18,000 Mile Q&A number 1: Best Attributes // Fitz Cycles Custom All Road Bike

This is a Q&A video on my custom Fitz Cycles bike. If you have any specific questions please ask and I will try and pick a few more to answer. Thanks for all the great feedback!

[@daverinker]

Hello. I find myself coming back to this video a few times this year. We were formally near you but made a move to MN a few years ago. Maybe I’m reaching back to a solid decade of riding in CA. Anyway, thanks for your thoughtful engagement here and know my persistences in searching ‘rando’ on youtube gets me back to dreaming along with, and sometimes figuring out a few things on my Soma Smoothie SE (with the Wound Up commuter/ 35 Compass tires- technical it’s my wife’s). My bike is a Davidson Impulse (only fits a 28, but lugged thin tubes makes it a winner). Fitz, Seven or around here Waterford- all catch my eye for something in the rando (sometimes fixed style) that can do it all. My oldest son is about to inherit my Surly Steamroller (4130, fits a 38, great in the winter around here). But where would you nudge a fella (who is a bit of a weight weeny (I used to thruhike superlite a lifetime ago)?What custom situation would you peddle? Thanks for including us on the journey.

[@xavierderck3910]

This is what I like. A universal bike for every moment. You leave in the morning you don't know when you come back but you can trust your bike and feel free as a bird. I've a Koga touring from 1976. Very similar to yours.

[@weisanhui1531]

HWB pal, I agree with everything you said, just want to add a couple more positive attributes of a bike like this: 1) Enjoy both backward and forward compatibility You can easily upgrade to wireless SRAM eTap or whatever new tech that comes out in the market in the future. And you can also retrofit it with downtube shifters again if you ever want to go back and maybe do a Eroica event. 2) Retrofit with S&S for travel. If you ever decide that you want to take this bike oversea or go travel with it extensively, you can go to someone like Bilenky and have them install S&S couplings on the top and downtube for easy breakdown and fit inside a normal suitcase. 3) Repair I think you might have mentioned this in the video but i will repeat it anyway. The good thing about steel is that it can be repaired quite easily. Say you are traveling in a third-world country and something happened, it;'s not entirely inconceivable to find a welding or metal shop that can do an emergency repair to get you back on the road again. It won't be pretty or long-lasting but at least, it will buy you some time and perhaps salvage the whole trip. 4) Refresh/Repaint It's amazing that you have that many miles on the bike and it still looks so good. It's not in need of a repaint but if you ever get tired of the color scheme or want to give it a facelift, you can easily repaint and it will look like a brand new bike and give you a fresh start. And because it's metal, you can choose between a relatively cheap option of powdercoating or go all in and have someone like Joe Bell give it the full beauty treatment. That's all I got, thanks for the video. Here's to another 18,000 miles of joy joy joy.

[@benbrown506]

Hey HW I would love a video where you talk in depth about rake/trail/head tube angle and their effects on the handling a bike. I know you talk frequently about it in so many videos about the Fitz but it’s something that boggles my mind most of the time, would love a ‘for dummies explanation’ video on the subject. Love the videos, always looking forward to the next one,keep up the good work!

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

Great summary!

[@Henrywildeberry]

Thanks Russ!

[@Ey_up]

Relatively speaking a longer reach but...is A. Homer Hilsen calling? Thanks for the honest review and that bike is still an awesome work of art. ✌

[@peterbedford2610]

I built my bike for versatility. Oversized main tubes and fits 45mm tires with disc brakes and down tube shifters. I ride road, gravel and singles track all in a single session. So it is just about perfect for my use profile I may get the dynamo set up soon as well.

[@Henrywildeberry]

Sounds like a perfect bike for all conditions! The dynamo will be a nice addition for your night time adventure rides.

[@davidgriffin8717]

Henry, I’d love to hear your views on your custom modern steel vs your 1984 specialized expedition (since I’ve got an expedition myself) as far as an all rounder. Tire clearance for sure is bigger/better on the new, but what other major differences can you share? Thanks!

[@docthecountryvet6260]

Great Answers!

[@BluecollarBackcountry]

I run the Velo Orange triple crank on my restomod. I'm old and love low gears. Lol Styled after the French made TA crank I'm sure. But then I know you knew that, we all have those brain farts. Bahahaha I always enjoy videos on your Fitz. Y'all have a great weekend ✌

[@Henrywildeberry]

The VO is a nice crankset. I like that I can run narrower 10/11 speed chains and combine it with a modern cassette. It looks great and the chainring replacements are priced reasonably well too. You can also run TA chainrings and use the wider 7-9 speed chain if you choose. Square taper ain't dead!

[@charleslicha2770]

As far as down tube shifters being a weakness, I find as the stiffness in my hands get worse down tube shifters are much less painful and more natural than brake lever shifters.

