Beautiful bike! One question. Are you getting flex with the Towel rack and
delux stem combo? I had to pull my set up off of an Atlantis recently
because I was feeling nervous about how much flex I was getting from a
technomic. I bought a cro-mo Nitto short stem (UI-71?) from Japan but it
was worse. I'm back to Albatross bars now. I'm happier all around even
though I love the towel rack, after three bar set-ups I'm convinced that
that frame is made for albatross bars.
My plan now is to use the towel rack and a dirt drop on my '93 XO-3 (the
good year with the same-ish geometry as the orange XO-1) as an excuse to
finally build that into a fancy retro gravel bike. It spent the last few
years with a parts bin build, set up to pull kids trailers. The XO (59cm)
is a bit small for me so the dirt drop will work better on it than on my
59cm MIT Atlantis which is a much bigger and longer frame.
Love the bike and especially the look of the wide bars on there so I hope
it's working for you.
Brynnar
indy
On Tuesday, December 25, 2018 at 9:43:00 PM UTC-5, MCT wrote:
>
> I have been a member of the bunch since about 2009-2010. Few months ago,
> I accidentally hit the leave group button and have been in moderation
> purgatory since then.
>
>
> Going back in time to the year 2011 when I lived in California, I should
> have purchased an A. Homer Hilsen. I headed up to Rivendell and had to
> decide between the Sam Hillborne and the A. Homer Hilsen. I ended
> purchasing the Sam Hillborne because the frame was less expensive. If my
> memory serves me correct, my size in the Homer needed to be ordered and I
> did not want to wait. The Sam served me well, but I always had a Homer in
> the back on my mind.
>
>
> Over the years, I owned a 60cm Sam, 62cm and 64cm Quickbeam, and a 64cm
> Sam. The 64cm Sam was a little too big. I had a little hiatus from
> Rivendell bikes for about two years. I was feeling like I need to get back
> on a Rivendell. I was checking things out and there it was in the
> Rivendell Garage Sale page. There it sat was a 65cm Rivendell Homer Hilsen
> (MUSA Type) in color English Blue, 49cm chainstay, and 130mm dropouts.
> This frame had dream bike written all over it. I just fit into a 65cm,
> which is perfect because I like a bigger bike. I got spouse approval and
> made the purchase (As I am writing this, she wanted you all to know she is
> awesome). I did have to make an agreement to not sell it for at least 5
> years. I have a habit of buying and selling bikes. I am sure some of you
> also have this habit. I told her not to worry. I will not be selling the
> bike.
>
>
> Next, came building it up.
>
>
> *11 speed* - I wanted to go 11 speed, but was a little torn on shifting.
> With the frame having downtube shifter bosses, I wanted use downtube
> shifters. I like the look and it keeps me from shifting all the time. If
> I have brifters, I shift too much. The issue I had was I only found 10
> speed downtube shifters, which are the dura ace type. However, I was
> perusing Velo Orange and there they were Dia Compe 11 speed down tube
> shifters. I was in business with 11 speed. I ended up with a Shimano 8000
> Rear Derailler and Cassette (11-28). I went with the 6800 front derailler
> because I liked the look better than the 8000. The crank is the Sugino
> Mighty Tour 901D double at 48/33. Riding in the Oklahoma City area is flat
> and flat, so I pretty much use it as a 1x11. I am sure I will use the 33
> when riding in different areas.
>
>
> *Wheels *– These wheels were a take off from another bike. Dt Swiss R450
> with White Industries T11 front hub and MI5 rear hub. The rear hub was
> spaced to 135mm. The beautiful engineering on the hub is I called White
> Industries and purchased a non-drive side end cap for $10 and shazam, now
> spaced at 130mm. Do a little re-dishing and ready to go. In my opinion
> the rims don’t really fit the bike, but the are almost new and will use
> them up. I have Compass Barlow Pass (700x38) and work like a charm. I
> found 55 psi rides well and probably where I will stay at. I was at 60 psi
> and felt a little stiff if that is a good word for it.
>
>
> *Handlebars/Saddle* – I was bouncing around on what drop handlebar to use
> and I ended up getting the Crust towel rack. It is wide and awesome. I
> feel like I am cheating on Nitto, but I love the feel of the Crust and
> found a winner. I got a Nitto deluxe stem for a deluxe bike. I wanted to
> give a Gilles Berthoud saddle a try. I use open in the middle saddles and
> found I like it better than the Brooks imperial. The Gilles is a little
> stiffer at the get go, but I know will loosen up a little. Seatpost is the
> Nitto S83.
>
>
> *Brakes* – I had two choices between the Paul Components Racer and Tektro
> R559 due to reach. The Tektros are simpler and less “messy” and have a
> more classic look. I have
