Custom Orlowski Workhorse

The latter, very happy with the forks I've found and the price paid for them, unfortunately that means steel fork will have to wait for later in the year

We're very nearly there, a couple of deliveries arrived today containing (almost) everything needed to finish off the builds.

Very happy with the forks, they sit really well with the external headset and the blades have a nice airfoil shape

Sundries:

and my ever increasing selection of bars and stems






For road use I wanted to increase the reach at the drops slightly while maintaining the current reach to the hoods. The switch from 3T Ergonovas to PRO LT compacts should do just that but for the track I'm still a bit unsure so got a few sets to experiment with. I know ergo is normally a no-go but wanted a set of deeper drop/increased reach bars as well as narrow compacts and figured they were worth a try. They actually feel pretty comfy and super stiff so could work well.

Built it up and took it for a short spin today. It's a completely different bike to when I first got it over a year ago, the new forks coupled with the Flo wheel give great handling and comfort while feeling really stiff (a massive improvement over the Alpina forks). It feels properly fast and has got me so hyped, not just for riding this bike but riding in general.

Will give both bars a good run around and see which I prefer, tbh don't mind the ergos aesthetically.

As pictured it weighs about 7.5kg, with the Flo rear wheel and a proper rear tyre and pedals I would think it'll be 7kg…not bad at all for a steel frame built with no weenie parts

Looks so good man, ah for 400 and whatever it was should of got an Orlowski myself ha

Looks awesome!

Don't suppose you're looking to sell the 3T ergonovas now you've gone to the Pro xlt bars?

Cheers Lukey, yeah to me it's an amazing frame at any price but for that price it's unbelievable especially considering the after sales service.

should of got an Orlowski myself

do it! the pound is strong right now

Thank you Pete, 'fraid not - the Ergonovas have a happy home aboard the Dolan

Speaking of which: out with the old, in with the new

The Dolan's all spruced up. New front wheel, cranks, bb, cogs, chain, brake cable, blocks and bar tape…feels so smooth

Will try to get some nice photos at some point but for now, done:

looks so good minus the shape of the bars

I don't mind the shape at all, but I'd definitely tape them fully. One of my favourite forum bikes, so nice watching it evolve

Superb.

Cheers guys, much appreciated. It's been a journey to get it to this point but it really is pretty special to ride and will hopefully see many different future iterations.

Whichever bars I finally decide upon will def be fully taped but I'm trialing a fair few different pairs at the moment and wanted to be economical with the tape. The ergos feel good when seated but a bit off when standing as your hands/wrists are locked in that one position. The compacts are real comfy but I feel like I could/should go lower at the front so I may have to get some proper track drops or a -17° stem

I've been injured and off the bike for the last 3 weeks and as we all know that with less riding comes more tinkering. Looking at the bike with a critical eye rather than just getting on and enjoying it.

I've found that compact bars are the most comfortable on the hands/wrists but I could do with getting lower for the aeros. I have loads of bars and one set of compacts is nice and narrow so it makes sense to use those with a -17 stem rather than buying a set of track drops.

The readily available 130mm -17° stems (Zipp, 3T, Thompson) can all be had for roughly the same money but from googling the Thompson seems heavy (and possibly cracky) and I've found 3T stems to be a bit flex in the past so I guess it has to be the Zipp.

Question is gloss (beyond black) or matte (acetoned)?

ritchey wcs also comes in 17* versions (matte, "wet" etc.)

Good shout, I like Ritchey kit but just a had look around a few online retailers, nowhere had the cheaper ones in 17°x130 and the dearer ones are more than the Zipp anyway

Here it is with a longer stem and compacts taped properly

Will always enjoying seeing this bike on the forum...!! 10/10

Looking spot on now man

Beautiful. One of my favourite forum bikes, just looks the business.

Hi Skant,

Liking the look of these forks, could be ideal an upgrade for me. I'm struggling to track them down online in stock. Can you tell me where you got them, price and whether they'd get a 28c tyre in their comfortably?

Much appreciated (love the build and thread too)

Tim

Thanks @Riff_raff and @jontea glad you like it

@Dakin yeah it looked a bit off when I first put it together but as I've dialled the fit in it seems to have come together aesthetically too which is nice

Hi Tim,

I got them NOS from CNC-bike (they're still up on the website ) for €99 + €24 postage (to London). If you're after any other bits it's well worth looking through their website as everything seemed to be heavily discounted and the postage is a flat rate on the total order.

Communication was great (I emailed them a few questions in German and received friendly answers in perfect English) and ordering easy, if a little odd: when you place your order they check stock then email you an invoice, you then pay by bank transfer and 2-3 days later your order will be delivered by DHL courier.

As for the 28mm tyre…it might fit but I think it would be tight. There's plenty of room vertically but there's only about 2mm between the tyre and the fork at each side. That's with a 23mm 4000sii on a 24mm rim, which makes the tyre sit a lot wider than the stated width but I don't have callipers to measure exactly. Here's a couple of photos:

Needs

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fizik-Arione-R3-Mens-Saddle-Black-Fluro-Yellow-RRP-New-165-/151713236344?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2352d04578

Thanks for the quick and thorough reply.

Looks like it is going to be a bit tight. I'm running Pasaelas at the mo which I think would be a real squeeze. They look a bargain though. Have to have a full peruse of that website tonight.

Tim