahem. I find my alu track bike perfectly fine for long rides - as with most things good tires/saddle makes a world of difference. Have ridden it to Bournemouth and did the RotFL last autumn, so you should be fine with the frame.

Wheels look lush !

That's what I was thinking. With the wide rims too (which are better over bumps), a carbon fork and maybe if I'm treating myself a carbon post should all be good.

The wheels are lovely. So happy to have some Mack back in my life!

Why am I a quitter?!

Not doing long rides on track geo

(maybe needed '[/sarc]' ? Sorry)

And yeah +lotsss for bottle cages, that's my one gripe with mine

Oh, yeah, I'd just got that. Finally. Sorry.

To be honest the geo of the Orrell has never been a problem. In fact, I really like it. This is the other small worry, different geo = might not get on with it, in theory. But the Touche is meant to ride very like a road bike, so that just makes sense I guess.

Track geometry frames with two bottle cage bosses, fittings for two brakes and mudguard eyelets don't exist either, AFAIK ;)

No, mores the pity.
Less building work and more bieks is clearly the answer :)

Great stuff! Very interested to hear how you get on with the frame.

Everyone who has one seems to like them, I've not found a bad word about them.
I've also not test ridden one, which ideally I would have done but had to decide quickly as there was only one 54cm in black going!

Currently wondering about bar tape. Traffic purple would match but would be too much I think, white could work well but not sure I can be trusted with white bar tape...

Black with white electrical/finishing tape?

So it is a fixed version!

Parts wise it didn't come with any forks, so I can't see any reason not to get another pair of Enigma Etape's, especially as they seem to be the only non-long-drop carbon forks with mudguard eyelets in the world.

Have you thought about those Columbus ones? Also how come you don't want long drop brakes? Won't they work better with 'guards?

The Hivers? Yes but they have red graphics which would clash with this.

Way more choice of calipers basically. The PDW guards fit fine under the R920s.

Black with white electrical/finishing tape?

Hmm, yes that could work. Could even have a traffic purple pink stripe on top of that, a bit like:

So it is a fixed version!

Sort of. It's not an audax bike though!

Everyone who has one seems to like them, I've not found a bad word about them.
I've also not test ridden one, which ideally I would have done but had to decide quickly as there was only one 54cm in black going!

Currently wondering about bar tape. Traffic purple would match but would be too much I think, white could work well but not sure I can be trusted with white bar tape...

Love the project!

Don't go for purple, or Rapha it up with pink stripes - red is where it's at ;)

Fluro yellow.

Miss Mouse I think red is out due to the pink on the hubs. I'm going to have to build pink into it somewhere, unless I just keep the hubs dirty...

By traffic purple I mean pink by the way. I'm taking the piss out of Tibbs who has a pink bike but claims it is purple :)

Fluro yellow would match modern Rapha gear, too up-to-date for this as it's c. 2010 ish.

This is actually my first brand new bike since 1996!

You retrogrouch.

why don't you just paint the stripes on the hubs some other colour?
black on black would be cool.
I know it will be difficult to get past the spokes, but not impossible at all.

Because I would be too cack-handed to do that? ;)

I guess careful application of masking tape would help though.

I do actually quite like pink, in small quantities. I did like those old Rapha Condor team bikes. I'd like to make it work, ideally, but I guess it's more that aside from bar/electrical tape bike things don't really come in pink...

Team bike with pink bands:

Team bike with pink tape:

I'm not a fan of that ^ particular bike but pink bar tape with black hoods/levers is possibly growing on me.

Because I would be too cack-handed to do that? ;)

Your DIY threads seem to suggest something else, I thought

I guess careful application of masking tape would help though.

I do actually quite like pink, in small quantities. I did like those old Rapha Condor team bikes. I'd like to make it work, ideally, but I guess it's more that aside from bar/electrical tape bike things don't really come in pink...

The stripe is milled out so you just fill it with enamel/nail polish and wipe off the excess.

By all means avoid the Rapha look, I've had enough. IMHO etc.

You're too kind! I normally work on more of a 'macro' scale but more than anything I'd be worried about messing up Mack's handywork - he is definitely far more of a craftsman than me. I'll have a look tonight though.

There are definite downsides to the 'Rapha look', mainly people thinking you're a douchebag :)

I note that the current Rapha Condor JLT team bikes are just black and white (no pink).

It's just a stripe. It doesn't have to match anything else on the the bike (Smallfury will disagree no doubt).

It's just a stripe. It doesn't have to match anything else on the the bike (Smallfury will disagree no doubt).

That's kind of what I was thinking. You could always carry a liquorice allsort in your pocket and produce it whenever anyone insists it matches something. Or maybe wear some cufflinks.

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/SILVER-LIQUORICE-ALLSORTS-PINK-SQUARE-AND-PINK-COCONUT-ROLL-CUFFLINKS-NOVELTY-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/$(KGrHqV,!pkF!uFlgkw)BQfEFHCOYQ~~60_12.JPG