Varun's Bikes, Stayer, Cotic, that singlespeed Rockhopper....

Please don't repaint it. I have a record ace and I love the colour!

Also which tektro brakes did you try? R559s fit on mine.

Ah, perhaps I should’ve read this first before the events I’m about to describe….

So, some minor gains and minor setbacks today. I managed to get the headset cup on (easy) and the crown race fitted (almightily hard, turns out it was 26.4mm internal but the seat on my fork was 27.0mm - cue cutting a slot in the race with a hacksaw, plenty of filing and asking a friend to knock it in properly with a crown race setter). But result! Along with the headset, fork, and bars/levers (which could do with some BDHU once the wheels arrive) I also got my lovely polished Spa cranks and chainring on. All in all I think the proliferation of silver components is very very fitting and the colour has about 80% grown on me.

The main setback has proven to be the brakes. I agonised for hours over taking a drill to the fork, nearly did and then put it down and decided to order a set of nutted R539s from SJS instead, along with a new seatpost bolt (the old one being rusty AF) and some dropout adjuster screws, more for appearance than anything else. So that’ll set the build back for now until the weekend, but oh well.

The wheels will be here by Wednesday and I couuuuuuuld ride it brakeless for a while, but seeing as I last rode fixed at the age of 9 on a heavy Indian buffalo bike at c. 5kph, that might not be the smartest idea.

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In other news, I took the Stayer out for a little road tour this weekend past. I took very few pictures at the time but there were loads of other folks on cool bikes and I had the faintest tinge of bike envy/inadequacy. Happily, enough people commented on the Stayer and paid envious glances that I came to my senses and remembered how fond I am of it, and how nice it does look and ride.

Anyway, here are some pictures after the fact. Of note are the 23L super c (which, even when filled with clothes, was barely 1/3 full), the sticker kindly given by @Browndonneur and the Huls bottles which set off the otherwise metal/black colour scheme nicely.

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Only notable pictures I took were of the Trans Pennine trail on my ride from Leeds-Sheffield, which was very pleasant on account of being quite flat and shaded but also dodging around - as opposed to directly through and in the streets of - Barnsley and Wakefield.

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Ours will have some similar bits. The Spa chainsets are such good value. Couple of minor bits left to do on mine, including some nicer pedals. Will take some proper pics soon.

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Oooof, that is stunning! I know the RRA is ostensibly a ‘sporty’ bike but it really suits having a Carradice and mudguards. Silver VO guards (I’m guessing?) really top it off 👌🏾

They honjos. a pain to fit but lovely. Still need to cut the stays down and get a dyno light.

Oooooh, arguably the more superior version of VO. I do get that they both need a little more time to fit but I dunno, I find it quite enjoyable!

Wheels and tires are here! I’ve popped a chain on and cabled the rear brake so I could at least ride around the block a few times to test the fit.

The wheels themselves are Velocity Chukkers which are just a tiny bit deeper than I’d prefer, but the shiny silver is very fitting. A bit annoyed about the long axles on the BLB hubs, though - they’re ostensibly meant for 135mm spacing or BMX pegs, but as a result stick out a lot, especially at the front. Suggestions are welcome but if I get along with the bike a dynamo front might be happening.

Tires are intriguing - Rivendell Roly-Polys which I can find precious little about apart from being 28mm wide and a ‘durable’ casing, with a similar checkered tread pattern to the Jack Brown tires. TBC re: ride quality or any such conclusions.

On the plus, there is loads of clearance around the brakes and just about enough between chainstays for c. 32mm tires and, hopefully, guards too! I haven’t weighed it yet but it feels to be easily under 8kg so far.

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Some fenders are going to finish it nicely! Wish i had all that real estate on mine

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Mine cleared 32 tyre and guards btw!

Oh yeah it’s loads more than I’d thought! Good job too as going back to 28s from my current ‘slimmest’ tire of 45mm felt somewhat challenging haha

@SkipTown I’m definitely going that route in time for autumn!

It’s done!!! That is to say it’s done until I find something wrong with it or have a burning urge to fettle and change things. But, for now, it’s all done.

The nutted Tektros, seatpost bolt and dropout bolts arrived today which meant I could finally take it out for a ride. I did go for one yesterday too, though, with just one (rear) brake and that was a tad sketchy. Counting today as the first ‘proper’ ride ie one where fear for life < enjoyment of life.

Some thoughts:

• Running it 48-18 feels about right for rolling Warwickshire terrain. I don’t think I’d ever use the 15T tbqh, so am tempted to either go down a chainring size, or replace the 15T with a 20 or higher. I’ve got re-used to riding fixed far, far quicker than I thought too.
  
• There were a few occasions on the sharper steeper hills that I experienced rear dropout slippage. After the second time I cranked down pretty hard on the bolt and it seemed to fix it, but TBC.
  
• Out of all the components, I am least in love with the quite deep silver rims (too much silver?) so they’re a contender for change if (when) I feel like tinkering.
  
• I know I said I would BDHU, but the tops are horizontal and the hoods are in a position I feel comfy with, so I’m not going to BDHU and anyone who tells me to BDHU is not me and, therefore, wrong.
  

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Forgot the gratuitous bike pics that I scratched up my nice helmet for.

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Neat!

Very nice! Did you use the spacer things the levers come with? I found the position much better with them.

Ok, fiiiiine I’ll BDHU alright, you can all stop with the hidden implied pressure thanks.

@SkipTown I did! But tbh it’s probably the bars as the tops and drops are not quite parallel. I think I’ve got it as close as it’s ever going to get!

Added around 20mm to the reach now though so I’ll see how that feels. Even yesterday’s ride felt very straight elbows and head down, but that was only 2 hours so who knows how it’ll feel for hours on end.

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Rode down with my mates to the brewery this Friday just gone. It’s a regular ‘gravelly’ ride we do that is like mostly paths and 30% dusty trails and singletrack, nothing too serious. Fun, and just a bit bouncy over rutted fields on the Cotic.

I ended up doing the ride in my wafer-thin Decathlon sandals as it was warm, and it was fine the majority of the time except when riding near nettles at below ankle level (ouch) or pressing down on the pedals so that the pins dug in through the sandals (much more ouch).

Anyone recommend some more suitable, packable but actually rideable cycling sandals?

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Pricey but I love my bedrocks.

I have been riding in Birkenstocks for a long time - not nettle proff though.

If I can work out their sizing system then Birkies sound amazing!
@cheekysnaker at this point it’s which brand I can find on Vinted…..

Proof that comparison is the thief of joy. I was prepared to dislike my Stayer last week when I had a sleek new slim-tubed fixie to ride around, but this week riding it around my local mixed-surface routes reminded me how great it is. Wafty, relaxed, smooth, not overtly fast but able to just flow along.

An old back and knee injury flared up unexpectedly today, which meant cancelling a 200km audax in favour of just riding around a favourite local route. I feel like that’s what this bike is good for. I couldn’t have ridden the fixie today, and my back wouldn’t tolerate any extreme off-roading, so I needed to waft around.

Also made it to my local Lebanese food truck for a falafel and khubz (flatbread). Worth remembering they’re also being bombed by Israel there. A lovely country, and a big contributor to what we know to be ‘Middle Eastern’ cuisine (about as homogenous as any other local accumulation of nations tbh)

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Cool photos! In particular the last one

Thanks!! Gotta get my brew on!