Introducing the Hillbrick Roadster (fixed)
Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 3:16 pm
Actually, Paul Hillbrick doesn't have a model called the 'roadster' - this is what resulted when I took my needs and desires to him, talked on the phone and by email for some time, revised, revisited and hacked about at the specifications and then left the lot in his capable hands.
She's FINALLY HERE!
Ahh, you want the piccies first don't you (so you can ignore my rambling and justification).
Well there she is.
Fixed gear.
Columbus Zona, double butted tube, lugged steel frame with lugs and dropouts chromed.
Miche Primato cranks - the chainring has 'Hillbrick' cut into its surface (top as you look at it here) - 48x18 gearing.
Miche Express wheelset - impressively built wheels if you believe the advertising blurb.
Miche Primato brakes front and rear driven by Tecktro levers (and lovely levers they are too).
Pro Vibe7 Compact S bars - a new bend based on their anotomic bars but with a constant curve rather than that horrid flat spot - very comfortable.
Brooks B17 saddle of course.
And lots of other little bits and pieces.
The office ... from the wrong direction.
Yup, I need that carrier - I commute on this bike and she's a working bike outside of that, panniers > backpacks anyday.
To date, she's done over 200km (not all commuting), and every one of those kms has had a pannier on back. I'd itching to see how she goes without the stupid thing.
Naturally a Brooks B17 - my bottom deserves the best.
Told ya it was by Paul Hillbrick
And there's the protection against my dodgy memory - I really do not know what the Europa's made out of, apart from it being steel.
It's 'Asymetric Double Butted tubing' - what makes it 'asysmetric'?
Miche Supertype seat post - really sexy ... so, of course, I cover it up with the holddown strap from the saddle bag.
The front end showing the lugs, headset and bars.
Believe it or not, that is a threaded headset. Those bars are oversized and you can't get a quill to take them, so we've used a quill adaptor and an a-head neck. It certainly doesn't look cobbled together and does, in fact, look more deliberate than many stock setups.
Miche Primato brakes - lovely brakes ... and they stop the bike nearly as well as your average brick wall.
You'll notice I haven't mentioned the pedals. She's got the GR-9s which are a nice, platform pedal but are too narrow for my feet - my big clompers hang over the side and I get hot spots. For the last two years, I've used Shimano M324s modified for toe clips - these are a lovely pedal (rebuildable if you're stubborn) and fit my foot well, so that's what I'll be doing for this bike when I get the time and energy. No, I don't use clipless (took them off both the Jamis and the Europa) and have no reason to go back to them.
This project started back in July 2010! I'm not kidding, I still have the original email from Paul where he says 'yeah, we can help you'. As it happened, the road was a lot more tortuous than maybe we both thought, but the result is well worth it.
I wanted a fixed gear, steel framed, lugged bike to replace the Europa (who's now 35 years old).
Being an oldish bod, I've found over the years that I need the bars up at saddle height (seriously), something aggravated by a motorcycle prang years ago that mucked up a shoulder. This resulted in the largish frame, mainly to get the bars up high enough without stupid necks.
I also need the saddle set back a bit a little and have trouble getting that with most bikes, so Paul relaxed the seat tube angle.
This bike will be an urban warrior so I didn't want any toe overlap - tight turns in traffic are not the time to catch a toe clip on the front wheel (remember, it's fixed so you can't avoid the pedal being forwards sometime). Paul has designed her with a bare 1cm of toe clearance.
BUT HOW DOES SHE RIDE?
Be patient Shaun, I'm getting to that.
She's lovely.
Comfortable and smooth on rough surfaces. I'm only using 23mm tyres yet she's more comfy on the rough (such as the Major's Rd 'bikepaths') than either the Jamis or the Europa, but it's not a spongy feel, she feels tight and springy, you're aware of the rumble of the tyres but not of any vibration in the saddle or the bars.
She's stable and predictable to ride, quite relaxing, yet reacts like a scalded cat to any steering input. Super tight in turns but responsive as well. This and the comfortable riding position is why I'm describing her as a 'roadster' rather than a racer or balls out sports bike.
The brakes are brilliant and need very little input from those comfortable Tektro levers (a copy of the Campy levers I believe).
Climbs well and charges downhill well. Being fixed gear, you have to spin with her. I have sustained speeds of over 50km/hr (cadence 150) on the bottom part of Expressway Hill but find her easy to maintain a more moderate speed higher up (steep down hills are the downside of riding fixed). Standing on the pedals and climbing is so beatifully balanced compared to other bikes I've ridden (despite feeling odd when I first did it) and suddenly, I can stand and climb for extended periods as opposed to the short runs before. I'm not sure why but I'm not complaining.
