bumperjohn
03-16-2010, 08:27 PM
I put my name in Kelly’s queue a year ago, not long after he left Serotta and decided to go out on his own.? I own a Serotta, which I love, and figured what better way to get a new bike than to have the man who designed my Serotta design and build it as well.? I had several email and phone call exchanges with Kelly and decided he was the right builder for me and off went my deposit check.
When I first sent in my check I wanted Kelly to build me a fixed gear bike, but as time went by my mind began to ponder all sorts of different options.? Also during my wait Mike DeSalvo offered his 10th Anniversary bike which I decided to take advantage of and had him build me the fixed gear trainer I wanted.? Now I had to figure out what I wanted Kelly to build for me and not let it duplicate the style of a bike I already own.
I have a great go fast bike; Dave Kirk built me a beautiful JK Special, I have a fantastic Serotta GP Suisse cross bike, Conor and Garrett from Vendetta built me a stunning fixed gear commuter, and I have an outstanding but neglected Ibis Mojo mountain bike.? I really do not need another bike but the more I thought about it I began to think about wide tires, fenders, and the option of adding racks if I so desired.? The idea of a bike that I could ride on any surface, in any weather condition began to formulate in my mind.
Now before I had sent in my check I spoke with Smiley about Kelly, and we all know how Smiley feels about Kelly, to get his thoughts.? I had worked with Smiley on my fit and measurements for my Vendetta and Kirk and his work has been spot on. When I told Smiley about my new ideas he mentioned that he had was once again in Kelly’s queue and was thinking of an all rounder.? When Smiley filled me in on his dream bike I realized that his ideas were what I was thinking about so I was off and running.? Now the question I have for fellow forum members is:? Am I copying Smiley since I used his ideas or is Smiley copying me since my bike was finished before his?
I envisioned my Bedford to have a classic look with all silver parts and a panel paint scheme. So now the process began with me searching for and buying all of the bits I wanted to use on my Bedford.? I have long lusted after the look of the hammered Honjo fenders so they were my first purchase.? I am a fan of SRAM components so I began looking for a NOS Rival group which I was able to piece together thru several vendors and I went with Paul Racer brakes. Wheels were next and Jeremy from Alchemy hit a home run.? The rims are Campagnolo Montreals laced to White Industry hubs with Panaracer tires, and while not the lightest wheel set around they are bomb proof and will allow me to do the kind of riding I envisioned.? The bars, stem, water bottle cages, and seat post are all Nitto while the saddle is a classic Brooks Swallow.? I had all of the parts, now I had to wait for my name to come up.
When my number was up I went back to Smiley for a quick check of my measurements. Several emails were exchanged between Kelly, Smiley, and myself in regards to the bikes design and once the final measurements were agreed upon it was time for Kelly to begin building. Once Kelly began the building it was not long before the frame and fork were at Keith Anderson’s shop waiting for the burgandy with creme panels paint scheme I had decided on. Keith was great to work with and lays down some amazing paint!
My frame and fork arrived back at Kelly’s shop and I sent my parts off to Kelly so that he could use my bike to display at NAHBS. It has been a long, cold, snowy winter here and I did not imagine I would be riding this bike anytime soon so another month or so would not matter.
The first time I saw my bike built up was at Smiley’s open house for Kelly. I was floored at how beautiful it looked. The lug work was fantastic and Keith’s paint just glowed. Ray wrapped the bars in some “cigar” colored HandleBra which complemented the honey Brooks saddle. The bike looked better than I could have imagined.
I went to Smiley’s on Sunday for a final fit and ride. Measurements are spot on so after a few little tweaks we suited up to ride. It was raining on Sunday and I looked forward to testing out how well the Honjos worked. I tried to get Smiley to ride his new Bedford but he was afraid it might get wet so it’s maiden voyage will have to wait for another day. I figured that this was what the bike was built for so what better way to break her in than in the rain!
The bike rides like a dream! It feels so solid on the rough roads and eats up all of the bumps and cracks in it’s path. I found myself searching out the imperfections in the road because they just seemed to disappear and I have not ridden a bike that felt like this before. I can envision myself riding this bike for 100+ miles and looking for more. It is so comfortable and stable it allows me to look at the world as it goes by without worrying about what the road looks like.
