Now we're crankin! (and wheeling)

My 50-36 Sugino double crank arrived Friday from JensonUSA, along with the 39t chainring I ordered.

I also ordered a Dura Ace front derailleur, however, it didn't arrive with this shipment. Apparently, it shipped on another order and arrived Saturday. I immediately had to try it out on the bike, just to make sure it fit.

Also, I picked my Lickbike.com ordered wheel parts up from the UPS depot last week. When it rains, it pours! The entire order:

Note: the remote control shown on the upper portion of this photo wasn't included!

36 hole front and rear Ultegra hubs:

Spokes and cassette:

...and some nice shiny Sun CR-18 36 hole polished rims as well!

Broken spokes, 3 flat tires (on the same ride!), and rim strips

A couple of weekends ago, I was tooling down the road on my trusty turquoise Schwinn Tempo. My weekend routes tend to be a bit longer, and I was a fairly good distance away from home when I heard a sound. Kind of a rhythmic clanking and scraping.

It didn't sound bad, so I figured it was something fairly minor that I could just pull away from the wheel or chainring and ride away. I pulled over onto the shoulder and without dismounting, took a quick look at my drivetrain and wheels.

Initially, I saw nothing. But the irritating noise persisted.

This time I stopped, dismounted and looked carefully. Sure enough, a spoke nipple fractured and the newly liberated spoke was happily slapping against my chain and seatstays. Since my rear wheel now resembled a warped hula-hoop, the rim was also rhythmically scraping against my brake pads. Argh.

I was at least 25 miles from home. Could I actually continue to ride this thing? I wrapped the loose spoke around a sound one, opened up the brake caliper quick release and wobbled down the road. It actually didn't ride too horribly, and I carefully completed my ride without further incident.

The bike sat for a week or so before I got around to tinkering with it. Fortunately, I've recently added a truing stand to my mostly working collection of bike tools. My previous method of wheel truing consisted of spinning my wheels on the bike and guesstimating the location and amount of wobble using my brake pads, then making adjustments with a spoke wrench. Works in a pinch, but not a precision truing method by any means.

Now I actually had a reason to try out my new stand! After removing and measuring the old spoke, I hit my LBS up for a couple of spares (just in case). Good thing, too, because as I was tightening spokes two other spoke nipples fractured as well...so I ended replacing three spokes instead of one. But the wheel trued up just fine. I reassembled the wheel and reinstalled, anticipating my next ride.

Back on the same bike next weekend, admiring my handiwork. Doing my regular out-and-back fitness ride, about four miles out and a different, familiar, and unwelcome sound.

Ssssssssssss....... crap!

The crap! part always happens after I hear the first noise.

My rear tire was rapidly deflating. Oh well, these things happen. I happened to be carrying an extra tube in my saddlebag, quickly switched it out, reinflated, and I was on my way. Out to the turn around point, then back toward town.

Sssssssssss.....damn! Not again!

Now all I was left with was a patch kit about 6 miles out of town. I grabbed the cell phone out of my jersey pocket and phoned the wife. While she was on her way, I found that my tube had a small puncture in it, used my patch kit and it seemed to hold. My wife suggested I throw the bike in the bed of the truck and just drive home, but I was determined to finish my ride. She drove down the road a mile or so, pulled off on a side road, and waited. As I passed her, I gave her the thumbs up.

Another mile or so down the road and...

Sssssssssssss...%#$*! (expletive deleted)

You've got to be kidding me. As my wife pulled up behind me, with her best "I told you so" grin, I conceded defeat and tossed the bike in the back of the truck. We had other places to go and things to do. While we were out, I began to wonder why my wheels were flatting with alarming regularity. I did remember to install a new rim strip after I repaired the spokes.

Maybe that was the problem. I used a thin, rubber rim strip. Maybe it slid away from the spoke holes, exposing them and pinching the tire. Each time I changed my tire on my previous ride, I had to reposition the strip to make sure it adequately covered the spoke holes. Plus, I had checked the tire very carefully inside and out. No glass, tacks, nails, thorns, Jackalope antlers, or other sharp objects sticking through the tread or the inside of the casing.

I managed to convince the wife to stop by a sporting goods store and I picked up a roll of Velox rim tape. When I had a chance to change the tube (again), I checked my patching work (it held), and there was another small pinch in another area. Tape, tube, tire, and back on the bike.
Yes, it worked. A short shakedown cruise, then a longer ride.

