# My new ride ... for commutes and grocery runs



## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

Check it out!











More pix here: *Old Field Cycles*

This was built for me by Justin Pogge, an emerging builder in Tallahassee, Florida.

His Old Field Cycles feature classy welds and careful construction.

He did an excellent job.

Stainless steel lugs, in a soft luster (matches the finish of the fenders).

Custom racks, fore and aft. Front rack bolts to the top of the fork -- very sturdy.

Fork has a spring that clips to a spot on the downtube, to keep the rack from turning too much and banging into the bike frame (spring itself not yet mounted).

Eccentric bottom bracket to handle chain adjustment for an Alfine hub out back.

Sugino crank, with WTB platform pedals.

Alfine generator hub up front, powering an Edelux headlight and a Busch & Müller taillight.

Front rack will get some wood insets, which I will put together this weekend from a piece of redwood someone gave me years ago.

Taillight wiring is hidden in the frame and in the tubes of the rear rack. The Alfine cable takes a dive into the frame as well.

Versa shifter for the Alfine, on Nitto noodle drop bars.

Brooks B-17 Narrow, in antique brown -- that is a gorgeous saddle, the first I've ever seen in that color -- with bar tape of similar color.

Fenders from Velo-Orange.

Avid BB7 brakes, to handle the hard stuff during the Armegeddon thunderstorms we get daily during our long summers down here.

Frame paint is a modern Jaguar beige, and the "Old Field" paint is an old Chrysler color (almond, from the '60s, I believe). Both painted by an auto painter the frame builder uses.

Racks are in glossy black powdercoat, for durablity.

The rear rack was built to handle Ortlieb Backroller panniers, for runs to the grocery.

The handlebars are set maximum high now -- I'll cut and reduce things down as I dial it in. Stem may be swapped out as well.

I picked it up today at lunch -- haven't given it a ride, but did do a few pedals in the parking garage. The Edelux headlight is bright -- surprised me that a generator light could throw it out like that. Taillight does a good job, too, and both run off a standlight (that is, a capacitor) when you stop.

Dreamy.

If anyone wants to contact the builder, Justin Pogge is at [email protected].

More pix:


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Man you gotta post a bigger photo of that beauty!

_Edit: Oh my!_


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## morryjg (Jan 6, 2008)

Gorgeous bike!! Enoy!


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## m_s (Nov 20, 2007)

Very nice!


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

Gorgeous bike, with all the right parts. 

What was the design thinking behind (1) the taller seatpost and raised stem and (2) eccentric bottom bracket and vertical drop rather than horizontal drops? 

Take a good lock with you when you go to the store.


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

The raised stem is something that will likely change. This is just what was handy to put it together.

I will swap out the stem and, I suspect, cut down the fork tube when I get a few miles in. Better to start tall and cut down than to cut too much and have regrets.

I first put this Alfine on a Robin Hood frame, which has horizontal dropouts. I found it aggravating to adjust -- hard to keep get the tire centered in the fenders.

So, with the dream build, I designed out that annoyance. We'll see how the eccentric does. Builder says it is one of "those set it and forget it" things. Won't need to adjust until I decide to change the size of the front or rear cogs.

Lock ... no kidding! Fortunately, my park at work is very secure -- there's a lot of foot traffic and an armed guard within eyesight of the bike.

I may carry the neighbor's cur dog with me when I go to the grocery store, though.


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

Slim Again said:


> The raised stem is something that will likely change. This is just what was handy to put it together.
> 
> I first put this Alfine on a Robin Hood frame, which has horizontal dropouts. I found it aggravating to adjust -- hard to keep get the tire centered in the fenders.


Good thoughts. The fender issue is hard. My Vanilla has track ends and fenders, so I need to release the fender to get the rear wheel off and on. (I have wood fenders that are nice and flexible.) The flip side, I suppose, is I'd think you have to loosen and tighten the eccentic if you change the rear wheel (eg, for a flat). Is that right?


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Very nice.


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

Eccentric hub ... the builder says no, you won't have to adjust it just to remove the wheel to swap out a chain or a tire or repair a flat.

He advised that it should only need fiddling with if I go to a larger or smaller cog or chainring.

I seem to be a pioneer in the eccentric world, though. We'll see how it goes.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

Really nice bike. You better clean that chain though. When I looked closely I thought I saw a speck of dust.


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## rayhead00 (Mar 3, 2009)

Nice!
A minimal stainless chaingaurd would look good and functional.


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## rmsmith (Feb 15, 2007)

Wow, nice build there! However, I would replace that stack of spacers under the stem with a single piece custom cut white carbon spacer; search eBay.


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## RagbraiNewB (May 21, 2008)

Bike-porn


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

Update on the eccentric hub -- I took the wheel off, put it back on ... no problem, no adjustment needed.

By the way, that Edelux headlight ... what a fine piece of gear! It really throws out a beam, and every bit is put to work ... the beam is shaped, somehow, and doesn't light up the treetops or the bushes off to the side. Not like a flashlight (which is what I had been using on my commutes, a P-7 burner).

I didn't know a generator light would work so well.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*great*

Looks great! Covered all the bases to make it work wonderfully, it appears, with minimal attention.

Why Sti shifter/levers?


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

Why STI-style shifters? I couldn't find a good place on drop bars for the RapidFire shifter, which is what the Alfine uses.

But, that's not a biggie, if anyone else is thinking of doing a drop bar/Alfine setup. I could have put the RapidFire shifter up on the top of the bars.


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## blakcloud (Apr 13, 2006)

Slim Again said:


> Lock ... no kidding! Fortunately, my park at work is very secure -- there's a lot of foot traffic and an armed guard within eyesight of the bike.


Do you work in a prison? : )

Your bike looks great. Give us a ride report after a few months of riding it.


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## mbaha (Jul 2, 2007)

That is pretty close to my dream build! I want to hear about how the Alfine works with sti shifters, I didn't know that was possible. I thought you either had to do the rapid fire style or the Jtek

thanks


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