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Frankenbike
vs.
​The Ripper

Ottawa's Raddest
​Greenbelt Bikes?

What's this all about?
It's 2020. There's a global pandemic and bikes and parts are in short supply. This started as one man's quest to rebuild Frankenbike, a 30 pound, entry-level bike from 1992, so that he can ride it slowly around the Greenbelt in Ottawa, Canada, with music. 

During spring 2021 inspiration struck again in the form of a Cannondale F300 CaaD2 bare frame, with a HeadShok fork. Like Frankenbike, it too has been reborn, as The Ripper!

Which is better? Well they are both awesome, for different reasons. All shall be explained.

Frankenbike 3.0

3/28/2021

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So.... over the winter, this bike was completely stripped down, repainted and rebuilt almost entirely, save for the wheels and stem. I'll go through the rebuild piece by piece in a series of future posts, starting with the paint. Most of the parts I sourced are shown in the Interweb Time Waster, because honestly, with what it going on in the world, it took a while to figure out what was going to work here and acquire everything required. In the meantime, enjoy a few photos. 
Frankenbike 3.0
The "9 of 10" Deore drivetrain and Triple Clipper crank
9 speeds on a 7 speed freehub body
Grand Cru Zeste brakes- they work!
The rad looking Surly cable stop completes the powerful braking set up
The wide profile of the Grand Cru brakes add leverage and extra power, the braided cables from Velo Orange add extra class
Dajia Cycleworks Far Bars provide cost effective, yet superior handling.
Bottle cage bolts from Wolf Tooth and Tange decal from VeloCals
Crank Brothers Eggbeater 3 pedals- perfect for Frankenbike 3.0

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What's a Greenbelt Bike?

3/22/2021

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Prior to unveiling Frankenbike 3.0, I thought it was time to address what's obviously been on your mind, namely what's a Greenbelt Bike?

I'll keep this relatively short, I think: While I'm not totally married to this position, I think that a 90's hard-tail mountain bike, converted to a gravel bike with drop bars is the ideal bike for riding the NCC Greenbelt Trails in Ottawa.

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Frankenbike 3.0: Coming Soon

3/10/2021

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Frankenbike 2.0

3/4/2021

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Frankenbike 2.0 represented a quantum leap forward in self-sufficiency for me. Despite owning bikes forever, I was often reluctant to take things apart because I wasn't overly confident in my mechanical skills. There's nothing wrong with paying a professional mechanic, but equally I owed it to myself to learn how to take a bike apart and put it back together. This overhaul got me on my way.​

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Frankenbike 1.1

3/1/2021

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Frankenbike 1.0 lasted about 45 days in 2019. Between the complete absence of braking, poor handling, and lack of overall comfort something had to give. This led me to take the Easton EC90 carbon bars and Ritchey WCS stem off of my steel Merckx and perform a transplant. The knock-on effect was a purchase of a new Deda cockpit for the Merckx that has the same bar shape and stem length as my Colnago. So that's just a huge all around win. ​

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    Howie: a friend of a friend.

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Legal Statement: This site is for entertainment purposes and does not offer professional advice. Any attempt to recreate the experiences related here are at the risk of the individual participant. Howie's! 3D Urban Exploro is not liable for any property damage, personal injury, loss of use, interruption of business, loss of profits, or other consequential, indirect, incidental, punitive, or special damages that arise as a result thereof. This applies to all situations however caused. Use of your personal Strava account to access information or route files highlighted here falls under the terms of your individual user agreement.

Ride above all. Copyright Howie's! 3D Urban Exploro, February 15, 2021. All rights reserved. 


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