Moral of the story: even with a well stocked saddlebag, carry a cell phone. And no more rubber rim strips! Lesson learned.

Next, add -0.6mm of glitch...

I mentioned in an earlier post my headset seemed a bit tight.

No problem. I ordered headset wrenches so I could handle my own adjustments. Since I own several bikes with 1" threaded headsets, I thought these tools would be a logical choice to add to my pile of mostly working bike tools.

Last night, the wrenches arrived with my latest Lickbike.com shipment. I knew I didn't have any time to start wheelbuilding, but I figured I could at least try out my new tools. I headed down to my combination bike shop/laundry room and clamped the frame in the bike stand.

I purchased two types of wrenches, a Park combination 32mm - 36mm headset wrench and a Tacx brand 32mm wrench, longer, with a rubber cushioned handle. I had no problem fitting the Park wrench onto the headset nuts, but the Tacx wrench seemed very tight. I laid a towel over the top tube to prevent scratching and gouging, then proceeded with a bit of gentle persuasion (read: rubber mallet) to get the wrench on the nut. I loosened the headset nut a bit, tightened the jam nut and rotated the fork. Everything worked as planned, and the steerer turns much smoother and easier.

I read in Zinn's book that headset adjustment should really be done with the stem and handlebar in place. Okay, that should be quick and easy to try, right? I got the box of Rivbike parts out of the closet, procured my new stem, and proceed to slip the stem on the Nitto bars I received with the frame.

Everything was fine until I got to the clamping sleeve in the middle of the handlebar. The stem just did not want to slip over that portion of the bar. I figured maybe the clamp had just been tightened a bit much and was a bit squished, so I gently tried prying it apart. No soap. I used a bit more force. Still no good. I slipped the stem off the bars, gave the clamp a good pry and slipped it back on. Nada.

This shouldn't be that hard...that stem should just slip right on. I noticed I was marking up the clamping sleeve (the shiny stamped 'Nitto' area in the center of the bars), and didn't want to risk really destroying it. I closely looked at the stem markings and noticed "25.4 dia." Rut-roh. Could it be? I grabbed my trusty digital calipers and measured the handlebar clamping sleeve. Sure enough, 26.0 mm. Damn.

So I have the wrong stem. I tried calling Rivbike this morning, but no answer (strange...) so I've e-mailed Miesha to see what I need to do to return this stem and get the right one. In the meantime, I'll be thinking about my upcoming wheelbuild. I'm hoping this means my build glitch is out of the way early and rest should go smoothly, right?

Lets hope so! I'm keeping my fingers crossed :>)

Thanks, RBW Owners Bunch!

I recently checked out the RBW Owners bunch mailing list, and I had many nice replies to my recent post announcing my blog. I wanted to express my appreciation to all of you.

Thanks so much for your great comments and for sharing your bike build stories. And thank you all for checking out my blog.

Stay tuned! There's more to come!

-Dwight

Cranky, but I liiike it!

As far as component acquisition, things seem to be falling into place now! Patience appears to be paying off.

I really wanted to put a double road crank instead of a triple on the Ramby. A few weeks ago, the only square taper Sugino crank I could find was a 46-36-24 triple. That's MTB or touring gearing, which is not what I want on my new road bike. I found one at JensonUSA, a 50-36 Sugino road double which unfortunately, wasn't in stock. However, Jenson has a neat feature which allows you to set an e-mail alert on an out-of-stock item.




I didn't expect much, but I held off on buying any drivetrain parts. I figured Sugino had probably stopped producing them, focusing on the MTB/touring market and triple cranks. I read a bit about the Sugino company, a small outfit in Japan with approximately 25 employees. They are obviously in a niche market, as it seems square taper cranks are being rapidly replaced with ISIS, Octalink, and now outboard bearing cranks. At least that's what I'm seeing on many of the new bikes in bike shops and sporting goods stores.

But the e-mail alert arrived last night! I immediately ordered one crank, found a smokin' deal on a 9 speed Dura-Ace front derailleur, and grabbed a 110mm 39t chainring as well.
Also, my Lickbike wheel parts arrived! I'll be picking those up tonight.

Lickbike.com delivers!

The latest Lickton's shipment has arrived! Unfortunately, they delivered when no one was home and there was a signature required. I should be able to have the shipment held for pick up tomorrow.

