At 1:29 PM +0200 3/29/10, Jean-Marie wrote:
>But I have a question that is somehow maybe somehow off-topic ( as
>it is about a bike that is not build yet ) - on the other hand, I
>know that some people her have a lot more experience than I do.
>I am planning to build up a Randonneuse/ light "campeur" by Olivier
>Csuka ( Alex Singer ) in Paris.
>
>It is meant to be a bike for everyday use aswell as a long-miles
>travelling bike. I asked if it would be possible:
>
>1. to put a Rohloff- gear onto the bike. The answer was "it would be
>possible, but it is better to put on Campy or Shimano".
>2. I wanted to have front and back light on the bike. I was told
>they put on electric lightning, no Dynamo ( nor classic rim-running
>, nor hub integrated Dynamo).
>I just wanted to have the opinion of specialists about this,
>eventually Mr. Jan Heine or Mr. JP Weigle
Sorry to be late replying - had to get the next issue of Bicycle Quarterly packaged and mailed, so I haven't read all the messages to the list...
To your questions, I suggest you read the article "Choosing a Builder for Your Next Bike" (Bicycle Quarterly Vol. 7, No. 4). It goes into detail of the pitfalls that many buyers face when ordering a custom bike. Problems usually arise if the wrong builder is chosen for the project - say a framebuilder specializing in racing bikes for a randonneur bike - or if the spec is out of the experience of the builder. Basically, we suggest that you have the builder make a bike that the builder likes and believes in, and with which they have experience.
For Cycles Alex Singer, I can tell you that Olivier Csuka does not believe in Rohloff hubs, nor does he have experience with them. However, Singer has made many bikes with generator lighting (traditional generators, not hub generators), so as long as the parts can be found, that should not pose a problem.
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
2116 Western Ave.
Seattle WA 98121
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com