Raouligan Asks The Bike Tart…

“Brain melt time and you might be the man to help…

So Sprout green IF Crown Jewel ordered the first steel one with a hiddenset from the new factory, so it’ll be lovely and has a chance of turning up unlike the last order from the states…

• Rotor Cranks
• Zero Gravity Brakes
• SRAM Rival Shift Bits
• Thomson Stem and Seatpost
• Deda Bars

So what saddle, bar tape and wheels, on and what chain rings do I have to use Rotor rings with Rotor cranks?

I suspect I’m probably going to run Eggbeater pedals – yes I know it’s a road bike, but I can’t track stand very well (barely if at all) and most of my riding starts with a run through a lot of junctions and lights.

Thoughts needed, I’m a bit concerned about the red bits on the cranks clashing with the sprout green frame.

Comments actively sought, bike should be done by next Spring!”

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, DO NOT put Eggbeaters on this bike!!  I don’t care how crap your trackstanding is (mine’s awful too) or how many traffic lights you might pass through on your way out to a ride (I pass through loads too), why would you ever compromise both the look of your bike – which sounds like it’s going to be delightful – and arguably your second most important contact point with it (after your saddle and it’s position) by running mountain bike pedals??

Use Speedplays.  Simple.  They’re double-sided so there’s no need to faff with flicking the pedal over to clip in, and they’re proper pedals that won’t compromise your performance.

Now that I’ve done the finger wagging, let’s get on with the rest of your questions…

Saddle:  Nobody can answer this one for you – it’s not a looks thing, it’s a comfort thing.  Don’t compromise, run what works for you.  If it happens to look good, bonus.  Just try and get one with black or carbon rails, right?

Bar tape:  Without seeing the bike built it’s difficult to say.  A colleague of mine would dispute this – he says all bar tape should be white.  I’m more demanding, it needs to suit the bike… and preferably match the saddle.  My favourite is still the Lizard Skinz DSP stuff though.

Wheels:  If it’s got steel forks I’d be tempted to run a classic handbuilt wheelset – Ambrosio Nemesis on a (perhaps green) Chris King R45 hub would be bloody lovely.  With a carbon fork, a deeper rim might suit it better – perhaps an Enve 45.  Stick with CK on the hubs there too though I reckon.

Rotor Cranks:  You don’t have to run anything particular, as long as it has the right BCD (bolt circle diameter).  If you’ve gone compact you’ll need 110BCD, or standard double is 130BCD.  If you don’t want the Rotor Q-Rings then I’d heartily recommend a set of Stronglight CT2 rings – they’re all black so look lovely, and they seem to last forever.

Oh, and don’t worry about the red bolt on the crank – it’s rare to find much bike stuff that doesn’t have any red at all on it so I’d wager you’re bound to find another little splash of it somewhere.  Besides, red and green are complimentary colours!

Hope that helps mate – be sure to post pics when it’s done!