Categories
Rivendell Bicycles

Chapter One- A Rookie Mistake

Now that I have all the parts, it’s time to start bolting them onto the bike. And the first part out of the box is this piece of jewelry:

photo of IRD crankset
This is the IRD Defiant touring triple crankset

Interloc Racing Design is a small company that has been around since 1984 and the moniker seems a little dated since they now make a lot of parts for touring and utility bikes. I need to confess that I didn’t consider the crankset/bottom bracket interface when I ordered the crank, and the bottom bracket that came with this frame has a spindle that is too short to use with this particular crankset.

photo of Sugino on left and IRD on right
The Sugino XD-2 on the left- IRD Defiant on the right

Since the interface is recessed on the IRD crankset, compared to the Sugino XD-2 I need either a 127.5 or 122 mm bottom bracket spindle, rather than the 107…so I ordered both and I will use the one that gives the best chainline. This is what I’m talkin’ about:
photo of crankset on too-short bottom bracket
The chainrings hit the bike with the too-short bottom bracket spindle

Meanwhile, here’s a taste of what the bike’s going to look like!
Photo of Nitto handle bar and stem
The Nitto Grand Randonneur handlebar and Technomic Deluxe stem

photo of partially completed bike
Sweet studio shot!