[@Massproduce201]

Adding on to tube flex causing unwanted downtube shifting while putting power down, I’ve come across a similar problem with canti brakes and fork flex. I became aware of this heart attack inducing phenomenon on a recent descent where I put equal force on both front and rear brakes and the front end started locking up going into an uncontrollable shutter until I was able to slow down enough for it to stop. I thought the fork snapped or something. I had to look it up and turns out it’s a thing. 🤷‍♂️

[@bikeandsee1647]

The brake cable will not break at the middle or the end, but once in a lifetime the head may separate from the cable, which is logical that in such bizarre event it will happen there, the joint , the max pressure point. It happened to me recently.

[@witofthestaircase1]

That’s symptomatic of a nipple unable to rotate as the lever is squeezed.

[@benc8386]

Great video! I think because you run very wide tyres anyway then a single oversized frame (9/8" TT and 5/4" DT) might be a good choice because you could also then load the bike up more. But nothing beats the lively feel of standard size tubing when not loaded so I guess it's always a compromise. Perhaps the oversize TT only as Ms Cools has is the sweet spot.

[@Henrywildeberry]

I think that's true. Oversized thin tubing would be a good compromise of not being overly heavy, but still stiff enough to carry a load. Thin tubing is a little more prone to denting, but I've done well with this bike, so I wouldn't be worried about it. This particular tube set would make a great dedicated road bike, where everything is stripped down to just the basics (no rack, fenders, lights, etc).

[@benc8386]

@@Henrywildeberry Yes. Agree denting unlikely to be a problem but this can also be mitigated by using heat-treated tubes. For a dedicated road bike you might also want thinner seat stays. The Reynolds road stays are 14mm OD at the thick end, tapered, and only 0.6mm wall! Very thin and elegant and likely contributing to the supple ride.

[@Henrywildeberry]

@@benc8386 I'm a big fan of the look of the very thin seat stays.

[@mikeschiller6728]

Low trail is a weakness? I feel the opposite, but mine are in the mid 40mm range. I have no shimmy as well as I went with slightly stiffer tubing. Of course this is my 2nd low trail bike and I Incorporated certain changes to mitigate those issues.

[@tmagee27]

I would also of wanted a slightly stiffer tubing. Also I do wonder if part of the shimmy issues are because Mr Wildberry does tend to spend a lot of time riding no handed. But equally while not a bike builder he is an engineer and a mechanic so I always take an interest In his opinions.

[@Henrywildeberry]

I talked a little more about the low trail in the previous update videos. Mine is in the slow 30's, which might be too low? Jumping back and forth between this bike and other mid-trail bikes, I tend to like how mid-trail bikes track themselves on open roads. The low trail offers a lot of benefits like carrying a front load, handling well on steep climbs, wider knobby tires, less toe over lap, more suspension, a longer wheel base, and many other things. If I were to build another fork for the bike I might try something with a trail in the low 50's. That would still offer some of the above, but ride itself out on the road. Ms. Cools went with a low 40's trail on her bike and she thinks it great.

[@Henrywildeberry]

@@tmagee27 Yes, the shimmy is something I only notice riding no-handed, or one handed. I've learned to press my knee against the top tube and it's not an issue. The shimmy is worsened with increased weight. If I take off all the features on the bike, so that would be the front rack, fenders, head light, bag, etc. I can ride no handed without a shimmy. When I tested John's 700c gravel bike it had the same top tube size, but an oversized down tube and it didn't shimmy, even with a heavy weight on the front rack. That little extra stiffness seems to help.

[@guylevan91]

What front rack are you showing us there? Thanks.

[@Henrywildeberry]

It's a Fitz Cycles custom.

[@witofthestaircase1]

A description of how, for everyday practical purposes, much of the last 30 years of bicycle developments are not only entirely dispensable but arguably for the worse.

[@roadglide]

100% truth!

[@fulgurbikes9940]

Great video dear Henry. Why did you swap the leather saddle for the actual one? I'm afraid I might have missed the reason.

[@Henrywildeberry]

I pulled this saddle off another one of the my bikes to try on this one. I was curious to give a wider saddle a try. The leather saddle was one of Gille Berthoud's narrowest models (135mm) the new saddle (new old) is 155mm.

[@fulgurbikes9940]

@@Henrywildeberry I get it! Good luck with it. And with your new bike! 🙌

[@edwardinglis5263]

hey! thanks for the vid. what saddle bag are you running?

[@Henrywildeberry]

Thank you! It's a saddle bag by Ruth Works.

[@brianmaldonado3723]

Stronglight 49d....

[@Henrywildeberry]

That's the one!

[@josephakendrick529]

What kind of down tube shifters are you using? Thanks.

[@Henrywildeberry]

Hi Joseph, these are the Silver shifters by Rivendell. They are a friction only design (non-index).

[@roadglide]

No more Gilles Berthoud Galibier! 😭

[@Henrywildeberry]

Great saddles! Beautiful construction, and come in many widths. I'd probably get the wider version next time.

[@bradsanders6954]

Im looking for a light 58cm carbon road bike. 11 speed shimano. Will take 32mm tires. 15 or 16 lbs. Rim brakes are fine....who's got an extra?