2015 - first build
Posted: January 4th, 2015, 5:15 pm
Happy New Year and best wishes for 2015!
I want to see what everyone is working on or will be working on to kick off the new year. What is your current project or if you don't have one, what project do you have in mind for 2015? C'mon, let's see 'em!!!
Last weekend proved to be a good one, I picked up one for me and one for my lil' angel. I picked up a Paganini cyclocross frame and fork plus a cool Shikishima city commuter.
The Shikishima city bike is a daddy & daughter project for her 10th birthday in May. She'll be picking out the colors and whatever else she wants to customize. The bike has some slick features with fenders that incorporate a rear rack and front basket, a dynamo front light, and a cleaver little wheel lock that works well by blocking the spokes (even the key was included in the lock, score!). The hang up will be tire selection, the bikes runs 22"/550A tires, thankfully Harris Cyclery (RIP Sheldon) stocks some Kenda tires that'll do the job. All my searching has turned up is the company is still making bikes today for their domestic Japanese market but that's it. My wife wanted to get her a beach cruiser, to me that means some piece of crap cruiser from Costco or Wallworld. Hell no, pee-wee and I will be doing something custom that she can ride for years. It's going to be a very special build, I'm not sparing any time or effort to make it the best!
The big find was a lugged Paganini cyclocross frame and fork that came with a Chris King 2Nut headset. The tubing is unknown as the prior owner began sanding down the frame, all I've read is Paganini was higher end and all their frames were made with lugged and butted Columbus steel. Thankfully I do have the original color on the fork should I decide to match when it goes to the painter. The frame has some very nice lug work with clean cut aways, plenty of pantographed "P" on the lugs as well as the fork crown, and Campagnolo drop outs front and back. The frame came with a Campagnolo seat post that is drilled for routing the rear brake cable. There is some info on the web about Paganini being a Dutch bicycle house brand with frames made in Italy but there is debate over who made the frames. Everything I've found thus far has been road or touring related, nothing yet for cyclocross bikes. This is something of a mystery bike... I hope to solve this mystery by the time I finish the build but I'm not holding me breath.
So, what's on deck for your next big build?
Talk with you soon,
-D-
I want to see what everyone is working on or will be working on to kick off the new year. What is your current project or if you don't have one, what project do you have in mind for 2015? C'mon, let's see 'em!!!
Last weekend proved to be a good one, I picked up one for me and one for my lil' angel. I picked up a Paganini cyclocross frame and fork plus a cool Shikishima city commuter.
The Shikishima city bike is a daddy & daughter project for her 10th birthday in May. She'll be picking out the colors and whatever else she wants to customize. The bike has some slick features with fenders that incorporate a rear rack and front basket, a dynamo front light, and a cleaver little wheel lock that works well by blocking the spokes (even the key was included in the lock, score!). The hang up will be tire selection, the bikes runs 22"/550A tires, thankfully Harris Cyclery (RIP Sheldon) stocks some Kenda tires that'll do the job. All my searching has turned up is the company is still making bikes today for their domestic Japanese market but that's it. My wife wanted to get her a beach cruiser, to me that means some piece of crap cruiser from Costco or Wallworld. Hell no, pee-wee and I will be doing something custom that she can ride for years. It's going to be a very special build, I'm not sparing any time or effort to make it the best!
The big find was a lugged Paganini cyclocross frame and fork that came with a Chris King 2Nut headset. The tubing is unknown as the prior owner began sanding down the frame, all I've read is Paganini was higher end and all their frames were made with lugged and butted Columbus steel. Thankfully I do have the original color on the fork should I decide to match when it goes to the painter. The frame has some very nice lug work with clean cut aways, plenty of pantographed "P" on the lugs as well as the fork crown, and Campagnolo drop outs front and back. The frame came with a Campagnolo seat post that is drilled for routing the rear brake cable. There is some info on the web about Paganini being a Dutch bicycle house brand with frames made in Italy but there is debate over who made the frames. Everything I've found thus far has been road or touring related, nothing yet for cyclocross bikes. This is something of a mystery bike... I hope to solve this mystery by the time I finish the build but I'm not holding me breath.
So, what's on deck for your next big build?
Talk with you soon,
-D-