Builder's Choice

   Before I move onto the intended subject matter, I wanted to give a bit of a shop update. I’ve sold a couple of bikes after a long inactive period in that department, so I will be getting back to working on some of my projects soon. In the meantime, I’ve had plenty of customer work, including two interesting builds.
   My friend Jonathan brought in a unique 2000 Cannondale Raven 700 SX mountain bike a couple weeks ago. He had purchased the bike at a very reasonable price, mainly because its aluminum rear suspension arm was cracked, but he was able to have someone weld the part back together.
   Jonathan has a taste for the unusual, and this machine definitely fits his preferences with a magnesium spine holding together the halves of the swooping carbon frame shapes. It also had Cannondale’s distinctive lefty fork (only one fork blade) and a front disk brake. Strangely the bike came with a rear rim V-brake, common to MTBs of the era, but had drilled/threaded mounts for possible disk brakes.
   Jonathan wisely decided to ditch the V-brake and set the bike up with full disk brakes, and after a tricky reassembly of the pivoting mechanism on the rear suspension, due to the lost material during the weld process, we were good to go!

   Another friend brought in his recent Ridley Fenix purchase for some upgrades, including a set of carbon wheels and some carbon bars with internal cable routing that absolutely drove me nuts! Mark also has a bit of a taste for the unusual, but only in his willingness to step away from the mainstream manufacturers. Yes, he has a really nice American-made Specialized Roubaix SL4, but he also has an Orbea Lobular (Spanish) and now the Ridley (Belgian).
   Ridley makes some very nice bicycles, and they have been a long-time supplier for the Lotto pro cycling team. I have worked on a couple different Ridleys over the years, including an Icarus and Boreas. The company’s bikes usually have wonderful designs and tube shapes, and the Fenix is no exception on that account.

   I was having a conversation with a client about parts on my custom builds and started thinking about compiling a list of all-time favorites, whether they are modern or vintage. Most people know of my affinity for Campagnolo, and really, when it comes down a complete group, it doesn’t matter much to me whether it’s Chorus, Athena or Record – most of the time it just comes down to cost and condition.
   There are a couple individual components I would like to mention, such as rear derailleurs, since their design differed greatly over the years. Visually, I really like the Victory derailleur, with its art-deco elegance:

   The C-Record rear derailleur goes a step further in its design, with curvier edges and a cowling over the lower pulley, and unfortunately, the customer really pays extra for it (often 3 or 4 times more):

   These two previous models were for 6- or 7-speed, down-tube friction shift levers. If I was selecting something for more modern shifters, I would take the Chorus Carbon version, which is lightweight, well-designed and provides super-quiet shifts.

   If I was choosing Campagnolo brakes, they would be the Athena D500, which are simply beautiful. Many people incorrectly call these “monoplaner” brakes, but those Campagnolo products had a slotted hinge that pivoted in one plane, hence the name. Both products had a similar shape, but the monoplaner caliper arms were slightly more angular – I prefer the lines of the D500:

   Ultimately, the best functioning rim brakes ever made, if you can find them at a reasonable price, are the Mavic SSC set:

   The only other item I wanted to mention that is technically from a Campagnolo groupset is the Record Aero seatpost. I had a small stockpile of these beautiful posts, back when they were less expensive, easier to find and in decent condition – a very rare “trifecta” these days!

   While we are at the back end, I’ll refer to saddles. I’d certainly take a good Selle Italia Turbo or Selle San Marco Rolls saddle, if I was lucky to find one at a good price, but the Selle Italia C2 Gel Flo looks good on any bike, is comfortable and won’t break the bank:

   My favorite saddle is the Prologo Scratch model, as it is the most comfortable seat I’ve ever used. Unfortunately, the design and look has changed recently, not for the better.

   I’m not overly choosy about handlebars, although I do like to match up with stem brands, whether it is ITM, 3T or Cinelli. I will say that I’m not too fond of putting bars with anatomical bends on vintage bikes – I prefer the traditional curved drops. If I had to pick, I would go with Cinelli (Giro d'Italia model pictured below), only because my favorite stem is the XA, though a couple of competitors have copied it.

   I don’t usually include pedals on the bikes I sell because they are such an item of personal preference. Certainly a vintage bike would look great with the old platform-with-toeclip-style pedals, but if someone is looking to ride often, I would choose a classic Look pedal. Today’s KEO model, with a slightly smaller delta cleat is my current favorite.

   Now we’re talking wheels, and I would want to match up a set of Campagnolo hubs with a set of their excellent “hoops” (Omega or one of their Olympic-themed rims), but compatriot companies Ambrosio, Fiamme, FIR and Nisi make excellent products as well. There are a few other manufacturers of note, but if I had to pick just one, I’d go with Mavic and a set of their MA40 rims. The quality of the French company’s products is high and consistent.

   On that note, a set of modern Mavic Cosmic wheels with aluminum braking surfaces are hard to beat. The rims are durable with a nice aero profile and the hubs have the typical smooth-spinning bearings. I also like the hypnotizing graphics as they revolve when the wheel is moving.

   However, my all-time favorite is the Campagnolo Vento wheelset, with their funky spoke arrangement and “angry bees” freehub sound when coasting. Over the years, I have had several bikes with these wheels, and I have NEVER had to true any of them. The only issue that ever occurred was a snapped spoke when I hit a pothole, but there was no damage to the rim. Spoke replaced and properly tensioned, I didn't have problems with them again!

   While we’re at it, we’ll throw on some rubber, and the Vittoria Corsa Pro would be perfect for any vintage build, but I’ve even used it on some modern bikes. The tan walls look great, and the tire wears/performs well – I generally ride 23mm width, but they somehow feel plusher on the road, like 25s.

   The go-to, everyday tire would be Continental Ultra Sport. It may not have the super-puncture resistance of the GatorSkin or the race pedigree of the Grand Prix 5000, but it has that magic combination of durability, ride quality and affordability!

Hope you find something useful here for your future build project.