Whitey 2 (I’m not very creative with names)
There have been requests to see the details of how the Buena Vista was built up, and I have been meaning to put up details for a while. FINALLY here are some photos with info about parts that I remember specifics about. This bike is a work in progress (does anyone ever really finish changing and upgrading?), so comments and suggestions are, as always, most welcome.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
I got the wheelset via the co-op. Benefits, people. Go volunteer at your local cooperative and reap the rewards! The tires were originally of the cyclocross/randonneuring style, but they didn’t fit well under the fenders so I switched for road slicks. Also, my front fender got in a little accident and I have yet to get that fixed and back on the bike.
There have been some hang ups with the handle bars – the ones I originally got from Velo Orange were too big for the Brooks grips that I found on killer sale while in Minneapolis. I decided the grips were way cooler than the bars so I switched at first to some mustache bars from friend. They were kind of ghetto in that they had been chopped off for something or another, so the grips didn’t fit all the way to the end. I just had the bars changed out the other day to these straight titanium ones from the co-op that fit the grips much better. These probably won’t be the ones I stay with because the handling is a little uncomfortable for me, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
ChrisKingChrisKingChrisKing! Why is Chris King such a big deal? Who knows, I’m just in it for the cool points. And pretty points.
BrooksBrooksBrooksBrooks! I got the seat post and fenders from Velo Orange, love ‘em.
ChrisKingChrisKingChrisKing! I found this bottom bracket in Minneapolis as well. I think I was way too excited for the sales dudes, but they also appreciated my enthusiasm. We talked some cross. It was fun.
The cranks were the final piece I needed, and I got them from a shop in Winston-Salem, NC. At that point I was desperate to finish it and realizing how much freaking money I spent, so I just grabbed the cheapest single speed cranks I could get. They still had to be special ordered. The anticipation was killing me.
Spacers were needed to fit the wheels as single speed – I found these while traveling around the beaches of North Carolina.
TAAADAAAAAHHHH! the finished product. I have a ridiculous hxc look on my face for some unknown reason, but I must say that Whitey 2 is one sexy bitch. I am having a wonderful time riding around with my new friend!
(if you’re wondering about the runonwords in places, it’s a ghetto solution because I do not know how wrangle naughty wordpress into text arrangement submission. Any wordpress designers out there want to tackle our problem?)
Sweet!!!
Do you and Elisa have a difference of opinion on Planet Bike stuff? I refer you to her post from last November (some of us pay attention!).
Scott- Way to pay attention! Perhaps Anna is not as insanely passionate and opinionated about lights as I am.
Oh, and this is one sexy ass bike. I covet it daily.
Damn-Steve, not Scott. I suck.
Nice to see pictures of another Buena Vista built up: I have the graphite frame and haven’t got around to taking pictures of it, but it’s beautiful, fast, and fun to ride. Jaded LBS guys see a woman in a skirt walk in with her Ladies’ Bike, and they do that eye-rolling, condescending thing–until they look closer.
Awesome bike! I love it! You did a great job with it.
Steve! First, thank you for recognizing that the posts were written by two different people (heh), and second, I am impressed by your perceptiveness.
I, unlike Elisa, have not had any trouble with my Planet Bike lights. I have had the same lights for about 2 years and they work fine for me-no rain problems, etc. The front light is on my road bike, and I switched the back light over to this one for now.
Like you said on that post, it seems to be a crap shoot!
nice bike
good pic
dramatic
somehow those wheel spacers aren;t ghetto though?
wle
wle – I would say the spacers are absolutely ghetto, but when the money runs out the money runs out, ya know?!
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Love the frame, the saddle, the bars, the fenders, the everything. Most of all, I love to see a woman make a bike all hers.
YAYYYYY welcome to the mixte sisterhood of the bikeyverse
Nice find on the old ti straightbar, but have you tried something like the on-one mary or the origin8 space bar? Both should work with your current grips and levers and have a style a little more inline with the rest of the bike.
Dig the recycling job on the spacers! If you want ghetto spacers, I used the threaded neck of a vitamin bottle for spacers on my mtb. Check it here:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=409570#poststop
Lovely setup!