I anticipate some weekend wheelbuilding :>)

-Dwight

Mining for Road Gold

Sunday was my lucky day!

On my regular fitness ride, I spied something lying in the road. Not the usual car parts, trash, or road kill, but something cylindrical and blue.

My first thought was, 'What would Ciclista do?'. In my day job as a techie, I deal with lots of acronyms. I call this one W.W.C.D?

I imagine Il Campionissimo falso, zipping along on a fully loaded carbon fiber Campy-only Bianchi and dreaming of Fausto Coppi Giro d' Italia glory, would simply pass up something curious lying in the road. When you are so importante, time is money! (Isn't Yahoo! Babel Fish great?)

Fortunately, I have lots of time on my hands. And most certainly early on a Sunday while puttering along, enjoying some crisp, cool morning air. There was absolutely no traffic, so I swung a wide U-turn to check it out.

Score! A flashlight. Actually, a twin AA battery powered Mag-Lite. Nothing highly valuable...I think you can pick these up for eight or nine bucks at the local Walmart. The thing was pitifully beat up, scratched and scraped. I opened up the back and found two fairly fresh looking Duracell batteries. The bulb had been knocked loose and was rolling around inside the flashlight reflector and lens assembly.

I've never really found anything useful on the road. I did pass an automotive disc brake pad lying in the road the other day, and was hoping that car was already well past me. Otherwise, most of the stuff I see is either roadkill, trash, or something that might mangle my tires way beyond repair. I stuffed the light into my saddlebag and rode on.

After I returned home, I pulled the thing out of my saddlebag and showed it to my wife. She promptly told me to "throw that piece of sh*t in the trash" Just kidding, honey! :>) Undaunted, I unscrewed the lens assembly and re-installed the bulb.

Eureka! Not only did the bulb light, but it burned very brightly. I proudly toted it down to my Bike Workshop/Laundry room and added it to my burgeoning pile of mostly-working tools.

Maybe this bike riding stuff is starting to pay off!

Drop me a line and let me know if you've ever found something valuable while riding. Maybe it'll be good blog fodder.

-Dwight

Is it a Bakfiets? Not really, but it is useful.

Bakfiets.

I call my mountain bike with the Wald handlebar mounted basket my bakfiets. For those who aren't familiar with the term, a bakfiets is a traditional Dutch cargo bike. I believe it loosely translates to 'basket bike'...if any Dutch speaking folks are reading this blog please feel free to correct me. I'll illustrate what I'm talking about:

Antbikemike http://antbikemike.wordpress.com/ builds a 'basket bike', where the basket is integrated as part of the front fork/wheel/headset assembly:

So why did I mount a Wald basket on my beater mountain bike? A short story long...

I bought my wife a Giant hybrid a couple of years ago. She rides occasionally, VERY occasionally, maybe twice a year if she's so inclined. As nice as it would be, a Glorius isn't in our future bicycle acquisition plans. At least one Saturday a year we ride the Wabash rail-trail to Mineola, a small town about 10 miles South of the trailhead, eat lunch at the aptly named Mineola Steakhouse, and ride back. Being a rail trail, the road surface tends to be dusty and if we've had any recent rains, dirty puddles tend to accumulate.

Of course, we needed to protect our investment from the weather and pimp out the Giant. Any excuse for bike accessorization.

So I bought some SKS fenders to protect my lovely wife's bike drivetrain and lower extremities from the elements. While I was at it, I bought a small saddlebag for her personal items, a bell for safety, and a handlebar mounted Wald basket. Mind you, it was a utilitarian black resistance welded wire basket, not a white wicker basket adorned with pink and yellow flowers.

It wasn't cute, but I figured it would be useful. We could haul more necessary stuff on short trips like bricks, bowling balls, and gold bars :>) However, after a couple of rides she decided she didn't need a basket. She didn't really carry anything in it, it rattled, and generally just got in her way.

It's a nice basket, and I just didn't want to remove it and set it aside in some corner of my bike workshop/laundry room or hide it in a closet somewhere. After some careful consideration and haphazard tinkering, I decided to mount the thing on my mountain bike.

Yes, it does look out of place. Here I am, bombing down the ATV trail in the wooded area behind my house on my basketed mountain bike, rattling away. I'm afraid if I take a header or smash into a tree the basket will be squished beyond repair, but then maybe it will provide a bit of 'crash zone' protection. And it comes in very handy for short trips to the store, picking up the paper, a half gallon of milk, or the occasional six-pack. Very utilitarian, at times.

