I would like to get some suggestions on what bike parts I should be collecting for my bike project.
Our goal here is the balancing of aesthetics, ineffability, taste, and function in a process that combines the pleasure of a treasure hunt with the education of a newbie bike mechanic and culminates in a bike that could be wall art (but won't).
In other words, I'm really looking for help in making the end result stylish and pretty. Sure, it should "work", but a $500 bike at the corner bike shop "works".
This is to be my first road bike in over 30 years. Old guy = old bike, so I'm starting with this frame and fork. Sorry, I can find no images of this on the web, so a crappy cellphone picture it is.
This is roughly a 1995-1997 frame. Carbon tubes, aluminium lugs, integrated headset. In the day, it was likely fitted with pretty high level stuff.
Okay, let's outfit it.
Some of the bits are already here, though I don't absolutely have to use them. I have a set of Campy Record 9 Titanium levers, a Record 9 Titanium rear dérailleur, and a Record brakeset. All alloy, no carbon. My levers look like
I could get a Record front dérailleur. I could switch out the shifter cam to convert the shifters to 10 speed. I could get the carbon Record levers if that shape is better, they look like
Potentially I could even use an entirely different make of shifter/derailleur, though I do have these bits already.
There is no crankset or bottom bracket. I could get a Record or Chorus crankset. It could be alloy or, to echo the frame, carbon. I could go for the Ultra Torque crankset. I could get an entirely different make of crankset, for a different look, e.g.:
There's a silver quill stem and black aluminium bar. I could keep those, unless it is too much black. Or I could get silver. Or carbon. I could get a quill adapter to allow a threadless open face stem. I could use something wild like
Then I could use ovalized bars, swoopy carbon bars, etc. Even something like:
The only conceptual restriction on the stem/bar is that I want road drops, not bullhorns or aero bars.
At the butt end, I'm limited in my choice of seat posts by the 25.4mm diameter seat tube. So far I can only find the old 1980's and earlier posts, like C-Record aero:
Or a new, round alloy BMX post in any color - since BMX still uses this diameter. I think carbon is not really an option, they were made in 25.4mm by Look and others but just don't turn up for sale at non-stupid prices (at any price, really). Maybe they all broke.
The saddle is going to be dictated by my bum, but I like the Selle Italia Flite and it has a nice shape, so that's what I may go with.
But there's still color to play with . . .
Finally, the wheelset. I'm wide open here. The super deep carbon rims look a little silly to me (like annular billboards) but otherwise I'm open to carbon, alloy, gray, silver, aero, standard, radial, bladed, etc. And to any kind of hub.
Whatever looks good. And takes clinchers.
Any suggestions, inspiration pics, "if it were me I'd . . ."? I have plenty of time to collect these bits so even somewhat obscure options are worth considering.
I was almost decided on a "Tout Mavic" project, but Mavic didn't make brifters and I do want those, and anyway that would have pre-dated the bike a little.