The view of a 2024 Crust Romanceür from West Seattle at dawn, reproducing an earlier post with a new frame.
The bike was rebuilt after getting t-boned by a red-light runner in January of 2024 which destroyed the bike, broke my pelvis, snapped my left femur, turned my left tibia and fibula into a jigsaw puzzle of seven major pieces, and shattered my right knee’s condyle.
Now I’ve got 39 titanium pins, screws, bolts, rods, and a plate inside me, but am back on the bike. First ride was December of 2024, 11 months after getting hit. Nearly every part was salvaged from the old bike, only having to replace mudguards and a tacoed rear wheel.
At some point I’ll have to put together a timeline post of the wrecked bike, x-rays, and this rebuilt one.
Got enough water?
Joking aside, it all depends one where I am. Right now only one has water; it’s just easiest to store the empties on the bike where I won’t lose track of them.
But three liters hasn’t actually been enough when touring through the emptiness of the Dakotas, crossing the Ozarks in a heatwave, or traveling through the Deep South in July.
Beautiful build, glad you’re still with us AND still riding, fellow Cascadian.
What is that crankset? How challenging is it to get chainrings?
Thank you, I’m glad too.
The crankset’s a Dia Compe ENE Ciclo I picked up for that lovely three arm spider. How easy it will be to replace the chainrings when the time comes, I’m unsure. Like the crankset, I’ll probably have to source them through a Japanese merchant. At least it’s Dia Compe, so unlikely to be impossible.
Beautiful shot, good job.
The frame design reminds me of my Velo Orange Pass Hunter. Crazy heavy - it’s 7-8 lbs more than my road bike, but I didn’t build it to be a speed demon, it was intended to be an all day touring setup.
Glad you have recovered from the crash and are riding again!
Yeah this setup’s not going to win any races unless they’re downhill, but it really tickles my semi-retro-grouch fancy with its lugged frame, support for downtube shifters, and old style geometry married to disk brakes and support for larger tires. It’s super comfortable for those long touring days in the saddle of 70-90 miles.
What width tire can you run? My Pass Hunter is limited to 30 with 700s in the rear (front can be wider). It’s wider for 650b wheels, but I couldn’t tell you what it is off the top of my head.
I’m running the maximum size you can with mudguards on this frame, they’re 650bx48. And I am in love with the ride of larger tires. I’d thought the 38s I run on my Volpé were nice, but these are in another league for long distance comfort.
Not my jam at all but variety is the spice of life and it would be boring if we all liked the same stuff.
Good to hear that you have recovered from that brutal accident though and even better that you haven’t been put off of riding! Stay safe out there :D
See that gap between the space needle and the building just to the right of it? Used to live there. Man, i miss 5 Point Cafe. Best happy hour on the globe.
