The Build
The Frame Arrives
In what seemed like an endless wait, I finally received an email from Prashant the owner at Cobbled Climbs and Bike Gallery in Mumbai. As you might remember, they are also the representatives of Festka in India. The email included an attachment with the final images of my bike glowing resplendently in its mummy colours. This was it. My wait was nearing its culmination. The moment of truth was fast approaching.
I called up Prashant and checked the timeline for the dispatch, receipt at their end and onward movement to my place. A couple of months prior to the completion of the order, I had also made a request for a Festka t-shirt with signatures of everyone involved with the production of the frame. In addition, I wanted two 10th Anniversary Festka bidons. They matched perfectly with my bike. I was very keen to have some kind of association with all those involved with the production of my dream bike. The idea of a custom bike, unlike a mass produced frame, included a signature style and identity. This was an important aspect of my frame selection and bike build. Besides, it is always heartening to know that those involved with the build are as passionate about cycling as the owner of the frame.
The journey from Prague to Mumbai did not take long. However, the customs clearance got done after 10 odd days, which felt like an eternity.
After a couple of days with Prashant, wherein, he checked the frame and the accessories included, the frame began its final journey to Delhi. It was dispatched on Friday, 16 Dec 2022, in the evening and resultantly, I had all but given up on the possibility of a build over the weekend. Contrary to all expectations, I got a message from BlueDart on Saturday, 17th Dec morning announcing its delivery the same day. This came as a pleasant surprise. Unsurprising, my pacing through the house, led me to catch the BlueDart van immediately after it parked in front of our residential block. Even before the delivery executive could call me, I shouted out from my balcony, requesting him to wait for me before getting the box out of the van. He thought I wanted to check its safe journey. While that was indeed a concern, I was instead keen to document its arrival and delivery.
Finally, it was brought upstairs to the second floor. The agent was not sure of the contents. However, despite the size of the box, which looked like a television packing, he remarked: "This does not seem like a LED given the weight of the contents." I smiled and said, "Indeed. This is not a television. It is a bicycle frame." His bewildered facial expression at the end of our conversation was a sight to behold. I signed off on the receipt and in came the Festka frame. I looked around to check the integrity of the box and was satisfied with the handling and packing.
I had previously requested Kunal at Cyclofit to push forward the build to Sunday at best, and that too if I was lucky with the transit timings. He had planned his own bike build, having recently bought an electronic groupset. When I requested him to take up my build, unknown to me, he was very considerate and decided to push forward his own build by a day.
I had received the frame at about 1315 hours. My son, convinced of a delay in the arrival of the package, was out for a century ride. I gave him a desperate call to seek his assistance. He turned back immediately, to reach just in time to help me with the build.
When I saw the Festka box, it became clear that it would not fit into any of our cars. The cab guys also seemed equally doubtful about carrying a box of that size. I decided to remove the contents from the box and carry the frame, fork and stem by hand in the car. This also allowed us a quick unboxing of the parts at about 1530 hours.
Thereafter, we loaded all the parts into the car. My son slid in carefully into the passenger seat, holding the prized possession, having been cautioned half a dozen times to be careful with it. I guess dads will be dads!
We reached Cyclofit, and after a short waiting period, the bike build commenced at about 1700 hours. But before that, I unwrapped the frame, doing my best not be make my exuberance public. After all, I was almost twice the age of most people in the showroom and workshop!
Before I go on with the build story, I must admit that the period immediately after the dispatch information from Festka was rather tense. I had of course done my research, but, it was mostly a singular effort at selecting the parts, checking their compatibility and most importantly, working out the size of the frame on the basis of my existing bike. I was worried about going wrong on several counts. I did take enough time to come to a final decision on the frame size. But it was worth the time and effort that was put into this deliberate process. When the frame arrived, it looked very small to me. A discussion with those with more experience revealed this to be a common refrain on seeing a frame in isolation. I guess amateurs can be spotted from a mile. Eventually, everything was perfect with the size, as should have been expected. However, some components, other than the frame, did raise some minor issues during the bike fit. But more on that later.
Build
Sonu was the man entrusted with the job of the bike fit along with a lot of us hovering around in the area, extending our unsolicited inputs. My concern was centered around the need for accuracy of torque settings, especially with some parts like the saddle, seat post and handlebar. The torque numbers demanded absolute accuracy and I was not going to take any chance with it. I had made a list of torque settings, but, as it usually happens, had misplaced it by the time the build began. This led to reinvention of the wheel, with each part being checked individually yet again.
I was also keen to document the build. Just like the classy videos on YouTube. However, the excitement around the build and the buzz ensured that a structured video was out of question. Besides, we came in at a time when a patient, easy going build was just out of question. The best I could achieve was some clips at short intervals. I do hope this blog will fill the gap of a structured video.
With the headset and bottom bracket in place, I was relieved, given the indifferent reputation of GXP crank sets and the quality issues associated with them. Watch Hambini and you would know why. Thankfully, there seemed to be no play, as per my amateur assessment, something that Sonu went on to confirm. Accordingly, I had further chosen Ceramic Speed to ensure accuracy at least with the bottom bracket, since I could not have done much about the crank.
What did take time, was the fitment of the front derailleur hanger. This was primarily because of an aftermarket option I had bought in addition to the SRAM Red clamp, in a bid to reduce weight. Predictably, the aftermarket clamp was far lighter. However, it created problems with shifting, reinforcing the fact that non-OEM parts come with their inherent compatibility issues.
