Cog Cycles

Recent builds

krems — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:00:13 +0000

57cm Schwinn World Sport, fully rebuilt and currently for sale, $420. Sakae cranks, Sakae stem, alloy drop bars, Salsa brake lever, Alex r450 single speed/fixed gear wheelset (front wheel not pictured). Michelin Dynamic tires, MKS pedals, Charge saddle, sakae microadjust seatpost, fixed cog and lockring or Shimano freewheel. 48t chainring, KMC chain, brake cable, etc. Rebuilt headset, all other bearings are new (botom bracket, hubs, pedals). Small ding under downtube, not normally visible, some paint chips. Rides very nice. More pictures here

52cm Basso, fully rebuilt and currently for sale. Shimano 600 pedals, crankset, headset, front and rear derailleurs, d/t shifters and brake calipers. Suntour Superbe high flange hubs laced to Mavic dark anno G40 clincher rims in a 4 cross spoke pattern. Continental Gatorskin tires. Rides like a dream. More pictures here.

62cm Miyata 610. Sakae Super custom crankset, drop bars wrapped with yellow cloth bar tape and coated with amber shellac, Sakae stem, seatpost, single speed/fg wheelset, Origin8 saddle

59cm Univega Via Tourer. Set up as a 1×8 with single front chainring, 8 speed rear shifting. Shimano bar end shifter for rear derailleur. Michelin City 700x28c tires, New Tektro drop bar brake levers, cantilever brakes, Mavic rims, Shimano hubs. SKS fenders, WTB saddle.

Trek 400 fixed gear conversion. Alex r450 wheelset, Formula cartridge bearing hubs, Sakae cranks, Salsa lever, Sakae crankset, Sakae stem. Truvativ bottom bracket. Michelin City 700x28c tires. Frame with Trek investment cast lugs. More pictures here.

Contact me with any questions.

Thanks!
Brian

Bike Swap This Weekend, 11/7 and 11/8

krems — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:16:58 +0000

Myself and at least four other vendors. Tons of parts for your builds, frames, wheels, accessories, and some complete custom bikes, all priced in the very fair/to-move spectrum. Also people happy to talk bikes. If you’re having a problem or you have a question, come on out for a Tapper Brother’s (see Car Talk) style consultation. Come on out and join us!

More recent builds

krems — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:10:55 +0000

Builds done in the past few months. Most are single speeds, some are mountain bikes converted into effective city commuters. To see more pictures of any bike, click on the linked model name. Feel free to ask any questions you have, or to contact me at briankremen@gmail.com if you’re considering a custom build. Thanks for looking. Enjoy!

62cm Schwinn World, cruiser bars, cloth bar tape sealed with amber shellac, tektro levers, r450 wheelset, skinwall tires, Shimano Exage crankset

1972 Raleigh Super Course, 58cm. Made in the esteemed Carlton factory. Beautiful nervex professional lugs, part chromed stays and fork blades. Vintage Brooks Pro saddle, alex r450 wheelset, decorative SR 144bcd crankset. Skinwall tires, GB alloy stem, Salsa lever, cloth bar tape sealed with amber shellac.

1972-3 Raleigh Super Course, 58cm. Powder coated to approximate the original color. Hand built wheelset: Formula hubs, Sun rims, Sapim spokes. Front wheel laced in a three leading, three trailing pattern. Sakae crankset, MKS pedals, vintage Brooks saddle, skinwall tires, cloth bar tape sealed with clear shellac

48cm Giant Sebrig, Planet bike saddle, Tektro levers, cantilever brakes. Converted to rear shifting only, friction thumb shifter, Kenda slick tires, Shimano Exage components

56cm Gitane, Vitus 788 tubing, Avocet french 144bcd crankset, white saddle, swept back riser bars, white velox bar tape, MKS pedals, tektro lever, new double wall cartridge bearing wheelset.

