Arnaud's XCR, Rohloff, S and S Coupler Randonneur

Arnaud wanted a randonneur, something nice! Built from Columbus's new XCR stainless-steel tubing. To fit in a suitcase to take on a plane no-questions-asked. And nice components! If you're going overseas to do great rides, why not do it in style? With no need to paint the frame, it can also be given a polish with a scotchbrite pad as you wait to start your ride! Matched with one of my Columbus steel road-unicrown forks. Horizontal top-tube, minimal seatpost extension, 700x28C tyres.

The S and S frame connectors enable the frame to pack up into a airline-regulation size bag or box. The frame has vertical rear dropouts, Paragon stainless disc-mount rear items modified to suit the Rohloff hub internally geared 14 speed rear hub (the OEM2 plate locates on a bolt in the lower disc-mount hole), a custom machined stainless BB shell for the Phil Wood half-link Eccentric BB to tension the chain with less weight and bulk than a standard eccentric BB, a stainless Paragon seat-tube insert welded in place to run a standard 27.2mm seatpost for comfort with the oversize XCR seat tube. The XCR tubing gives a ride very similar to Columbus Spirit.

Nice components; Rohloff internally geared 14 speed rear hub, S and S frame couplers, a Mittelmeyer shifter for on-the-tops drop-bar shifting which works really well (the example we got had nice low shift effort and the knurled finish wasn't even close to shredding my tough framebuilder's hands), Nitto bars, TA Carmina 175mm cranks, Fyxomatosis chainring, Gilles Berthoud handlebar tape and saddle, Tubus airy titanium rack, Campag Centaur seatpost, Veloce brake calipers with room for all-road-worthy 700x28C tyres and Campag brake levers stripped of the shifter internals.

Arnaud makes his own produce too and is pretty good at it ... award-winning! Olive oil including a great lemon-oil-infused version....and jam as well ....yum... all of which he has very generously sent over on several occasions.

PRESS: The guys from Velocast in the UK had some nice, and funny things to say about this bike.... they talk for about 3 minutes, 53 minutes into episode 105. A nice bit of feedback given my toil on this machine!

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