1981 Chris Chance Criterium: 2011 RBUK Road Bike of the Year

Hmm.....replacing the Campy headset with a black vintage no-logo King?

Thanks for the thumbs.....I just played in Photoshop....and I fear it is going to stay silver

BB is in, cranks are on. Seatpost and saddle: check.
Cabling is next.

yo-Nate-y":17ov79px said:

Thanks for the thumbs.....I just played in Photoshop....and I fear it is going to stay silver

Click to expand...

just playing; it will look great either way, but I just like the blackout out components. Plus, wasn't it a popular look on high-end road bikes in the early 80's?

This is amazing - I think silver is the way to go.

Those rear drop outs are a work of art.

Finished! Now it is time for a shake-down ride in this lovely weather we are having

Great thread

Excellent attention to detail, cracking frame and cracking build. The only thing this thread lacks are some good pics of the finished bike and ride report

I hear ya!

Just got back from a short ride around town to make sure everything is proper. And yes, yes it is very proper My local shop (http://www.thedevilsgear.com) had some black cable end crimps that they volunteered after ogling for a bit. I stopped afterward to take some snaps with my iPhone. Not bad, but I need to get back out there with the DSLR soon so I can compete with Spikes' awesome bokeh.

The ride is great and the fit is perfect. She turns quickly and precisely and the BB is relatively high. You'll see in the pics that the rear end is nice and tight too. But despite being a criterium frame and all that entails, she handles very smoothly and isn't skittish at all. I am used to riding a keirin bike on the street, and she feels far more stable than that. I cruised up to the top of a local promontory (East Rock), descended, and did a few short sprints. Though I was just wearing converse the frame seems admirably stiff. I need to find some classic stiff soled shoes now....or swap out some clipless for longer rides.



But I digress, here are some pics! I am very stoked with how this project has turned out.

Great set of pictures. Assume this will be entered in road BoTM?
That's a proper classic. Did Chris Chance not apprentice with another famous builder?

Thanks---glad you liked the pics. I'm certainly looking forward to entering it in the comp.

Chance hired to be a part of Witcomb USA by Pete Weigle and Richard Sachs in the early to mid 70s, then he went solo 77-81 before starting Fat City Cycles in 1982. Here is a nice write up: http://www.classicrendezvous.com/USA/Wi ... mb_USA.htm

Nice that Chris cut his teeth as a framebuilder here in CT. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I got the frame from a former racer in Boston. This was the second frame Chris made for him, but he went to a sponsor's frame soon after and went to Europe, and this frame sat basically NOS in his parent's attic for the last 30 years.