57cm Nishiki, white CST tires, velo saddle, r450 wheelset, formula hubs, Sugino RD2 crankset, Shimano 53t chainring, salsa levers,

Bo’s 57cm Nishiki

Zach’s 59cm Schwinn Tempo, Columbus Tenax tubing, Velo saddle, DP18 wheelset, bullhorn bars, MKS pedals, cartridge bb, Sakae crankset

48cm Bianchi Limited, Ishiwata 022 tubing. Fresh blue-grey powdercoat, hand detailed lugs. Sugino RD crankset, cartridge bottom bracket, Charge saddle, MKS pedals, Tange headset, alloy seatpost, double wall cartridge bearing wheels

48cm Schwinn Traveller III, reconditioned alloy wheels, Cyclepro saddle, white wall tires, Sugino super maxy crankset, new bb, tektro levers

48cm Red Schwinn Caliente

54cm Gary Fisher Marlin, Planet bike saddle, cantilever brakes,c onverted to rear shifting only, Sunrace friction thumb shifter, Geax slick road tires, Exage crankset, adjustable alloy stem, Oury grips

Reading old Bridgestone Catalogs

krems — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:34:39 +0000

Believe it or not, one of the best, most concise sources of information about bicycle mechanics, frame and component materials, fitting and customization are the old Bridgestone sales catalogs of the early 90s. Grant Peterson, founder of Rivendell, was the mastermind behind bicycle design for Bridgestone at the time, and he believed in the informed consumer. He shared massive amounts of knowledge in these catalogs.

I can set up a bike for you in a similar way to what they do at Rivendell, for far less than the $2-3000 their bikes cost. I have a few high quality touring frames in 57cm-58cm that fit the bill, and can find others. Its much cheaper to find a quality vintage frame that matches up to the pricey Rivendell frames in every way, and build that up. You’ll have more money to spend on componentry, and end up with a better bike for less.

Here’s a link to the page with all the catalogues, and a few samples for you below. Enjoy!

Some recent builds

krems — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:20:19 +0000

Here are some recent builds. All are either sold, or were conversions commissioned by customers on their own bikes. I let a few roll out the door without photographs. I’ll have to track them down and add photos later. Enjoy!

44cm Univega Safari Ten Mixte, redished original alloy wheels, Oury grips, MKS touring pedals

White Powdercoated 58cm Trek, Sugino Super Mighty cranks, MKS Pedals, Vintage Turbo Selle suede saddle, Brown cloth bar tape coated in Shellac to match

54cm Raleigh Olympian

61cm Kuwahara Count, early Shimano Tourney crankset, Kuwahara headset. Beautiful, unique frame with double eyelets front and rear for rack and fenders, spoke holder braze ons for bolting spare spokes to chainstay, and uncommon long point lugs.

50cm Raleigh Technium 400, fully rebuilt as a 12 speed. New Saddle, seatpost, bar tape, cables, bottom bracket and hub bearings and pedals.

Schwinn Caliente, Reimagined

krems — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:38:24 +0000

My neighbor had her bike stolen and her backup was a very short Schwinn Caliente road bike with 26″ wheels. This was the right height for her, and she wanted me to get it going. I noticed the original fork was bent, and I knew the steel wheels and crankset had to go. I started by installng a replacement 27″ road fork, an aluminum crankset, 700c wheels and a honey Brooks saddle.

However, the shift from 26″ to 700c wheels made the bike tall for her, so I decided to build her a set of 650c road rims to a flip/flop hub set, approximating the size of the original 26″ wheels.

The only thing left was the fork. There’s not a caliper brake alive that can reach a 650c rim on the 27″ fork I’d installed, so I got a chrome 26″ mountain bike fork with cantilever bosses, and installed it with a cantilever brake. The pads lined right up the with 650c rims. Cantilever brakes have multiple times the stopping power of caliper brakes, so now the Caliente has more braking power with a single brake than it ever did with two.

For final touches I got her a new, shiny 165mm track crankset, and took back the vintage 165mm road double I’d originally installed. She wanted bullhorns, so I cut some drop bars into a bullhorn shape. I used natural colored cork tape, and covered it with two coats of amber shellac, giving it the honey leather look.

Now it is pleasing to the eye, and with all the new gear, its built to work well into the far distant future. One of the nicest things is that she has some serious braking power for the winter months. The chrome MTB fork looks nice, too! Here are before and after shots.

Cheers,

Brian

3 Leading 3 Trailing Wheel

krems — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:18:36 +0000

Note the spoke pattern on this front wheel.

It is built in a three leading, three trailing pattern. Really just decorative, but it is unique and beautiful without really losing any of the strength of a 3 cross wheel. On each flange, three consecutive spokes are laced forward (leading), followed by three laced back (trailing), and so on.

