My Ride #5 - Finished!

And just in time too!  Finished it today (excluding some wiring), and this past Wednesday was my last day of work.  I'm very grateful for being able to use the shop here yesterday and today, despite the fact I wasn't really working here any more.  Now to determine what's happening with it before I leave to Canada on the 29th (and then Sweden at the end of August).

-Gazelle Primeur Special - In this case, very special I'd say.  The result of some 2 months of slow progress, hours spent after work in the shop, gradually curating parts and working out details, and also going through the time consuming (internal) debate as to whether or not to make the bike a belt drive bicycle.  I'm pretty happy with the results.

-Very classic - Also grateful to my colleague Bas for taking these nice studio shots for me

-Rear fender detail - Part of my choice on this type of bike, was how I like how the rear light and reflector are so nicely integrated into the rear fender

-Quality components - Part of my going away present from work, the Brooks B232 Team Pro Saddle

-Quality and timeless - another part of my going away present from work, the Brooks Plump Leather Grips

-Nostalgia - part of the look, the Basta Horseshoe lock

-Detail shot - just beautiful (if I do say so myself)

-Custom Gazelle - the polished logo I had made through Shapeways rapid prototyping

-Classic beauty - in my eyes at least (lots of work, especially on the fenders, as not everything went hunky-dory according to plan, with stuff coming back from the powdercoaters with holes, as the sandblasting went through the rest, so things had to be adjusted - add onto that other new components that didn't fit as they were supposed to, needing some extra finishing up to make it all work)

Dan Mangan @ Tivoli

-Dan Mangan - caught this concert at Tivoli last week on the 13th with 2 friends from Utrecht (Rosa and Jeroen).

-Great music, in a nice intimate venue - I overheard one of the staff at Tivoli say that they thought they sold about 300 tickets (small shows are the best shows!)



-Up close with Dan Mangan - for the final song, in the encore, Dan and the rest of the band waded out into the crowd, and played (Dan perched atop a stool, right in front of me)

All in all a great show.  The second time in just around 8 months seeing Dan Mangan play.  Really great music, clever lyrics, warm and powerful sound, and really down to earth (was great to be able to just chat a bit with Dan after the show, compliment him on the performance, and shake his hand).

The Naked and Famous @ Paradiso

-The Naked and Famous - caught the show @ Paradiso in Amsterdam last week on the 6th, with my cousin Hadewijch

-a lively beat, a lively crowd - the band were quite lively, with a good stage presence, and put on a show that got people moving

-sweet performance - all in all, twas a good show, and I highly recommend you check out The Naked and Famous of New Zealand

-fate? - searching for a parking spot at the concert, I noticed this black Fuji that was also sporting the same brand tires as my Montague

Umeå

-Umeå pre landing - the view of the city just moments before landing at Umeå airport.

So, in a bit of prep for starting my masters of Advanced Product Design at the Umeå Institue of Design in northern Sweden, I made a quick trip up north to check out the grad show at the start of the month.  First time ever travelling that far north (north of Iqaluit, south of Reykjavik).  Had a great time, and came back with a really good impression of the school, and feeling well assured that this masters is indeed something I want to tackle.

My Ride #5 - No belt drive

-Chaincase in the spray booth - a nice RAL 7022 Umbra grey

After much consideration to the possibilities of converting the bike to belt drive, as well as checking out the prices of the drive, and also considering the time line I'm on, I ended up deciding not to go for a belt drive, but keep with the much more price friendly chain drive.  As for how to cover the chain, I decided against the minimalist Hebie Chainglider that they use on the Joep bikes, as they are only available in Black and Silver, and also as they don't make a solid mount to anything, but rather 'float' on the chain and sprockets.  Also, with they Joep bikes, they paint the Chainglider, which is a soft, (I think Polypropylene) plastic, which doesn't take too well to painting.  I decided that the chaincase that was on the bike to begin with, was actually not that bad, fairly classic and simple in design, and mounts to the frame of the bike.  Also, considering it's a hard plastic (I think ABS), it's much easier to paint properly, and have the paint stick and stay better.
The frame is currently at the powdercoater, and should be ready for pickup on Tuesday (fingers cross), leaving me possibly able to finish building the bike up on Wednesday after work, just one week before my last day of work.