On the way

It's been a little while since new parts have been added to the bike. My other stupidly expensive hobby of playing the bass guitar has sapped money out of me. I make this out to be a chore but actually i'm getting brand new guitar which is very exciting (even if it is already a month late, but this isn't the blog in which to whine about this stuff.)

Anyroad, here's some pictures of where I'm at so far. Not much further, but I'm not scrimping on gear so it's a 'build slow, build strong' mentality. Enjoy.

Here's some jolly headset caps for a nice guy called Fast Freddy located here http://www.fast-freddy.com

Nitto Noodles at 48cm. Probably the last pair on the planet :D

VO Saddle with silver springs. Bad luck Brooks. Also, I've experimented with different types of 'silver' on the headset spacers to make it look a little different. So far I'm pleased with the results.

Already seen these, but thought I'd show them again.

Surly Decals. None in the UK so these came all the way from Niagara Falls. Weirdly, no white LHT decals so the Long Haul Trucker decals has been omitted from the build. Not that fussed really.

SON delux 36h hubs. We'll see if this was worth the investment later.

Where have all the posts gone?

Just a quick note to say I've not died and lots has happened to the bike recently. Just not got round to taking any photos as I can't find my camera.

I'm pretty sure its 'somewhere safe' (ie under a bed or somewhere) and will endeavour to make sure I have some stuff to show you soon. I've gotten to the derailleur selection bit and still 'umming and aaahhing' over what to get. My friends say LX but I'm tempted to go XT.

We'll see next time eh?

Arty Farty Parts

Well, this choice was one of the hardest I've had to make to date.

The saddle.

Nearly 90% of people I've quizzed on saddle choice for a touring bike have pointed toward a Brooks Flyer and have ridden one for 30 times around the world/since the Jurassic period/born with one pre attached to their bums. And there are threads on touring bike sites which seem to endlessly wax lyrical about sofa style comfort on huge distances.

I do have a Brooks saddle already on my Steamroller. A Team Pro which I have to say took a few rides to get my 'nether regions' to return to their normal colour after riding it for a few miles. Now however its one of the few saddles I've ever ridden without the need cycling shorts. Plus, they're British, handcrafted and horrifically stealable in Central London.

So, back to the Brooks Flyer. Nothing but good reviews. Everywhere I looked. Everywhere.

But I had a problem with it. A major problem.

Black rails.

I wanted silver. To go with the silver part for the rest of the bike. So it matched. I'm an Art Director/Designer. I like things to match.

I wrote to Brooks and said they said they don't do the Flyer with silver rails.

I sighed. I hovered over the 'buy' button and then stopped.

Stick to the plan.

Silver is what I wanted. I wanted a retro feel saddle with springs. And the only other company I could find that were able to offer me the good were Velo Orange again with their VO Saddle range.

First impressions from out of the box were it looked cheap, felt plasticky and was very heavy. However, after putting it on the frame I found a bit of love for it. It's bulky sure, but it has a classic feel to it and I'm sure when the ultra tough leather has bedded in a bit it'll look the part. I liked the drawstring idea to stop it flairing over time and it does have the additional 10mm length on the rails for the all important adjustments you don't get on Brooks. Plus and a big plus, you get Silver rails.

Obviously, ride purists would argue against merely accepting parts to make the bike look good opposed to making it ride good. Only time will tell. Chances are I'll ride it until it dies. It hasn't had bad reviews. Just more people ride Brooks.

Besides, decisions like these are the reasons why God invented eBay.