The only potential loss of strength from a traditional 3 cross wheel is in the fact that the spokes do not actually cross over one another. However, the directional lacing of the spokes makes the wheel far stronger than radial lacing, and very nearly as strong as a traditional 3x wheel. I have gotten testimony from another wheelbuilder that this pattern has lasted him over 10 years on a front wheel, and presented no problems.

I have one of these wheels built, hanging up at Lugs, if you want to take a look. Just ask Ron or Carene about it. A matching rear wheel can be built for it within a day or so, if you were interested in the set. Also, any 36 hole front hub and rim can be built in this spoke pattern. It is inadvisable to build rear wheels this way, though I would consider lacing a wheel with the drive side a standard 3 cross, and 3 leading, 3 trailing on the non-drive side. The set would be around $190.

I’m not the first to invent this spoke pattern. Its pretty well established as far as unconventional spoke patterns go, perhaps in part because it is reliable. I am having fun with it though!

-Brian

Hand Built Wheels available

krems — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:03:50 +0000

I have a few sets of hand built wheels up for sale. Often, factory built wheels, even when built by hand, are poorly tensioned and attention is not payed to bending the spokes for the most direct line from the hub to the rim. This results in gradual detensioning, and the wheel losing its true. Having wheels built by hand locally often results in a better product, because they are built with more care and attention to detail.

I build most of my wheels with double butted spokes, which add strength to the build, while reducing weight. Many of the wheels I build are also 36 hole, which adds negligible weight and significant strength. I have a few sets for sale. Photos and brief descriptions follow.

I will back up my work and true or replace spokes on any of these wheels if needed within 3 years. I can also build custom wheels or wheelsets using your wheelgoods, or my own. If you want something specific, I can order it. For more information on any particular wheel or a custom wheel build, contact me, or reply to this post. Thanks!

Mavic Open Pros, Blue Formula hubs, Sold

Mavic Open Pro, 36h, 700c, double wall double eyeletted rims laced to cartridge bearing Formula hubs powdercoated light blue. Sapim double butted 2.0/1.8mm spokes, sapim polyax brass nipples. Rear hub is fixed/fixed threaded, though a freewheel can in fact be used on fixed threading without issues. Front wheel is laced radial, rear wheel is laced three cross, with trailing spokes placed on the outside of drive side flange, whichever side you use. I had the hubs powdercoated locally, and I can have your frame powdercoated to match the hubs if you like. For more photos, see here.

Black Sun M13 II Rims, Red Anodized low flange Formula hubs sold

Sun M13 II narrow, eyeletted road rims laced to low flange Formula hubs. Black rims, red anodized hubs, black Sapim straight gauge 2.0mm spokes, and black brass DT Swiss spoke nipples. Hubs were anodized locally. Rear hub is fixed/free threaded. Both wheels laced three cross, which is the most stable lacing pattern (outside of 4 cross, the benefits of which are debatable). For more photos, see here.

Red Velocity Aeroheads, Miche High Flange track hubs

Metallic red Velocity Aeroheads, 28 hole, laced to Miche track hubs, Sapim double butted 2.0/1.8mm stainless spokes, Sapim brass nipples. Rear hub is single side fixed, with proprietary lockring included. Cartridge bearing hubs with additional coverage for protection from moisture and weather. Rear wheel laced three cross, trailing spokes on outside of flanges for stability. Frontwheel laced two cross. Aeroheads have a semi-deep section for more strength than shallower rims, but not as much weight as Deep Vs. These would make great commuting or track racing wheels. Not meant to be beat up or used on a bike that carries a particularly heavy passenger, or heavy bags. Ideal with 700x25c or wider tires for city use. For more pictures, see here.

Welcome

krems — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:24:41 +0000

I rebuild vintage lugged steel road bikes in my garage and basement in Humboldt Park, Chicago. Steel bicycle frames are versatile, and almost anything you want can be done with them.

Custom built bikes operate like new, yet they have the beauty and uniqueness of lugged steel frames, and vintage components.

I build wheels as well, and whenever possible I like to build them for the bikes I build.

I’ve also been having frames professionally powder coated, and they come out beautifully. My friend Ashley details the lugs, with stunning results. If you choose to commission a build, you can opt to select your own powder coat, wheelset, and various components.

Welcome to my blog. Feel free to contact me with any questions, or forward the link on. Below are pictures of some recent builds.

Cheers!
Brian