My new Burls Winter / Touring Hack

Wirral_paul

Just thought i'd start a thread now that I have all the parts for my new winter / touring bike (not got a rack yet though). The frame was custom made for me through Justin Burls with his Russian Ti frame builders, with the basic geometry based on my Moda Stretto. We then took a degree out of the head tube angle to slow the handling a touch, added 1cm to the ETT length (fitting a 1cm shorter stem) and also went longer at the back to allow for mudguards and bigger tyres (hence the Shimano 57mm brakes with Campag Athena groupset). Now to build it all up....

Nairnster

Looks interesting, what profile is the downtube?

Wirral_paul

Its an aero downtube mate (i wanted to be different) - it is a teardrop shape and is 50mm deep x 35mm wide

limoneboy

looks great , good luck with the build

DiscoBoy

You took a degree out of the headtube to slow the handling, then fitted a shorter stem? I don't follow the logic there.

I like the frame, it's nice to see a ti bike with a different shape downtube for a change.

What wheels are they?

Wirral_paul

Yeah I spoke to Justin about the geometry and what we were looking to achieve. My Moda Stretto is a 54cm frame with a relatively long 12cm stem as i'm between a 54 and 56. We added 1cm to the Effective Top Tube and then compensated by fitting an 11cm stem. The longer wheel base and increased trail due to the shallower head tube angle will slow the handling down far more than the 1cm shorter stem. I'd suggest most 54cm bikes come with an 11cm stem anyway (my Moda did).

DiscoBoy

Sounds like you've thought about it a bit then!

See you at the Eureka some time.

Wirral_paul

DiscoBoy wrote:

See you at the Eureka some time.

Sure will mate - say hello if you see me there DiscoBoy. I am with Port Sunlight Wheelers myself.

Well a bit of an update. I had a couple of hours building it up earlier after an hour yesterday and am about 90% there. I found i dont have any frame mounted cable adjusters with the groupset, and the Campag cable guide looks wrong for the frame so i've ordered new parts for Tuesday. Just need to sort the cables and then sort all the adjustments out. Wrap the bars and we're done!!

Apologies for the poor picture quality

tim_wand

" Winter touring hack" That is a thing of beauty. You lucky Bar stewared!!!

Wirral_paul

tim wand wrote:

" Winter touring hack" That is a thing of beauty. You lucky Bar stewared!!!

Hehe cheers Tim. It's gonna do a fair few miles as my long distance comfy (i better had be anyway!!) bike - so i havent scrimped on it 8)

buckles

That looks better than most race bikes...

Wirral_paul

Finally got it all completely built up, properly adjusted etc now. Thought i'd get a quick picture in the garden despite the wind trying to blow the bike over.



Frame: Burls Titanium 54cm - custom geometry. Aero downtube and "Colnago" diamond top tube
Forks: Columbus Hiver
Bars: Zipp Service Course Short/Shallow - 44cm c-c
Stem: Zipp Service Course SL - 11cm
Headset: Burls Titanium
Bar Tape: Zipp Service Course black
Front Brake Lever/Shifter: Campagnolo Athena 11 Carbon
Front Caliper: Shimano R451 black - long drop
Rear Brake Lever/Shifter: Campagnolo Athena 3x Carbon
Rear Caliper: Shimano r451 black - long drop
Cables: Campagnolo
Front Mech: Campagnolo Athena Triple
Rear Mech: Campagnolo Athena long cage
Seat: Bontrager Paradigm RXXXL 138mm
Seat Post: Burls Titanium 15mm layback
Seat Post Clamp: Burls Titanium
Cranks: Campagnolo Athena Triple 52/39/30 - 172.5mm
Chain: Campagnolo Chorus
Cassette: Campagnolo Chorus 11 - 12-25
Pedals: Speedplay Zero Chromoloy
Bottom Bracket: Campagnolo Powertorque

Wheels:
Rims: H Plus Son Archetype - 32 hole rear / 28 hole front
Spokes: DT Competition black
Hubs: Novatech A171 / F272SB
Tubes: Specialized
Tires: Michelin Pro4 Endurance 25mm

Accessories: SKS Chromoplastic 35 mudguards, Elite Custom Race Stealth cages. Rack mounting points included

Weight: 9.2kg

Other info: Winter / touring bike

pdstsp

That is a thing of great beauty - I'll look out for it on my forays into the badlands of the Wirral.

Wirral_paul

Cheers mate - you'll no doubt see it at the Eureka if you make it there on the weekends.

tim_wand

Nice Garden you got there, nice bike too.

Does custom add a lot to titanium frame costs ( I ve always dropped onto a 56cm with 110 stem on most brands) and does Burls add a lot to titanium prices as compared to say Lynskey or Van Nich?

Did you choose custom to tailor tube and ride qualities or for geometry reasons?

I ve got an opportunity for a bike for life kind of purchase, and will more and likely go titanium or 953.

