View the first version of this bicycle - click here
View the second version of this bicycle - click here

Presto-Chango!

And we've got ourselves a brevet-ready workhorse...

When I picked up the Quickbeam at the RBWHQ&L just under a year ago, I went ahead and nabbed the Nitto Mini Front Rack which was designed to be used with this bicycle. The fork has a pair of threaded braze-ons designed to line up with the legs of the rack. You can actually see them a little better in the earlier photos. When trying to figure out what bicycle to use for the SF Randonneurs 2007 200K Brevet, this bicycle seemed to be the right choice. The bike is extremely stable and predictable, and most importantly, my most comfortable over long-distance riding. Since I'd been mostly using this on the road as a fixed-gear bicycle, it was not a huge change to consider it for longer distances. The fenders got installed a couple of days before the brevet, when rain - or at least wet roadways - seemed imminent. These photos were taken following cleanup after the event, which is detailed here.

The top photos show just the basic hardware changes - fenders, water bottle cages, front rack and lighting mount, while the bottom two include the bags used in the brevet - Nigel Smythe & Sons L'il Loafer on the rack and the Baggins Banana Bag under the saddle - as well as the Niterider light I ran. (There was also a Planet Bike Blinkey on the Banana strap.

Gearing was the stock 40 x 18T, with a 32 "bailout" chainring. On the other side of the hub, there's a fixed 14T cog, which gives it a cruising gear of around 77 inches. That's the way it's set up in the photos. I used all three gear combinations during the brevet.

-- Jim