A little over a year ago, I was invited on a ride in Rothrock State Park by Tom Hovan. It revolutionized my riding. There are so many quiet gravel roads up in the park, and it's right behind my house. In 5 minutes, I can be riding in solitude. Granted, I'll be riding up a mountain, but it will be in solitude.
Last year, I rode my road bike with a little bigger tire. I would switch wheels when it was time to ride on the road. I got tired of that, so I went to the stash of frames in the attic. I have been riding an old touring bike I made decades ago on gravel roads. It doesn't fit me, I got the idea to build a frame that was too big for me because I'm shorter than the nominal bear. And back then, I wanted to sell this frame. But as a framebuilder, it's more than a little embarrassing to ride a frame that doesn't fit. Maybe it's a "French Fit," because the reach is just fine for me. But my thighs hit the seat stays, so it's time for a new bike to replace it.
I have a "monster cross" bike in the works, but I like the touring bike/frame so much that I want to replicate it only without the very high top tube. Long reach side-pull brakes and pretty much a road geometry. Maybe a little slacker head angles, I have to decide how much work I want to do bending the lugs. I have a set of Llewellyn "Slant 6" lugs, so it's going to be lugged. I will use one of the forks I rejected for the monster cross because it's not heavy enough for discs.
More on this when it starts to happen. Tubes are due in on Wednesday.
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Did you build it? Any pictures?
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