[CR]Re: Keep Only One

Well if I could keep just one bicycle, it would be not a "really" classical one. I'm owner of a handmade frame from Hagen Wechsel. Wechsel builds frames in aluminium and steel in a little 28 qm garage as a one- man show (http://www.wechsel.net). He had a little firm with 4 employees back in the 80/90ies in Lübeck but as he didn't want to sell anything than steel, he bancrupted in the 90ies. He was one of the rare framebuilders that was allowed officially to work with 753 tubes by the way.

I owe one of his nice alumium made frames that was built to the wrong size (all his frames are custom builds). So he decided, that the frame can't be selled and it was laying around in the factory, completely useless. Made from Columbus Zonal it isn't as light as Wechsels normal frames- he uses XLR8R tubesets with carbon seatstays usually, often completed by a muscle fork. As this frame was built for a big and heavy rider (wanting a 65 cm frame height) a more solid tubeset was used in this case.

I took the frame for the price of the tubeset and added a sexy timetrial carbon fork (no name, heavy but nice) to it. It is a funny combination of cheap parts on the one hand, on the other it is a really nice bicycle- stiff, fast, light and stylish.

Pictures are availlable at http://www.radbasteln.de/wechsel2/ Pictures are a little bit outdatet, the bike looks slightly different actually, other headset is used now (in fact- two headsets or rather the half of it, it is columbus at the bottom and Cane Creek at the top) and the stem was polished...

Some headwords: Ultegra 2x10 Crankset, Derailleur RX 100 Brakes with Koolstop in red Nitto Moustache Miche Supertype Conti GP 4000 WH-R 550 Carradice camper long flap Dura Ace 2x10 downtube shifters

The saddle is a 10 Euro Stevens saddle (manufactured by Velo)- I stripped of the cushion and coated it with alcantara- its more comfortable than before.

Back in the 80/90ies, Wechsel had a preference for .....hmmmm... interesting colours so this may have been another reason for going bancrupt. I restored one of his 90ies beauties and the result is http://www.radbasteln.de/wechsel/

In someones eyes this may be a funny steely gay flag on wheels, I guess. I like the colours and are not so interested in others opinion in this case. In fact I do not like black cycles and my dark Wechsel was an accident. ;)

Sorry for becoming offtopic (and my poor english knowledge). :)

best regards, Richard

Richard Timm
Hamburg, Germany