Rourke custom

mikenetic

There doesn't appear to be a specific thread for Rourke bikes, although they crop up fairly regularly. So here's another build!

This is my summer bike, it's Reynolds 853 with unpainted stainless rear dropouts, chosen because then there's no paint to get chewed by the quick release. When I ordered the bike I had a good conversation with Jason about the merits of 853 v 953. I wasn't convinced I'd see any specific benefit from going stainless, and given my normal riding (fast club & solo 80-100 milers) Jason recommended 853 as an appropriate choice.

It's equipped with Ultegra 11-speed (52-36 & 11-28) an Enve 2.0 fork, Ksyrium Elites and Ritchey WCS finishing kit. The only bit of unnecessary bling is the Chris King headset and the Arundel carbon cages. Tyres are Michelin Pro 4 25mm.

Initially the bike was green, but having lived with that for a while I decided I wasn't 100% happy with the way that looked, so I had a repaint and tightened up the position of the seat tube graphic. I'm delighted with both the way it looks now and the way it rides.

dilatory

Man that's pretty. I'd desticker the wheels or even better get some 303s on there

oldbazza

That's luurverly 8)

bmxboy10

Hi I am getting something similar and have a colour scheme in mind. Interesting up grade on the 853. Do u mind letting me know the extra over costs for the drop out stainless upgrade and forks?

marcusjb

Nice, simple and elegant. Very classy.

thegreatdivide

Best bike I've seen on here for a while. Really, really lovely.

I don't agree with putting deep sections on it as IMO skinny tubes look best with skinny wheels. Deffo don't de sticker the wheels either as the b/w Mavic graphics go well with the overall look.

It's a bloody good looking bike - tob job sir :-)

mikenetic

solboy10 wrote:

Hi I am getting something similar and have a colour scheme in mind. Interesting up grade on the 853. Do u mind letting me know the extra over costs for the drop out stainless upgrade and forks?

Not sure on the forks to be honest, but the stainless drops were about £120 more, if I remember rightly. I think it's worth it for keeping it looking tidy.

And thanks for the kind comments. It puts a smile on my face when I ride it, which is pretty fundamental, really!

holiver

Just lovely!

matt-h

marcusjb wrote:

Nice, simple and elegant. Very classy.

No better way of putting it

Matt

ugo.santalucia

So glad you didn't go for one of those horrible sloping frames... nice!

sloppyschleckonds

Lovely, just needs some bling wheels

woolwich

Lovely frame and tidy paint scheme. Can we see a shot of it in its original paint? I think Rourke have a real knack for contemporary paint jobs on classic frames.

mikenetic

woolwich wrote:

Lovely frame and tidy paint scheme. Can we see a shot of it in its original paint? I think Rourke have a real knack for contemporary paint jobs on classic frames.

Yep, here's how it originally looked. The green was a bit too flat - it's a very tricky colour to get right on small diameter tubes. Also, the white panel and Rourke badge on the seat tube got obscured when a bottle was on the bike. They might seem like relatively minor changes, but the bike looks a lot more coherent now.

woolwich

Much nicer in the new scheme. The flat green was a bit utility bike and didn't really do it justice.
Fully understand the need to tinker with the minor details until they are just right. They all add up to make a difference.

metronome

Loving this. Looks so right! And the change to black is :shock: 8)

drlodge

Very nice, just not quite as nice as mine ;-)

oldbazza

Guy in my local club was riding one last Saturday on the club run;looked very fetching(the bike not him)in pale blue;he was telling me he had to wait a bit longer for his as they were inundated with enquiries and orders after the Guy Martin programme.

tlw1

very nice

bmxboy10

OP can you give a bit more information on the ride etc? Been dithering on one of these for over a year and want a decent insiders view on if its worth forking out the money. I appreciate its an experience and all that but still worry that I will ride the bike and be underwhelmed for some reason. Will be going 853 not 953.

mikenetic

solboy10 wrote:

OP can you give a bit more information on the ride etc? Been dithering on one of these for over a year and want a decent insiders view on if its worth forking out the money. I appreciate its an experience and all that but still worry that I will ride the bike and be underwhelmed for some reason. Will be going 853 not 953.

The best way to sum up the Rourke is that it's a very graceful bike. The combination of 853, Enve, relatively light wheels and good 25mm tyres create a ride that's responsive without being twitchy or jittery.

Regardless of if you're gently spinning around or going absolutely all out, there's a sense of effortlessness about the whole experience. The bike is never the thing holding you back.

It has pretty short chainstays, and they are oversized at the BB end. I think that helps the bike accelerate and climb well. It's not quite as 'whip-crack' to accelerate as some very stiff carbon bikes I've ridden, but then it doesn't feel like it's kicking you in the backside every time you go over a bump. I've ridden 100-milers on it, got to the end feeling pretty fresh and felt I could have gone further, so the comfort is great. If you stamp the pedals it'll kick along, and the pick up in pace is smooth rather than jerky.

The Enve fork is lovely, not harsh, but it's stiff enough that the handling is very precise. The geometry makes it fast to respond but not overly so. You can ride it no-handed while rummaging in your jersey without worrying it'll spit you off into the bushes.

The Ultegra 6800 is a fantastic groupset too. I was worried it might look a bit too 'modern' for a steel frame, but when you look at the bike as a whole it's completely coherent, at least to my eyes.

Obviously there's an emotional component to buying a custom bike. If you look at it purely from a rational perspective you can probably get more 'performance' for the same money elsewhere. It is a bit of a risk too, as you can't try before you buy. You're putting your trust in the builder. It's a bit like a Saville Row suit. Different tailors have their own styles, but within their aesthetic you can define how you want to look.

I'd definitely recommend Rourke if you want an all-round performance road bike. Funnily enough, the one thing that initially put me off is that I'd seen a lot of them painted in ways that offended my eyeballs. However, as you can see from mine, you can make it as low-key as you like. Just think about it very hard before you define the paint scheme!

drlodge

Pretty good write up by mikenetic, I'd go along with all of that for my 953 except I find it difficult to ride no handed but then I have the Ritchey WCS fork.

The best way I can describe the ride is akin to riding in a sporty Bentley. Not the lightest, but power is there when you need it and the handling is smooth yet agile. Perfect for club rides, sportives, century rides and does pretty well in TTs too so its plenty fast :-) Its certainly not the bike that's holding back my performance!

lakesluddite

Nice. No...better than nice - beautiful.

I'm 95% sure I'm going to visit Stoke for my next bike, and this has probably bumped that up to 98%! I can just print out a picture and show it to them saying 'I want one of these please, preferably in a nice burgundy'. Saying that, I'll just be getting the frame and building the rest around it as and when I can afford it, but it will be a similar spec I hope.

There was a nice article about Rourke in a recent issue of Cyclist Magazine, and there they mentioned that there was a seven month waiting list - is this what you experienced? Not that this would make any difference for me, it would give me time to save up!

drlodge

The waiting list was around 6 months, wouldn't be surprised its gone up due to the exposure given my Guy Martin and the Bespoked show. And this is the waiting time from when you have your fitting session.

matt_n-2

Like that a lot apart from the fussy wheel graphics, bet it rides lovely 8)

canny_lad

Rode the Shropshire Hills sportive last month with a guy on his new Rourke - pictures don't do them justice, they look even better in the flesh.

RideOnTime

nice one...