Oh mama...I need a cigarette. As the young'un's say these days, Campy is da bomb. I just got the old Dean back tonight from the shop, and I'm blown away. I wonder if my wife will be irked if I sleep with the bike tonight.

In any case, I had her retooled from Ultegra/DA to Chorus, taking the opportunity to change the stem (Pedalsoft), bars (Alpha Q), fork, (Ouza Pro) and wheels (Alta). ...Amazing. I've still got to play with the bar height some, thus the rise and spacers. Ergo shifters are a bit different than STIs, so I wanted some room to play.

Oh, and the total build cost was amazing, including full facing/chasing and solder on the cable ends. Anyone in San Diego County looking for two good wrenches? Try Joe and Tony at REI Encinitas (yes...REI). The price was amazing--PM me if you want details.

Scott

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Oh mama...I need a cigarette. As the young'un's say these days, Campy is da bomb. I just got the old Dean back tonight from the shop, and I'm blown away. I wonder if my wife will be irked if I sleep with the bike tonight.

In any case, I had her retooled from Ultegra/DA to Chorus, taking the opportunity to change the stem (Pedalsoft), bars (Alpha Q), fork, (Ouza Pro) and wheels (Alta). ...Amazing. I've still got to play with the bar height some, thus the rise and spacers. Ergo shifters are a bit different than STIs, so I wanted some room to play.

Oh, and the total build cost was amazing, including full facing/chasing and solder on the cable ends. Anyone in San Diego County looking for two good wrenches? Try Joe and Tony at REI Encinitas (yes...REI). The price was amazing--PM me if you want details.

Scott

In any case, I had her retooled from Ultegra/DA to Chorus, taking the opportunity to change the stem (Pedalsoft), bars (Alpha Q), fork, (Ouza Pro) and wheels (Alta). ...Amazing. I've still got to play with the bar height some, thus the rise and spacers. Ergo shifters are a bit different than STIs, so I wanted some room to play.

It's good to have a frame and a saddle that you like... Enjoy.

This one is an Aspide Tri, designed for low front end comfort while riding in aero bars. I find it particularly comfortable riding on standard drop bars. Dunno, but Little Scott and his two friends stay happy, and that makes me happy.

Do me a favor and post another picture of your Vanilla when you get the time. The shop guys were raving about those bikes. Apparently they just discovered the website. I told them I've heard nothing but great things about Sascha.

This one is an Aspide Tri, designed for low front end comfort while riding in aero bars. I find it particularly comfortable riding on standard drop bars. Dunno, but Little Scott and his two friends stay happy, and that makes me happy.

Do me a favor and post another picture of your Vanilla when you get the time. The shop guys were raving about those bikes. Apparently they just discovered the website. I told them I've heard nothing but great things about Sascha.

Hi Scott,

Just noticed your posting... a couple weeks late.

Sacha has the best pics of my bike on his site: www.vanillabicycles.com

Go to Frames, Commuter, Bike 3

Though now I have wood fenders after mangling the paint-matched ones in a spill...

How do you like Campy life?

-Mark

Got a new firewall on the work net that makes surfing RBR damned near impossible during the week. What the crype....can't a hard working slave to the federal gov't man surf the net during salary hours like the rest of America?!

In any case, your bike is stunning. Sacha is an artist. Did you do the fitting in person, send him the geometry you wanted, or send him a set of your measurements? He's on the short list for a retirement gift to myself, but Portland is a bit of a schlep.

Campy is, in a word, unequalled. I've ridden the new DA 10, and while it's nice, I don't think it compares. Campy's ergonomics and design elegance (shifting one or more gears by selection) is a marvel of simple engineering. The only reason I'm going to build my retro project (an old Serotta) with Shimano is because I want to recycle the comps I replaced with Campy. Great stuff. I only wish they still made down tube shifters for Retro Grouch appeal.

Now...if this infernal monsoonal flow will abate, I'll be able to ride.

Cheers,
Scott in soggy Southern California

Hi Scott,

Just noticed your posting... a couple weeks late.