Thankfully, I did not have a similar experience with Cane Creek's ee brake calipers. These were fixed without an issue and worked perfectly. I did take care of the small adjusting nut on top of the front caliper, which, as road.cc had noted, could touch the down tube while transporting the bike, when completely turned onto one side, scratching it in the bargain. For the time being, a small piece of insulation tape was wound around it, along with cautionary instructions to my son prior to the return journey. As I see it, there is unlikely to be any issue while turning the bike during a ride, however, transportation could cause scraping when the handlebar pivots completely onto the right.
The next bit that took time was the mechanical adjustment of gears. This was the first time I saw initial calibration being done and realised the virtues of an electronic system, at least in this regard. While my previous experience with a mechanical road bike remained flawless, I presume, this too will settle down after the first couple of rides and accompanying minor adjustments if needed.
Mounting the tube and tyre was a breeze. These slipped on seamlessly, yet again reinforcing the importance of quality. Both Schmolke and Pirelli deserve credit for their quality control.
I must highlight the bit about brake and shift cables. I had deliberately and consciously chosen external cables routing, despite having the option of a completely internal build. While I have indicated my reasons in a previous blog post, at this stage, I would like to highlight two additional aspects that influenced the choice.
I chose to place the front brake on the right hand lever and rear on the left. This decision was based on the logic that the right hand (for those who use it as a master hand) is capable of a more graduated braking ability rather than the left. And given that the front brake is stronger, it is important to retain this facility with the right hand. Similarly, in case of cyclists riding in a left hand drive system like the one that exists in India, hand signals are given with the right hand to make a turn across traffic, while the left turn is usually free. In that case, if the need for braking arises while turning right, it is safer to go in for the more gradual rear brake with the left hand, for a safer slowing down process, in contrast to the non-master hand instead slamming the front brake. Most bikes are not setup this way, as Europe, with the exception of Britain follows the opposite system. In India, it makes sense to follow the British model.
I also chose to get the shift cables placed outside the tube. This may come as a surprise to most, having got used to the internal routing of cables even in rim brake bikes. This decision was influenced by a number of factors. One, it is easier to maintain cables that are outside the frame. Two, in case of damage or fraying, the condition of the cable can immediately be discerned and corrected. Three, this system leads to minimal sharp turns in cables, which means more efficient change of gears. Four, it also reduces the overall weight of cables (for whatever it is worth). And finally, I love the aesthetic. Just like my 1983 Colnago!
I did make an exception for the top tube, since hanging a bike could have led to rubbing the exposed cable with the frame.
The cable setup I used was Jagwire Elite Link. It included all possible accessories to ensure a good fit, including rubber beads to save the frame from any cable scrub against it. The setup is also lighter than the propriety cables that come with SRAM Red.
The handlebar and stem matched perfectly, since both were Schmolke. I was particularly stoked about the stem, as it had been painted to match the frame. Maybe, the spacers could also match this setup. I am not sure though, it is just a fleeting thought. I had chosen to go in for a Carbon Works Garmin mount, which was specifically designed for the Schmolke and THM stem. Needless to stay, the fit was perfect, as was the lack of weight.
The 1.8mm bar tape from Lizard Skin was finished off perfectly with Schmolke bar ends. The guys at the workshop were initially intrigued to find a cuff links box. Even on opening it, the bar ends still looked exactly like a fashion accessory. They fitted well and from my perspective, added to the look of the bike. I think, it is often such small details such as these bar end plugs that can lift the quality of a bike build.
I was not too happy with the need for headset spacers. However, as mentioned in an earlier blog post, there was little choice, given the unavailability of a Retul like automated bike fit setup in India. This in turn would have allowed Festka to undertake a custom geometry build. However, I decided to make the best of existing circumstances by ensuring a good fit basis the experience with my present bike, a size 52 Scott Addict 10. The Festka size options available allowed me to get the requisite stack, with the reach being 10mm shorter. On the Scott, I was forced to push forward the seat to cater for the longer than desired reach. This anomaly was taken care of with this build. Besides, I also felt that a custom build works well only if the fit is done by an experienced hand. A machine, however efficient, is not an adequate solution on its own merit. On the contrary, it could get worse than an existing, tested fit option, if not done well.
The Schmolke seat post was a tight fit but fitted well into the frame. The Berk Lupina saddle adjusted seamlessly to complement the stem.
I had chosen to go in for Wahoo Powerlink single sided pedals. These provided ease of clipping in and out. AT 250g, these were relatively light weight, with the added benefit of accurate power readings. I did adjust the settings in the app to reduce the crank length to 165mm from the previous 170. And I was good to go. This change also reinforced the benefits of a pedal based power meter when it came to shifting it between bikes.
The return drive was undertaken even more gingerly, with the bike held delicately by my son. A little past eleven, we were back home, all set for the test ride. This would cater for any minor adjustments needed with the setup. I was not sure about the sleep quality that night after all the excitement of the day and even greater excitement of the forthcoming ride the next morning. Eventually, it did not matter. I was moving more on adrenaline rather than energy!
Weight
So what was the weight of this supposedly light weight build? Well, it was just a shade below 6 kg, including the pedals, bottle cages and Garmin mount. I realised that anything less than this would have led to a compromise in the rideability of the bike or would have shot up the budget to unacceptable levels (the present build had already done enough to derail my budget completely). Tubular wheels, unpadded saddle, THM Crankset are some examples of unrealistic parts or overly expensive ones.
With the build completed successfully, I was all set for the first ride. The next blog will record my impressions, including of individual parts.
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