My new bike – 718 cyclery bike build
Most of my blog entries are related to music or technology, but I had so much fun with this project that I wanted to include it here too!
After riding my heavy, old mountain bike around the city for a couple years, it was time to get something lighter and road-friendly. In May, I rode in the TD Bank 5-borough bike tour, and while it wasn’t necessarily difficult to go 42+ miles on a mountain bike, I knew that if I ever wanted to ride in a longer distance tour, I would need to get a real road warrior.
A friend of mine had told me about 718 Cyclery in Park Slope, Brooklyn and that you could not only customize your bike down to each individual part, but also hand build it with 718′s owner, Joe. I set up an initial appointment with Joe via the online calendar on his website.
After meeting to discuss the kind of bike I was looking to build, Joe set up a parts & price list (using Google Docs), and we were able to tailor the project to my budget. As per Joe’s suggestion, I went with a vintage Raleigh Grand Prix racer frame from the seventies, paired with brand new parts. Using a vintage frame, in my case, was both an economical and aesthetic choice. Also, there’s nothing I like more than customizing a product, part for part by hand. (Truth be told, Joe did most of the hard work, but I was there helping out and taking mental notes for the next time I build a bike on my own.)
The fact that 718 Cyclery has a comprehensive website, let alone an interactive calendar for booking your appointment, maintaining your parts list, and emailing questions, sets this company apart from many other bike shops. In fact, 718c wasn’t a shop at all. Purchasing and building my own bike was a unique experience that was both fun and educational. And once all the parts arrived at Joe’s shop, the actual build time was only two hours. The best part was being able to ride the bike home after all the anticipation!
Check out some pictures of my bike from the build, originally posted on the 718c website: here.