01.12.2021, Wednesday - 2021 Frankenstein

Name: Frankenstein

Type: Winterrandonneur

Mileage: >5000km

Built: 2021

Built out of 7 other bikes, and only few new parts this is really Frankensteins Monsters bike.

It is heavy. And very sturdy. At Scott (from where the "Atacama Trail" frame stems) they intended to build a frame that is literally made to cross deserted regions like literlly the Atacama desert.

Construction and first test ride

What day could be better to test ride a gravel-ish winter bike thats build from scrap parts then the second of february?

Frankenstein at the top of the Frankenstein

Others call it an abomination - I call it Fun :D

Topview Frankenstein leaning at the castle wall of Burg Frankestein Frankenstein leaning at the castle wall, detailed photo of top tube with name

Reworked the worst flaws

Frankenstein left side shown. Frankenstein front, slightly angled.

The brake levers changed to 105 raod bike brake levers. Also the V-brakes were exchanged for Mini-V-Brakes which can be actuated by road bike brake levers.

Frankenstein brake lever detail.

The thumb shifter moved from the handlebar down to a add-on bar.

Frankenstein thumb shifter detail.

The drivetrain was not improved. As can be seen, the spring of the chain tensioner was bent by back-pedalling (using the coaster brake) and stayed this way until re-bend by hand. This problem would annoy me for the next months.

Frankenstein drivetrain detail.

Frankenstein lening on Frankenstein castle wall, facing right..

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And thus god spoke: "Let it be bike!"" And it became good. And thus god spoke: Let it be bike! And it became good.

The Frankenstein is also used to move furniture around.

Frankenstein with trailer on which sits a chest, strapped down.

Sunset.

Frankenstein vor Sonnenuntergang

On the route to Malchen.

Auf dem Weg nach Malchen

New tires and new bar tape.

Since the Flite Titanium is blue, tires and bar tape that are matching in colour would be a good idea, I thought. And so I mounted some Continental Contact Plus, which are very good city tires, and replaced the old handlebar tape with this cool blue and black one.

Goto winds bar tape. Left sind finished winding. Bar tape and tires changed.

Front rack

The Frankenstein bike had a front rack quite early but lost it, when it migrated to the Intec. After two years, I wanted to install again a front rack to increase the cargo capacity. Sometimes hauling four pannier bags is easier than towing a trailer ...

Well, I ordered a small one.

Frankenstein detailed photo of small front rack.

It was very nice for pannier bags, but after I had some experience with the Symphony Spring with its front rack, I wanted one on the Frankenstein too. As I found one in the zwanzig° storage (Thanks, Finn), I got right to work.

Frankenstein before disassembly

While screwing on the rack, the new Owner of the Groh cycle came by.

Frankenstein and Groh side by side

Front rack assembly accomplished.

Frankenstein seen from the drive side

First test for the new front rack: Carrying waffle irons and dough to zwanzig° for the christmas party.

Frankenstein with black L-BOXX Frankenstein with black L-BOXX

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Exchanged the square tapered crankset and bottom bracket with a Hollowtech 2-standard bottom bracked and a blue 104 BCD 4 hole crankset. The blue narrow-wide chainring arrived a bit later, but the result is awesome.

Detail photo of blue chainring and crankarm.