Lorna and I spent yesterday with Jane and Mark "Bikesmith" Stonich on a "Home Architecture Tour", that is, we leisurely rode around Fountain Lake on our bicycles looking at neat old houses and flower gardens, even to the point of surprising Tom and Tammy Stalker, who had no idea they would be giving a tour of their home. (a shout out thanks to them).
Mark builds his own frames and yesterday he and Jane were on a pair of metallic copper beauties, his a road bike and Jane's a lovely fillet brazed mixte. Jane was in a bad bicycle accident on the http://3speedtour.com/ a few years ago and due to damage to her leg she has a problem mounting even a mixte. Once on, she rolls really well, but getting on board is a problem, even on a step-through frame, a "girl's bike". (Per Mark: it's only an issue with a mixte.) During an Enchilada break and around our kitchen table later we discussed his next project - an ultimate bike for Jane to replace her Dahon. (Per Mark,it will not replace the Dahon. And she already has other "ultimate" city bikes)
He wants to build it in the style of the Royal Enfield Revelation, a British bicycle made in the mid 1960s in Reddich, Worchestershire. Designed by Vic Bott, the Revelation was Enfield's last gasp, and less than 100, possibly as few as 50 ever made. They are all apparently in England, although there are rumors of some being imported to Holland under the Simplex name and the Dutch Batavus New Fashion is an apparent knockoff. But I digress. Mark has some large diameter lightweight tubing, a recumbent fork (Per Mark: s/b MiniVelo fork), new brazing material, and various other pieces he has ratholed. We discussed the feasibly of internal cable routing, bilaminate lugs to eliminate the triangular webs and other improvements. With an internal geared rear hub (Mark sez: s/b 1x9) and a SON20R dynamo front hub and this could be killer town bike. Or add a SRAM DualDrive with an 9-speed derailleur and it would be a 27 speed ambush special! - a wolf in sheep's clothing! Maybe he'll built two.
2 comments:
I know that discussions at your table can get detailed, even arcane; but I trust that the accompanying schematic was not drawn out on the table cloth during that rides-end design session.
I know it's rough. It's just a preliminary sketch.
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