And isn't a bakfiets a purpose-built utility bike?

It's not a bakfiets, but my old beater mountain bike just got way more useful.

-Dwight

Rivbike Parts

While I continue to wait for parts from Lickton's, I have a few pics of my Rivendell shipment I'd like to share:

The entire order -

Brooks saddle and stem -

Nitto Crystal Fellow seat post -

I couldn't resist an A. Homer Hilsen coin purse! -

Of course, I picked up a few other things as well. Brake, shifter cables and housings, Silver shifters, bar tape, wheel reflectors, and a couple of other hardware items. Of course, no Riv is complete without a brass bell! (Sorry, no pic...yet)

The Infinite Gift Of Time

I received an anonymous comment on one of my last posts, and I felt compelled to respond.
At first I dismissed it, thinking it was a crank or a good-natured rib from one of my cycling co-workers. Maybe it was more of a "Wow, building that bike is going to take you a very long time! That Rambouillet frame looks really nice and I applaud you for taking the time learning to build a bicycle for yourself." But I don't think so...since there wasn't any constructive or encouraging content included in the comment at all.

I thought about posting a cute, pithy, or sarcastic reply. In fact I did, thought better of reacting in the moment and simply hit the delete button. The comment went into the trash bin as well.

It actually made me think a bit, "Ciclista". Short but to the point.

The post simply stated: "Clearly, you are a man with a lot of time on your hands."

If only that were true. I would certainly enjoy having a lot of time on my hands to spend on things that must be done including things I enjoy doing as well. Spending time with my family tops the list, followed by work, business obligations, paying bills, home maintenance, and the like. Cycling and working on bikes is certainly important to me, but it is a hobby, and my blog is a way of sharing my experiences with folks who might appreciate a bit of 'bike nerdishness'.

I truly appreciate having a partner (my wife) who understands my bicycle obsession, and the vast amount of precious free time I have is spent with her. If I can squeeze a bike ride or two in there, great!

As I move deeper into middle-age I see my parents, in-laws, and other relatives aging. It makes me realize how important it is to spend time with them as well. It seems like yesterday my daughter was in diapers...now she's in her second year of college. The incalculable amount of invisible free time I've had watching her grow up certainly has slipped away quickly!

I am thankful for any minute I can spare to spend time on things that are truly important. Anything left over for cycling is truly a bonus, and a blessing!

To all my ciclista friends, anonymous or not, I wish you all the free time your hands can carry.

Cheers -Dwight

Slightly off topic

I have GOT to get me one of these!!!

http://www.youtube.com/d14653

I've got the frame...now what?

Even though not much has happened with the build in the last few days, I keep thinking of things I want to add to this blog. For the most part, I've decided how and what I want to hang on my frame. I've ordered some parts from Rivendell which have arrived in good order, and I'm waiting on a shipment from Lickton's out of Chicago.

First, a rundown on how this build is going to come together.

I've decided to build my own wheels. I've replaced spokes, and trued my own wheels, but I've never actually built one from scratch. I'm using several sources to help me with this one, including the late great Sheldon Brown's wheelbuilding webpage http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html and Leonard Zinn's "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance." I think these two sources of information should tell me most of what I need to know, at least to get started.

I want to get started with wheel components and build those first, so I spent an inordinate amount of time researching bike components; looking at hubs, rims, and spokes. Here's what I eventually came up with, ordered from Lickton's:

(1) 36 spoke Shimano 6600 Ultegra Front Hub
(1) 36 spoke Shimano 6600 Ultegra Rear Hub
(2) 36 spoke Sun CR-18 700c Clincher Road Rims, polished silver
(72) DT 14/15g Double Butted Stainless Steel Spokes
(1) Shimano 6500 Ultegra 9sp Cassette 12-27

I ordered these parts almost two weeks ago and I'm still waiting. Hopefully, they will arrive soon so I can really get started. In the meantime, I also ordered a few other necessary components from Rivendell which have already arrived...including:

(1) Brooks B-17 Honey Champion saddle
(1) Nitto Crystal Fellow seat post
(1) Nitto Technomic Stem
(1) Set of Silver downtube shifters - I'm going 'old school' with friction downtube shifting
Brake and shift cables, and housings
Bar tape
Velcro spoke reflectors
Other odds, ends, and bits, e.g. an A. Homer Hilsen coin purse???
...and don't forget (1) brass bell!

