The time was flying over the last few weeks, we had to deal with COVID-19, I had a bike accident, a very strange handicap, and was very busy working for my company. Furthermore, I had to experience the biggest earthquake in Taiwan in the last 25 years. All this kept me busy and might excuse me for not writing on this blog.
Some Background and the Plan
The before-mentioned bike accident deformed the frame of my 'Italian Style' new Bike Built', for me I felt unsafe to ride and uneconomical to repair. As the supply chain after COVID-19 was still interrupted, I tried to look for a 'new' frame replacement for some time. My main goal for the new bike was to spend as little as possible using as many parts as I could from my damaged bike. To achieve this, the new 700c wheeled frame should
-have a similar size (the old one was 58cm)
-the same 1/8' head tube as my carbon fork with 100m wheel spacing
-130mm rear spacing
-68 mm BSA bottom bracket
-should be prepared for road caliper brakes.
Frame/Fork
-Frame
The search took some time and I found a nice new alloy frame from a reputable Swiss bike company, BMC. The company started in 1986 as an assembler and wholesale distributor of Raleigh Cycles. After losing its distributor's license, it began building bikes under a new BMC label but remained a niche brand. In 2001, the company shifted its strategy, turning to greater investment in engineering and design.
As the frame had all the right measurements to replace my older ones, I felt this could be the one. The NOS (New Old Stock) seller had two frames in the same size XL, one in silver and the other in blue. I usually ride a L-framed bike but searching the internet, all BMC official sizes are on the smaller side. So the larger frame should fit my size.
After some color debates with my wife, we've decided to go with the silver frame. The blue was bright and shiny, scratches would be seen more easily. So I've decided to buy the frame for NTD4.500 (~EUR130,00, ~USD138.00) incl. shipping for:
-the frame
-complete headset with sealed bearings
-two different seat post binders, one with screw and one with quick-release
right to my front door.
Technical Details of my BMC Streetfire SS02 frame:
Material: Dedacciai 7003 triple-butted tubing
Brakes: Caliper Brakes
Steerer Tube: 1 1/8"
Seat Post Diameter: 31.6 mm
Bottom Bracket: BSA
Color: Silver
Available Sizes: S/M/L/XL
-Fork
Fortunately, the full carbon fork steerer from my previous bike was uncut by using some spacers to match the 58 cm frame with my position on the bike. As shown in the picture, the steering tube of my new frame is so long, that the original 30cm steerer could be swapped over. The supplied headset matched my Deda 120mm stem so perfectly that I didn't have to add any spacer. I literally took the whole fork with the caliper brake, cable (incl. STI-Shifter), and front wheel from the old bike to the new one.
Transmission/Brakes
I used my complete Shimano 105 R7000 11-speed transmission/brake setup except for the front derailleur:
-Shifter: SHIMANO 105 DUAL CONTROL LEVER Rim Brake 11-speed
-Rear Derailleur: SHIMANO 105 Medium Cage Rear Derailleur 11-speed for my 11-32T cassette
-Brakes: SHIMANO 105 Dual-Pivot Brake Caliper
The Shimano FD-R7000-F (with a new link (toggle) construction) on my other road bike was complicated to set up, it would be even more so on the road. Therefore I opted for a simpler Taiwanese Microshift Centos front derailleur 2*11 speed, it came for 2/3 of the Shimano price. It looks like a beefed-up or widened 9-speed Sora R3000 front derailleur clone. The setup of the Centos is simple and works reliably and precise.
Crankset
Due to the same 68mm wide BSA bottom bracket of the old and new frame, I swapped my reliable Shimano FC-RS500 Crankset (in black) with its bottom bracket. Both were in great shape, so I saved on new parts. On the shiny ex-50/34T black crankset, I mounted my slightly larger silver/greyish 52/36T chainrings from my silver crankset which gave it a rougher, more agricultural or gravel bike look.
Rear Wheel
All traditional road frames had the same 130mm rear spacer until disc brakes came along. I don't use disk brakes, my 'old' rear wheel would match the new bike. I moved the complete wheel incl. the SunRace CS-RX1, 11-32T, Rear Cassette. I left the inner tube and tire and could mount the complete wheel into the new frame.