Sacha has the best pics of my bike on his site: www.vanillabicycles.com

Go to Frames, Commuter, Bike 3

Though now I have wood fenders after mangling the paint-matched ones in a spill...

How do you like Campy life?

-Mark

In any case, your bike is stunning. Sacha is an artist. Did you do the fitting in person, send him the geometry you wanted, or send him a set of your measurements? He's on the short list for a retirement gift to myself, but Portland is a bit of a schlep.

Thanks. One of the several things Sacha does very well is choose colors that are a bit different from the normal palette. He and his paint guy chose that color on their own after I told him I wanted something like a classic (1920s-1930s), old-school, Continental look. Maybe it's just that the photos were all in sepia, but I like the result.

Early congratulations on your retirement. I hope it's at the magic 20-year point that the many family friends achieved back in Fairfield, California (home of Travis Air Force Base). But shouldn't it be your aircraft that are being retired, instead?

For my Vanilla I gave Sacha the measurements from a fitting done by the local Serotta fitting master a year or two earlier. Sacha worked from those measurements and built a bike to different specs according to our discussions. The Serotta bike fit was directed to a "regular" road geometry, which Sacha modified for my fixed gear and randonneuring interests. But my body measurements were good to work from. I'm sure Sacha could work with whatever you sent him, but I think he also has a Size Cycle at his shop to do a fitting himself.

I went pretty light on the options. I opted for a stainless steel track ends (modified to include a derailleur hanger). All his stainless steel dropouts include the very nice laser-cut "V". I went with basic Henry James lugs, a threaded stem built by Sacha, and fender mount eyelets ("Toto, I've a feeling we're not in San Diego anymore"). I opted not to get a pump peg, and I can't yet decide whether or not that was a mistake.

If you come up this way be sure to stop by for a ride and a beer. Just bring pedals. I imagine we could get one of my bikes to fit.

The only reason I'm going to build my retro project (an old Serotta) with Shimano is because I want to recycle the comps I replaced with Campy. Great stuff. I only wish they still made down tube shifters for Retro Grouch appeal.

Re-using is a good thing. I imagine you'd find some downtube shifters after a bit of ebay lurking or hunting retro parts classifieds.

I've often rationalized that integrated shifters made sense with 8+ gears because the amount of shifting enabled by all those gears would be a nuisance with downtube shifters. With 5-6 gears in back each gear had to be used for a wider range of terrain. With 8+ in back I've theorized that the number of shifts increases by more than the increased number of gears. It's just what the Rivendell folks decry about integrated shifting, but why not do it if you have all those gears in back? It would be an interesting experiment in shifting psychology to ride 9-10 gears in back with downtube shifting.

Of course, this is all just a thought experiment for me. I wasn't riding between the time of my Suntour-equipped Nishiki.

Enjoy your bike shopping. Congratulations again on your upcoming retirement.

Mark in Cloudless Portland

I think Orange County is about to slip into the Pacific.

I've been through Travis quite a bit. Long runways and fast fueling service. Last time I was there, in fact, I got to talk with their bird control guy, who happened to be in base ops. He was a falconer and had a beautiful female sitting on his hand. I can't remember her name, but she was captivating. I spoke with the guy for what seemed like an hour while the bird and I stared each other down.

Retirement isn't for sure yet...just an option. It's actually a 15 year thing. Dunno. I've been trying to sell The Boss (read: wife) on a new career as a bike wrench, but she isn't buying it. Damn...time to start playing the lottery.

I think one of Sacha's strongest attributes (aside from the obvious artistry of his bikes) is his price/value. His stuff easily equals all the classic boutique names still in business (Sachs, Kellogg, Goodrich) as well as the new guard (Kirk, Rex, Steelman), yet his prices are among the best of the bunch. Doug Curtis is one of the few below that price point, while Steve Rex and Carl Strong seem about even. I suspect in a few short years, Sacha will command significantly more for his frames. The certainly seem worth every penny.

What tubes did he select for you?

Oh, speaking of the old Serotta, I'm doing down tube shifters. It's a grouch thing. I'm leaning towards my Ultegra 9spd stuff, but I've got a pile of NOS Superbe that I'm considering as well (which, as I've discovered on another project, works quite well with an 8 spd set-up for friction shifting). Dunno, although I know what OES would say.

