This is my own citybike. Tons of photos and info after the jump.
Putting an internally geared hub on a beautiful old road frame is a bit sacrilegious, but I very much wanted a clean, steel citybike and I think this built up well. I built it with nerdy considerations like brass driveside and alloy non-driveside nipples on the rear wheel.
I went with a laid back post to run the seat forward. I like short stems for handling, and a neutral handlebar to keep it fast but not stretched. I’m impressed with the VO pedals so far; they’re quite light and grip very well. The Gran Cru brakes are amazingly stiff, and the levers seem to be Ultegra level and finish cantilever levers. I went long reach in case (god forbid) I ever go with 650B wheels on the bike.
The bike built up to 21.18 lbs, super light for an internally geared citybike.
Specs:
Frame & fork: De Rosa SLX (early 90s)
Headset: Gran Cru polished
Stem: Dura-Ace NOS EX 70mm
Bars: Velo Orange Milan
Grips: ESI Silicone
Brakes: Gran Cru long reach
Levers: Shimano BL-770
Shifter: Alfine-11
Chain: KMC X10SL
Crankset: Ultegra FC-6500 (hand polished)
Bottom bracket: Dura-Ace Octalink
Pedals: Velo Orange Touring
Rims: Mavic Open Pro 32h
Spokes: DT Revolution
Front Hub: Dura-Ace NOS 7400
Rear Hub: Alfine-11 internal
Tires: Veloflex 22c
Saddle: Selle San Marco SLK
Seatpost: Gran Cru
7 comments
Tweets that mention De Rosa Citybike Build | Oak Bay Bicycles -- Topsy.com says:
Jan 24, 2011
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Brian Park, Oak Bay Bicycles. Oak Bay Bicycles said: RT @brianpark4: So I built myself a citybike: http://oakbaybikes.com/de-rosa-citybike-build/ Big pics on Flickr: http://bit.ly/iftbwo [...]
D-rock says:
Jan 25, 2011
Outdated small-batch
roadstreet frame, with inappropriate, but still pricey parts kit: $3500sense of smug accomplishment: priceless
ps. I’m talking about a Dobermann.
Mike says:
Feb 15, 2011
“Putting an internally geared hub on a beautiful old road frame is a bit sacrilegious.”
Putting it (and whatever other crappy parts you decided to mount) on a De Rosa is a lot sacrilegious. Disgusting.
BikeDoc says:
Feb 15, 2011
Reading the original post AND D-Rock’s “outdated” comment is irritating.
Brian @ OBB says:
Feb 16, 2011
…you know I listed the specs, so you can hate on them all individually.
Ted Wyshyvanuk says:
May 8, 2011
Hi, Brian. Any problem with the distance between the drop outs and the width of the Alfine hub? Beautiful build!! Thanks
Brian @ OBB says:
May 8, 2011
Hey Ted, yeah they were definitely tight (probably 126), but that’s why steel is great. No issues.