Andrew’s training bike

My teammate Andrew had me build him a race bike a few years ago. But living in Oregon he needed a training bike that would match the geometry and fit but allow for full fenders. And of course, disc brakes (a no brainer when riding in the wet). He requested clearance for 28-30mm tires with the fenders – which also allows him to run 32-35mm tires without, allowing the bike to serve double duty as a gravel racer too.

Andrew likes the integrated seatmast on his race bike, so we did the same thing here, which also allowed for a third bottle cage mount on the back. Modular rear dropouts enable either a quick-release or thru-axle rear wheel to be used. A Whiskey fork up front has the required geometry and clearances, whilst also having the needed fender mounts. Cables run internally through the downtube to keep things tidy.

We wanted a minimalist, but effective fender, so Andrew came over to the shop and machined some aluminium strips to give water-catching lips on the inside, then I rolled them to size and machined the mounting hardware. Having a chainstay bridge for the fender mount can make wheel removal tight, so instead the fender mounts to a boss brazed on the rear of the seattube, with a second discreet mount tucked under the wishbone seatstay. For friendly group riding, we added a long buddy flap to the rear fender and a similar one in front to keep the feet dry.

This bike will also be used for commuting, where Andrew uses a single pannier. So we created a minamalist, single-sided stainless pannier rack, which tucks the bag as close to the centerline as possible.

The frame is finished off with a tough powdercoat by Custom Powderworks, with the Thomson stem and Silca pump coated to match.

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