Stay warm up there. You must be in store for a wet summer. ;-)~
S

Thanks. One of the several things Sacha does very well is choose colors that are a bit different from the normal palette. He and his paint guy chose that color on their own after I told him I wanted something like a classic (1920s-1930s), old-school, Continental look. Maybe it's just that the photos were all in sepia, but I like the result.

Early congratulations on your retirement. I hope it's at the magic 20-year point that the many family friends achieved back in Fairfield, California (home of Travis Air Force Base). But shouldn't it be your aircraft that are being retired, instead?

For my Vanilla I gave Sacha the measurements from a fitting done by the local Serotta fitting master a year or two earlier. Sacha worked from those measurements and built a bike to different specs according to our discussions. The Serotta bike fit was directed to a "regular" road geometry, which Sacha modified for my fixed gear and randonneuring interests. But my body measurements were good to work from. I'm sure Sacha could work with whatever you sent him, but I think he also has a Size Cycle at his shop to do a fitting himself.

I went pretty light on the options. I opted for a stainless steel track ends (modified to include a derailleur hanger). All his stainless steel dropouts include the very nice laser-cut "V". I went with basic Henry James lugs, a threaded stem built by Sacha, and fender mount eyelets ("Toto, I've a feeling we're not in San Diego anymore"). I opted not to get a pump peg, and I can't yet decide whether or not that was a mistake.

If you come up this way be sure to stop by for a ride and a beer. Just bring pedals. I imagine we could get one of my bikes to fit.



Re-using is a good thing. I imagine you'd find some downtube shifters after a bit of ebay lurking or hunting retro parts classifieds.

I've often rationalized that integrated shifters made sense with 8+ gears because the amount of shifting enabled by all those gears would be a nuisance with downtube shifters. With 5-6 gears in back each gear had to be used for a wider range of terrain. With 8+ in back I've theorized that the number of shifts increases by more than the increased number of gears. It's just what the Rivendell folks decry about integrated shifting, but why not do it if you have all those gears in back? It would be an interesting experiment in shifting psychology to ride 9-10 gears in back with downtube shifting.

Of course, this is all just a thought experiment for me. I wasn't riding between the time of my Suntour-equipped Nishiki.

Enjoy your bike shopping. Congratulations again on your upcoming retirement.

Mark in Cloudless Portland

I was there as a teen in a civilian family. I still marvel at watching big, lumbering C-5s hang in the air like a wisp of smoke as they meander around to do touch-and-goes. Amazing airplanes. I had a friend at Community College there who was a C-5 tech. He talked about how agitated he'd get when he was working up on the tail (6-7 stories up) and someone else would plop down in the pilot's seat and start wriggling controls for fun, despite red tags everywhere saying Do Not Touch.

Sacha's prices are amazing for the results. I actually started talking to him when they were ridiculously low. His prices bumped up a bit before I placed my order, and again since then, I think. I agree. I think he still has lots of room for his prices to go up. Some of the others you mention have comparable prices for tigged frames. Nothing against Tig, but it's much faster work than lugs.

Sacha used his standard mix of tubes on my bike, but I don't know what it is. I don't have a basis to discuss ride aspects of one tubeset over another, so I left it to him. My "specification" was durable and light, but not crazy light. I opted for a steel fork for my retro sensibilities, but lots (most?) of his bikes have carbon forks.

We've had pretty mild temperatures to go along with our amazingly dry winter. Since the freezing fog stopped the morning commute as been glorious. Fog at low temperatures seems to be a much better heat sink than regular dry air.

The kick-off party for CycleOregon is tonight at the Nike corporate campus. They anounce the route with a nice mix of story and video. I'll miss the party though since I have shuttling duty for the kids. The rumors point to a pretty good route, though. Think Woody Guthrie's Roll on Columbia. You and OES should come out to do the ride. Several years of posting on an Internet Board is one way to get to know someone, but riding and camping for a week with a traveling Beer Garden is another.

-Mark