The frame already included Nitto Noodle bars, an Ultegra headset and bottom bracket, and Shimano sidepull brake calipers. So really, all I have left is the crank, chainrings, front and rear derailleurs, chain, pedals, and tires. I have some Riv Ruffy-Tuffies on my Le Tour, which I'll swap out for some low end 7ooc-25 Michelin Dynamics I have lying around.

The square taper bottom bracket seems to limit me to Sugino, Specialites TA (Peter White cyclery), or vintage NOS cranks. I saw some vintage NOS SunTour cranks for sale on the Harris Cyclery website but crank length was only 160 mm. I'm going for at least 170 or 175 mm cranks similar to my Quickbeam. I also believe Campy still makes a square taper crank but you also have to use their bottom bracket. It would be kind of an odd match with the Shimano derailleurs I'm planning on buying anyway!

Most of the cranks I see now have outboard bearings or are splined, e.g. ISIS or Octalink. I could swap bottom brackets but I've decided to keep what I have and get a Rivendell standard Sugino crank. Velo Orange sold some compact double (50 -36) Sugino cranks, unfortunately, it seems Sugino no longer makes that model and they're sold out. The only Sugino crank that's readily available seems to be the XD-600 triple, 110-74 BCD, 46-36-26. This is really a mountain bike or touring crank, so if I go this way I'm planning on swapping out the chainrings and going 50-38-28. I figure this should work with an Ultegra 6603 wide range (medium-cage triple) rear derailleur.

If anyone reading this blog has some other ideas for drivetrain combinations, please drop me a line.

The Frame Revealed

Adding a few visuals to my previous post, I'll include some pictures here of the 'grand opening'...after a week or so of anticipation the frame arrives!

Boxes in my living room, much to my wife's chagrin. She's very understanding. :>) Note the large hole in the upper left hand corner of the frame box. Unbeknownst to me, the previous owner had received his new AHH with the box in this condition and I can imagine the anxiety he felt! He carefully repaired the box with packing tape before repacking the Rambouillet. FedEx also spelled my last name incorrectly...oh well, as long as everything arrives intact!

Opening the box gives a hint of what lies beneath the packing. The previous owner did an excellent job making sure the bike would arrive in top-notch condition!





One bubble wrapped, Rambouillet frame. Again, an excellent packing job!





The frame revealed! A very nice, well maintained 62 cm Rambouillet frame ready for frame saver and assembly! My understanding from talking to the folks at Riv they had 3 separate runs, one orange frame with white headtube, this particular bike, blue frame with white headtube, and also a green frame with white headtube.


A close up shot of the white headtube and headbadge. Notice the lug detail. Gotta love classic, lugged steel bikes!




Downstairs to my combination bike workshop and laundry room. Did I mention that I have a very understanding wife? I had to pose my trusty, dusty (from recently riding the Wabash trail) 62 cm Quickbeam next to the new Ramby just to visualize what they'd look like together.




Another shot of the Ramby with my 80's vintage 62 cm Schwinn Tempo, another lugged steel 'classic'.

Some might consider my 'Turquoise Tempo' a bit porky compared to some of the new aluminum/titanium/carbon fiber frames but she's a fantastic bike, runs like the wind, rides like a dream and will last forever.

Catching up a bit - and the frame arrives!

I'm a bit behind here, since I've already received the frame and I'm anxiously awaiting parts. So, I thought I'd include an email to the previous owner describing my experience waiting for the frame to arrive.

August 7, 2008

Hi Paul!

After work today, my wife and I stopped at the local FedEx depot to pickup the bike packages you delivered. I called FedEx earlier in the week and asked them to place a hold on the packages...we wouldn't be home when they were delivered, and decided to have them held at the depot which was on our way home.

I managed to stay focused through my work day (it was tough!), but I was readyto leave this afternoon to pick up my prize. We drove to the FedEx depot and were told two packages had been put on hold. After what seemed like hours and with a great deal of anticipation, a FedEx employee came back with one box which appeared to be the box containing the handlebars and brake levers. After explaining to him he should be looking for a bicycle box, he disappeared into the back and after about 10 minutes or so reappeared, sans box. He explained the box had been put on the truck and shipped to our home today, but said the truck should be returning shortly and asked us to wait. We gave him our cell phone number and went to dinner.

