Sometimes it’s good to get back to the basics. Henry James lugs are the quintessential way of joining steel tubes and for making a stylish, classy road bike. This bike was built for long days in the saddle, and has tire clearance to give you versatility for whatever road conditions you come across. And with so many classic elements, it’s a study in details.
Some things to consider:
The main triangle is made from True Temper OX Platinum tubing and the lugs are Henry James — this is the best pairing of lugs and tubes I’ve had the pleasure to build with.
The fork legs, chain stays and seat stays are all KVA stainless steel. I wanted to give this one the look of classic bikes with the chromed stays, but without putting the frame through the chroming process.
The stays and fork legs, the seat stay caps, down tube logo and various other stainless bits are all hand polished. This includes the rear dropouts made by GP Wilson, and the Henry James front dropouts (which are also stainless steel).
A team of color consultants came up with the paint scheme, which includes a pearlescent purple with red lug lining, long points on the fork legs, the seat- and chain stays. These are highlighted with the polished stainless down tube logo, stainless seat stay caps, 3 sets of stainless bottle mounts, the stem head lug. The shiny parts “pop” without being too loud.
Once the frame is fully built and ready to ride it will only enhance the appearance. Aesthetically, it’s one of those bikes that from a distance just looks like a nice, classic, purple road bike, but as you step closer the details begin to jump out at you, and the more you study it, the more you’ll see.
Pretty as it may be, though, this is a bike to be ridden, first and foremost. It fits 700c wheels and 35c tires with fenders. Without fenders you could go bigger, up to about 42c tires.
The front & rear brakes are made by Paul Components, the “Racer” style. The headset is made by Chris King, and the stem is hand made with a polished & chromed bi-laminate lugged bar clamp (that’s a mouthful).
It’s got down tube shifter mounts, so if you wanted to go retro you could mount the appropriate shifters there, or use adapter barrel adjusters for a more modern shift system.
The front rack was made in-house and mounts discreetly to the inside of the fork legs. It is meant to hold the Schmidt front light and routes the wiring internally through the rack. In combination with the decaleur the front rack holds the Berthoud handlebar bag (also included).
Frame specs:
This bike would be good for someone on the taller side, between about 5’11” and 6’3” depending on arm, leg and torso lengths. Maximum rider weight about 200 lbs. Ideal rider weight about 170 - 180 lbs.
Top tube length: 59 cm
Seat tube length: 605 cm
Stem length: 120 mm
Head angle & seat angles are 73 degrees
Standover height (approximate): ~ 860 cm
Chain stay length: 42 cm
Standard oversize tubes: 28.6 mm top; 31.8 down; 28.6 seat (for a 27.2 mm seat post)
Head tube: 169 mm long, 31.8 mm diameter (for 1” fork steerer)
To summarize, here is what’s included:
Hand made frame, fork, stem, front rack (includes stainless logo, stays, fork legs & dropouts, other stainless bits polished)
Chris King 1” Two-nut threaded headset (installed)
Paul Components “Racer” brakes, polished
Rene Herse front cable hanger, brass adjusters front & rear, Herse straddle pulleys
Honjo H-31 fenders, polished, drilled & installed (45 mm wide)
Schmidt Edelux II wired front light (for a generator front hub)
Choice of tail light, installed (also gen-hub-powered — let’s discuss mounting options)
Velo Orange Decaleur, stainless
Gilles Berthoud handlebar bag, canvas & leather
Topeak frame pump, polished body, seat stay mounted
If you would like to discuss a complete parts package, please let me know. I have some ideas about what I would like to see on this bike (think: Chater-Lea double crank set, Schmidt SON front generator hub, H+Son rims, Brooks leather saddle, and so on). The handlebar in the photos is a Nitto Noodle, 44 cm wide. It’s a used bar, has some small scratches on it, but if you’d like it, it’s included.
This is a very striking bike, ticking many of the boxes for what I think a lugged bike ought to be. It’s light-weight for its size, gorgeous, and is going to be a comfortable go-fast bike for long day rides on a variety of road surfaces.
Please email me if you’re interested, if you have questions or if there’s anything at all you would like to discuss.