MountainMonster

Looking good for a purpose built hack! I like it a lot.

Wirral_paul

tim wand wrote:

Nice Garden you got there, nice bike too.

Does custom add a lot to titanium frame costs ( I ve always dropped onto a 56cm with 110 stem on most brands) and does Burls add a lot to titanium prices as compared to say Lynskey or Van Nich?

Did you choose custom to tailor tube and ride qualities or for geometry reasons?

I ve got an opportunity for a bike for life kind of purchase, and will more and likely go titanium or 953.

Justin actually has all the titanium frames built to order and at no additional cost other than any additional bits you may want that aren't included in the basic price. I went with the detachable hanger, 57mm brakes, rack and mudguard mounts and straight stays (reqd for clearance) for example, as my aim is winter / touring. Limonboy has gone more race orientated with Di2 compatability etc - so basically you get a frame to suit your exact requirements. I did look at Lynsky, Van Nich and Enigma but none were perfect for my needs. Tube widths and types are also variable so you can have narrower like mine (27.2mm seatpost) for extra comfort, or go fatter for more stiffness.

Definitely worth a chat with Justin - he's a frame builder himself and does his own steel frames, whilst Ti ones are built up in Russia.

http://www.burls.co.uk/prices.php

tim_wand

Thanks for that, I ve got the groupset and wheelset I want in place already, and also my favoured contact points,

I don't think I m hard to fit, and I am looking for my "Rob Penn" once in a life time bike.

I think my major problem is I don't really know what kind of riding I do most of the time and I want to cover a lot of bases.

Centuries, sportives, touring and club runs, ( I ve still got a Carbon road race set up) for my delusional other stuff.

I always thought a lynskey Spotive or Enigma Espirit would do the job , but I would like something a bit more unique .

Wirral_paul

I think i was pretty much in the same boat Tim. I have a carbon Moda Stretto for the faster racy days - and whilst i was fine doing a 750 mile ride across France over a week in Sept, there was a couple of times on the 120 mile days when i started thinking a little more comfort would be nice. I also needed a bike i could fit proper mudguards and 25/28mm tyres to for winter use and so decided that an Audax style bike was what i needed - something designed for the long days in the saddle. My club runs are generally 70 - 80 miles but i ride 15 miles to the Eureka cafe where they start, so my Sunday rides are generally 100-110 miles, so am hoping that the narrower dia Ti tubing, 25mm tyres, and the wheels that Paolo (Ugo) built for me which are very compliant will meet all my needs. The fact i can chuck a lightweight rack and panniers on the back is a bonus for the odd bit of lightweight touring (overnight etc).

I dont see why a frame cant cover a lot of bases for you - and if you have the road race setup covered already then you're very much like me in not needing a super-light / stiff setup. A nice steel or titanium frame designed to cover all your non race bases should be perfect

tim_wand

Wirral_Paul wrote:

tim wand wrote:

Nice Garden you got there, nice bike too.

Does custom add a lot to titanium frame costs ( I ve always dropped onto a 56cm with 110 stem on most brands) and does Burls add a lot to titanium prices as compared to say Lynskey or Van Nich?

Did you choose custom to tailor tube and ride qualities or for geometry reasons?

I ve got an opportunity for a bike for life kind of purchase, and will more and likely go titanium or 953.

Justin actually has all the titanium frames built to order and at no additional cost other than any additional bits you may want that aren't included in the basic price. I went with the detachable hanger, 57mm brakes, rack and mudguard mounts and straight stays (reqd for clearance) for example, as my aim is winter / touring. Limonboy has gone more race orientated with Di2 compatability etc - so basically you get a frame to suit your exact requirements. I did look at Lynsky, Van Nich and Enigma but none were perfect for my needs. Tube widths and types are also variable so you can have narrower like mine (27.2mm seatpost) for extra comfort, or go fatter for more stiffness.

Definitely worth a chat with Justin - he's a frame builder himself and does his own steel frames, whilst Ti ones are built up in Russia.

http://www.burls.co.uk/prices.php

Those prices are actually very reasonable. I cant believe the degree of Tube profiles and customisation you can spec without additional charge.

I m down in Norfolk soon but I think I might have to make the additional miles for a visit.

Thanks for your feedback Paul, very useful. I wonder if Burls will be at the London show, or are they more a Bristol Bespoke kind of outfit.

Wirral_paul

Hi Tim

No problem at all mate. It would be worth giving Justin a call and mention your interest to make sure he's about when you go down - or at the London show coming up. He does seem to work very much on word of mouth and has a workshop at home where he works from. Very friendly guy and easy to chat to - listens to what you want and then makes sensible suggestions. For my frame with mudguards and up to 28mm tyres, i needed to go with straight stays rather than curved to allow for the clearance required - things like that.

http://road.cc/content/blog/2216-afternoon-frame-builder-justin-burls

RideOnTime

great winter bike.