Project Sensible
This bike was made for a 14 year old girl to ride to school. She's the daughter of Ben Cooper, owner of Kinetics, a shop that specialises in folding, recumbent and electrically assisted bikes and trikes. That she wanted something "vintage" might be teenage rebellion, but really she is just sensible.
Many "Vintage" style bikes are just terrible. They are cheap ornaments that are never ridden. See Brown Saddles. As a knowledgable bike shop owner Ben was not going to put his daughter off cycling with a bike that is horrible to ride. They came to the Maryhill branch to see what was in stock. This 30 year old Claude Butler was the right frame. It's made of Reynolds 500 tubing, and is well made. It takes 700c wheels with lots of tyre clearance making it gravel capable. The horizontal rear dropouts were a must as hub gears are great for commuting.
The detail specification of the bike is more interesting and expensive than we usually fit. As Ben has a bike shop we had to choose some parts he couldn't get, and turned to the price list of the most traditional wholesaler, JD Whisker. The crank is from Andel, and the racks are from Showa. Whiskers also suppled the Starry dual pivot brakes which we use often. and the Kalloy stem. We went for a gold coloured chain as "Daddy's paying" (it's only a bit more expensive than silver).
The wheels were supplied by Ben, along with the lights. The customer wanted a dipping lever, so one was fitted. Time pressures prevented it from being as lovely as it could be, and Ben may make a custom bracket in the future.
Other sensible features are the 32mm Schwalbe marathon tyres and SKS mudguards. All the cables are outside the frame, and the dynamo wire has been so neatly fitted you'll have trouble seeing it in the main picture. Even the colour is sensible. It's the same shade as dark green Hammerite so easy to touch up.
Grips are cream coloured and vanilla scented. Maybe these aren't sensible.
Many "Vintage" style bikes are just terrible. They are cheap ornaments that are never ridden. See Brown Saddles. As a knowledgable bike shop owner Ben was not going to put his daughter off cycling with a bike that is horrible to ride. They came to the Maryhill branch to see what was in stock. This 30 year old Claude Butler was the right frame. It's made of Reynolds 500 tubing, and is well made. It takes 700c wheels with lots of tyre clearance making it gravel capable. The horizontal rear dropouts were a must as hub gears are great for commuting.
The detail specification of the bike is more interesting and expensive than we usually fit. As Ben has a bike shop we had to choose some parts he couldn't get, and turned to the price list of the most traditional wholesaler, JD Whisker. The crank is from Andel, and the racks are from Showa. Whiskers also suppled the Starry dual pivot brakes which we use often. and the Kalloy stem. We went for a gold coloured chain as "Daddy's paying" (it's only a bit more expensive than silver).
The wheels were supplied by Ben, along with the lights. The customer wanted a dipping lever, so one was fitted. Time pressures prevented it from being as lovely as it could be, and Ben may make a custom bracket in the future.
Other sensible features are the 32mm Schwalbe marathon tyres and SKS mudguards. All the cables are outside the frame, and the dynamo wire has been so neatly fitted you'll have trouble seeing it in the main picture. Even the colour is sensible. It's the same shade as dark green Hammerite so easy to touch up.
Grips are cream coloured and vanilla scented. Maybe these aren't sensible.