She's a lovely bike, both to look at and to ride. She's not for everyone, maybe few of you will understand the concept, but she's exactly the right bike for me and has already started commuting duties ... but not on the recent wet days.
She's FINALLY HERE!
Ahh, you want the piccies first don't you (so you can ignore my rambling and justification).
Well there she is.
Fixed gear.
Columbus Zona, double butted tube, lugged steel frame with lugs and dropouts chromed.
Miche Primato cranks - the chainring has 'Hillbrick' cut into its surface (top as you look at it here) - 48x18 gearing.
Miche Express wheelset - impressively built wheels if you believe the advertising blurb.
Miche Primato brakes front and rear driven by Tecktro levers (and lovely levers they are too).
Pro Vibe7 Compact S bars - a new bend based on their anotomic bars but with a constant curve rather than that horrid flat spot - very comfortable.
Brooks B17 saddle of course.
And lots of other little bits and pieces.
The office ... from the wrong direction.
Yup, I need that carrier - I commute on this bike and she's a working bike outside of that, panniers > backpacks anyday.
To date, she's done over 200km (not all commuting), and every one of those kms has had a pannier on back. I'd itching to see how she goes without the stupid thing.
Naturally a Brooks B17 - my bottom deserves the best.
Told ya it was by Paul Hillbrick
And there's the protection against my dodgy memory - I really do not know what the Europa's made out of, apart from it being steel.
It's 'Asymetric Double Butted tubing' - what makes it 'asysmetric'?
Miche Supertype seat post - really sexy ... so, of course, I cover it up with the holddown strap from the saddle bag.
The front end showing the lugs, headset and bars.
Believe it or not, that is a threaded headset. Those bars are oversized and you can't get a quill to take them, so we've used a quill adaptor and an a-head neck. It certainly doesn't look cobbled together and does, in fact, look more deliberate than many stock setups.
Miche Primato brakes - lovely brakes ... and they stop the bike nearly as well as your average brick wall.
You'll notice I haven't mentioned the pedals. She's got the GR-9s which are a nice, platform pedal but are too narrow for my feet - my big clompers hang over the side and I get hot spots. For the last two years, I've used Shimano M324s modified for toe clips - these are a lovely pedal (rebuildable if you're stubborn) and fit my foot well, so that's what I'll be doing for this bike when I get the time and energy. No, I don't use clipless (took them off both the Jamis and the Europa) and have no reason to go back to them.
This project started back in July 2010! I'm not kidding, I still have the original email from Paul where he says 'yeah, we can help you'. As it happened, the road was a lot more tortuous than maybe we both thought, but the result is well worth it.
I wanted a fixed gear, steel framed, lugged bike to replace the Europa (who's now 35 years old).
Being an oldish bod, I've found over the years that I need the bars up at saddle height (seriously), something aggravated by a motorcycle prang years ago that mucked up a shoulder. This resulted in the largish frame, mainly to get the bars up high enough without stupid necks.
I also need the saddle set back a bit a little and have trouble getting that with most bikes, so Paul relaxed the seat tube angle.
This bike will be an urban warrior so I didn't want any toe overlap - tight turns in traffic are not the time to catch a toe clip on the front wheel (remember, it's fixed so you can't avoid the pedal being forwards sometime). Paul has designed her with a bare 1cm of toe clearance.
BUT HOW DOES SHE RIDE?
Be patient Shaun, I'm getting to that.
She's lovely.
Comfortable and smooth on rough surfaces. I'm only using 23mm tyres yet she's more comfy on the rough (such as the Major's Rd 'bikepaths') than either the Jamis or the Europa, but it's not a spongy feel, she feels tight and springy, you're aware of the rumble of the tyres but not of any vibration in the saddle or the bars.
She's stable and predictable to ride, quite relaxing, yet reacts like a scalded cat to any steering input. Super tight in turns but responsive as well. This and the comfortable riding position is why I'm describing her as a 'roadster' rather than a racer or balls out sports bike.
The brakes are brilliant and need very little input from those comfortable Tektro levers (a copy of the Campy levers I believe).
Climbs well and charges downhill well. Being fixed gear, you have to spin with her. I have sustained speeds of over 50km/hr (cadence 150) on the bottom part of Expressway Hill but find her easy to maintain a more moderate speed higher up (steep down hills are the downside of riding fixed). Standing on the pedals and climbing is so beatifully balanced compared to other bikes I've ridden (despite feeling odd when I first did it) and suddenly, I can stand and climb for extended periods as opposed to the short runs before. I'm not sure why but I'm not complaining.
She's a lovely bike, both to look at and to ride. She's not for everyone, maybe few of you will understand the concept, but she's exactly the right bike for me and has already started commuting duties ... but not on the recent wet days.