Otto's Rando - Signature 650b Randonneur

Just before Christmas we finished one of the most special custom steel bikes we've built for a while - a Bilenky Signature 650b Randonneur, which we are proud to present in tribute to the style and flair of René Herse.

One of the pleasures of this build was that the customer was very specific in how he wanted the bike to look and ride, and took an active part in the design process. As a result of this ongoing dialogue and exchange of ideas, the design of the bicycle evolved as we built it. The result is beautiful and unique.

And so here (as they say in England) is the full SP on the build...

Frameset

• Bilenky Signature Rando 650b x 42c
• Handcut investment-cast lugs with a Herse-inspired profile
• Columbus Life tubing
• Imperial oval fork-blades with Grand Bois fork crown

Frame detail

• stainless steel chainstays and rear dropouts
• integrated Tony Pereira Constructeur taillight, custom mounted
• custom rear brake cable hanger
• internal wiring
• custom chainstay fender mount
• mitred-in seatstay attachment
• custom fabricated bottom bracket shell to match Herse-tribute lugs
• customer supplied custom headbadge
• SonDeluxe SL fork dropouts with internal wiring
• S&S couplers - custom cut to match lugs

Paint

• Pearlescent Lunar Peach - gold and pink pearl over custom mixed color to emulate the moon's rising color. Fun process story- originally the customer wanted a classic grey. When he came to the shop to pick up two other bikes we had modified and repainted for him, the painter took him outside to discuss grey armed with the color books. As they were talking about color and the love of bicycling, a delivery truck arrived with a package. After running the delivery inside, the color book was randomly open to a page with some peaches and Naomi the painter pointed to it and said "one day I'd like to paint a bike a color like that because it reminds me of the moon". The customer appreciated the recommendation and seeing her other work, he enthusiastically gave her full artistic freedom.
• color coordinated racks to decals and lug-lining to emulate twilight
• hand-painted Bilenky stencil logo
• pump painted to match and mounted behind seattube

Components - a mix of new and vintage

• SKF roller-bearing bottom bracket
• René Herse crankset
• Vintage Mountain Goat tapered roller bearing headset
• Custom wheelset using Velocity A23 offset rims
• Mafac Raid brakes (with custom braze-on mounts)
• Grand Bois Hetre tires
• Brooks Professional saddle
• Rear hub: White Industries polished 36h

Custom lugged stem

• custom Bilenky Fabrications lugged steel stem
• twin handlebar binderbolts
• painted to match the frame and lug detailing

Accessories

• custom Bilenky Fabrications front and rear racks
• detachable low-rider rack at the front (to remove when you aren't carrying panniers)
• center-mount dynamo headlight positioned beyond the tire profile
• Honjo Hammered fenders with painted stripes to match frame and lugs
• custom fabricated decaleur with integrated cable hanger for Berthoud bag

You might call this bike 'full custom', as the attention to detail is evident in every aspect of the frame and the components, and particularly given the number of custom items that we designed and fabricated solely for this bike. It is one of a kind. Artistry in steel.

- BCW

Bina's Africa Bike

Bina is taking some time away from the shop for a few months to undertake a pretty awesome journey - she's working as part of the support crew for the 2014 Tour d'Afrique overland ride that goes all the way from Khartoum to Cape Town, a 12,000km journey through some of the most amazing places in the world.

She'll be riding for much of the time and a special trip demands a special bike - so here's a rundown on the custom bike that Bina ordered and is now riding in Africa. A cross between an agile mountain bike and a traditional touring bike. Already officially named Le Petit Graveleur. Of course, it's a Signature Bilenky - literally:

Built from lightweight steel to a very special design:

- True Temper heat-treated downtube with an ovalized profile - stronger, lighter and with a small-radius curve behind the headtube, to be more resistant to buckle-failure. A rigid bike takes a lot of front-impact - so rather than a heavy tube we used a different shape to get the same strength.

- Undersized thin-wall toptube - a 7/8 diameter tube, smaller than most production bikes, increasing the lightness and comfort of the bike to match the weight of the rider. Not every mountain bike has to have oversized tubing. We build bikes that match the uniqueness of every rider. That means we choose tubing that matches the rider and where and how they're going to ride.

Check out those curves. Custom top-tube kept low to allow an easy standover clearance. Large tire capacity to allow 2" of rubber to tackle any kind of terrain. Wide curved stays and a special bi-plane fork crown. Fork blades are lightweight - again tuned to match the rider and absorb bumps.

Comfortable geometry to allow for all day riding.

The custom cable-run on the toptube allows us to go between the seatstays (a benefit for smaller bikes) and visually follows the curve of the toptubes and compliments the lines of the frame. Attention to detail. Intelligent design.

The finished bike all built up and ready to ride. Components as follows:

• Cantilever bikes allow mud-clearance with simplicity of repair in a touring situation. We thought about disc brakes but they just weren't necessary.
• Brooks B17 Narrow Imperial, a comfortable saddle for many women riders.
• A hand-picked groupset that combines high-end road parts for lightness with a 2x10 mountain range - simple front-shifting but lightweight and practical. Remember that three-quarters of the weight of most bikes is components. Here we're able to balance durability and quality and weight - it's possible.
• White Industries hubs - light, durable, made in the USA. We love'em. Free spinning, we've been putting them on Bilenky custom bikes for 20 years and will probably continue to do so for another 20. Laced to DT Rims, our rim of choice.
• Panaracer Protek tires to protect against thorns and rocks. A lightweight version of a big tire for a suspension-like ride.
• Chris King headset - the industry standard.
• Cross levers for extra comfort and variety of riding position.

And here it is on location in another continent, complete with a Berthoud saddlebag ideal for a supported tour or credit-card touring:

All of these options that go into making this bike unique and appropriate for Bina's journey are available to build into all of our custom bikes. But of course, you'll have all your own requirements. For us that is one the pleasures of being a custom builder. You can change any component on a production bike, but with custom everything about the frame is changeable. You're unique and your bike should be too.

You can follow Bina's trip at the Tour D'Afrique blog. We'll be asking her again later on how she's getting on with the bike.

Check out the Philadelphia Inquirer article on Bina's trip.

-BCW

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Ray