Around 6:30 or so he called to tell us the second box had arrived. When I walked into the FedEx office, the box was waiting. Even though the box was clearly marked 'Fragile' in several place, there was a good fist sized hole gashed in one side of the box, which had been taped shut. FedEx had certainly taken great care in handling this package! We opened the box, I inspected the frame carefully and there was absolutely no damage. You did a great job packing the frame! We arrived at home and I opened the boxes like it was my birthday...in fact, it is my birthday tomorrow.

I removed the frame from the packaging and it looks great! The condition is exactly as you described, very good to excellent and your description of the decal condition is accurate. Just the right amount of 'beausage' ....that first scratch is always the hardest to deal with. I took a few pictures to preserve the moment, and took my frame downstairs to clamp it in my bike stand for closer inspection and to take a fewmeasurements (for future component purchasing :>)

There is one observation I'd like to pass along, and question I'd like to ask. When you used the bike, did the headset seem a bit tight to you? It doesn't seem to turn as freely as my other bikes, but maybe that's because there's no wheel, handlebar, or stem installed. The frame is great, and I'm very happy and satisfied with my purchase. Thank you for maintaining your bike so well! Enjoy your AHH! :>)

-Dwight

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes

I have a few bikes. I believe I have six complete bikes at present, including two frames. I guess if you count the two frames as one complete bike, then I have seven...one for every day of the week. Maybe that was my goal. My current list includes:

• Diamondback hardtail mountain bike, aluminum frame, beater and bakfiets (look it up!).
• Schwinn Le Tour, 63cm lugged steel frame, 80's vintage
• Schwinn Tempo, 62 cm lugged steel frame, 80's vintage
• Schwinn ?, model and vintage unknown, 62cm lugged steel frame fixie conversion
• Rivendell Quickbeam, 62 cm lugged steel frame, 2 years old, fixed gear setup
• Soma Double Cross 62 cm cyclocross frame, steel (what else?) setup with parts from an 'old' road bike as a light tourer

I wanted to start this blog to document (and share) the details of my latest bike build. Actually, this is my first complete bike build. I've been a longtime fan of Rivendell bicycles (www.rivbike.com), and I've experienced serious pangs of bike lust perusing Grant Petersen's latest offerings. About two years ago, I finally took the plunge and purchased an orange Quickbeam. This is not a subtle bike. Bright orange, with the Rivendell signature Speedblend Pasela tires, shellacked and twined bar tape, Nitto stem, bars, seatpost, rack, and brass bell, it gets plenty of attention everywhere I take it. I especially like the comments regarding my Speedblends...e.g. "I'm just so mesmerized by those tires, can't stop staring at them"...and "Wow, that's a nice looking old bike!" or "Damn, that thing is bright!" I get even more incredulous looks when I tell them it's only two years old.

I've been seriously thinking about getting another Rivendell to add to my stable. For those not familiar with Rivendell, they build custom and semi-custom lugged steel frames. Rivendell offers several models of 'stock' frames, including their Atlantis model, a touring bike, and the A. Homer Hilsen, a 'country' bike. You can get more information by checking out their website.

Rivendell also has several models they aren't building at present. One is their road bike, the Rambouillet, and the Quickbeam. I managed to get in on the last run of Quickbeams before Riv decided to temporarily suspend building that particular frame. I have to say, my QB is the best fitting bike of all the bikes I ride...and yes, they all do get ridden regularly. I was planning on buying another Rivendell and had been looking seriously at either the Atlantis or the Homer Hilsen. Problem is, the Hilsen frame only came in odd sizes (61 cm or 63 cm), and the Atlantis came in either a 61cm or 64 cm. The geometries just weren't quite the same as my Quickbeam, and the Rambouillet was currently out of production. I had bid on a 64 cm fully loaded Atlantis on eBay several months ago, only to get beat by a last second bid. Just wasn't meant to be, I guess.

However, bike karma smiled upon me at last. While I was keeping my ear to the ground, watching the bike blogs, iBOB and RBW mailing lists, eBay, craigslist, and so on, I happened upon a lightly used 62 cm Rambouillet frame for sale...perfect for a fall/winter bike build. After some correspondence with the owner a deal was struck, and the frame was mine!