@ultraromance signature frame from Crust - in UBW’s version
The story began with something as beautiful as a NOS seatpost from Campagnolo. This is what we call the bike’s "hero piece," a specific component around which you build the bike. In its worn box, the seatpost found itself in the darkness of the storage for many years, where it patiently waited to see the light on two wheels.
We spent a lot of time together with the lucky owner of this Crust bike. The customer wanted to make use of the seatpost, but it’s tricky when the majority of modern bike frames have adopted a compact geometry, with correspondingly short seat tubes.
The Romanceür’s geometry mimics a classic French randonneur bike with low trail. The bonus of the long seat tube is that you can use short seatposts, which was the standard before, and achieve a so-called "French fit." Beauty may be subjective, but we can definitely appreciate the symmetry where the saddle and handlebars are at the same height. In this context, we should mention that horizontal top tubes can be a problem for those with shorter legs, which is why most bike manufacturers today choose to make fewer sizes, in compact geometry, that fit more people. However, many of our customers appreciate the timeless standard geometry, and fortunately, this bike fits the connoisseur in question; the saddle height is set at 80 cm for reference.
The handlebars were also found in the stash, a nice backswept bar with good comfort. We chose shifters from Microshift for several reasons: minimalist, durable metal construction, functional as you can choose between indexed and friction mode. Not least, they look better than modern plastic variants. For the grips, the choice fell on Japanese PVC grips from Rindow. The translucent color reminds us of cola candy, which at least matches the frame’s color theme, Rootbeer.
The result was a luxurious commuter bike, not afraid to take detours on gravel. We want to claim that a bike like this can handle almost anything. To keep dreaming, the final form of the wheels was left for the future, when we will likely build a pair of custom silver wheels. The story continues!
Specifications:
- Frameset: Crust Romanceür Disc (Rootbeer) 62 cm
- Stem: NITTO UC-2 110 mm
- Handlebar: Backsweep bars (parts bin)
- Grips: Rindow Tarugata Retro PVC Grips - Translucent Brown
- Brakes: Growtac Equal Post Mount - Silver
- Brake levers: Dia-Compe SS6 (Silver)
- Headset: Dia-Compe ENE Ciclo CLA-1
- Seatpost: Campagnolo Athena (NOS parts bin)
- Saddle: Brooks Cambium All Weather C17
- Front derailleur: Shimano Tiagra
- Rear derailleur: Microshift R10
- Thumb shifters: Microshift
- Cassette: Shimano Tiagra 10sp 11-28T
- Chain: KMC X10
- Crankset: Velo Orange Grand Cru 50.4 BCD 46/30T Crankset - 175 mm
- Bottom bracket: Shimano 118 mm
- Wheelset: Hunt 650B (parts bin)
- Tyres: Ultradynamico Rosé Race 584-48 mm
- Pedals: MKS x Crust Super Gordito (Silver/Black)
- Mudguards: Velo Orange 650B Smooth 58 mm (Silver) /w added VO reflector
- Front loader: Manivelle Basket