I could have kept on going but it was cold and raining harder than when we departed. We road a nice route and got in about 25 miles. The fenders work amazing, no cold splatter of water up my back and Smiley and Matt did not mind riding behind me. The Paul Racer brakes worked very well in the wet conditions and the SRAM shifted flawlessly. The HandleBra looked as new as when I left Smiley’s and felt fantastic in the wet conditions.
I have to say that the bike is fantastic in every way. The fit is perfect, the frame is beautifully constructed, the paint is flawless, and the build is clean and tight. The entire process took a year and exceed my expectations in every way. Kelly is a gentleman who listened to me and incorporated all of my ideas in to my dream ride. Thank you Kelly for a bike that is perfect to me in every way.
John
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford0012.jpg?t=1268792526
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford0032.jpg?t=1268792596
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford006.jpg?t=1268792654
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford007.jpg?t=1268792697
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford009.jpg?t=1268792733
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford014.jpg?t=1268792768
When I first sent in my check I wanted Kelly to build me a fixed gear bike, but as time went by my mind began to ponder all sorts of different options.? Also during my wait Mike DeSalvo offered his 10th Anniversary bike which I decided to take advantage of and had him build me the fixed gear trainer I wanted.? Now I had to figure out what I wanted Kelly to build for me and not let it duplicate the style of a bike I already own.
I have a great go fast bike; Dave Kirk built me a beautiful JK Special, I have a fantastic Serotta GP Suisse cross bike, Conor and Garrett from Vendetta built me a stunning fixed gear commuter, and I have an outstanding but neglected Ibis Mojo mountain bike.? I really do not need another bike but the more I thought about it I began to think about wide tires, fenders, and the option of adding racks if I so desired.? The idea of a bike that I could ride on any surface, in any weather condition began to formulate in my mind.
Now before I had sent in my check I spoke with Smiley about Kelly, and we all know how Smiley feels about Kelly, to get his thoughts.? I had worked with Smiley on my fit and measurements for my Vendetta and Kirk and his work has been spot on. When I told Smiley about my new ideas he mentioned that he had was once again in Kelly’s queue and was thinking of an all rounder.? When Smiley filled me in on his dream bike I realized that his ideas were what I was thinking about so I was off and running.? Now the question I have for fellow forum members is:? Am I copying Smiley since I used his ideas or is Smiley copying me since my bike was finished before his?
I envisioned my Bedford to have a classic look with all silver parts and a panel paint scheme. So now the process began with me searching for and buying all of the bits I wanted to use on my Bedford.? I have long lusted after the look of the hammered Honjo fenders so they were my first purchase.? I am a fan of SRAM components so I began looking for a NOS Rival group which I was able to piece together thru several vendors and I went with Paul Racer brakes. Wheels were next and Jeremy from Alchemy hit a home run.? The rims are Campagnolo Montreals laced to White Industry hubs with Panaracer tires, and while not the lightest wheel set around they are bomb proof and will allow me to do the kind of riding I envisioned.? The bars, stem, water bottle cages, and seat post are all Nitto while the saddle is a classic Brooks Swallow.? I had all of the parts, now I had to wait for my name to come up.
When my number was up I went back to Smiley for a quick check of my measurements. Several emails were exchanged between Kelly, Smiley, and myself in regards to the bikes design and once the final measurements were agreed upon it was time for Kelly to begin building. Once Kelly began the building it was not long before the frame and fork were at Keith Anderson’s shop waiting for the burgandy with creme panels paint scheme I had decided on. Keith was great to work with and lays down some amazing paint!
My frame and fork arrived back at Kelly’s shop and I sent my parts off to Kelly so that he could use my bike to display at NAHBS. It has been a long, cold, snowy winter here and I did not imagine I would be riding this bike anytime soon so another month or so would not matter.
The first time I saw my bike built up was at Smiley’s open house for Kelly. I was floored at how beautiful it looked. The lug work was fantastic and Keith’s paint just glowed. Ray wrapped the bars in some “cigar” colored HandleBra which complemented the honey Brooks saddle. The bike looked better than I could have imagined.
I went to Smiley’s on Sunday for a final fit and ride. Measurements are spot on so after a few little tweaks we suited up to ride. It was raining on Sunday and I looked forward to testing out how well the Honjos worked. I tried to get Smiley to ride his new Bedford but he was afraid it might get wet so it’s maiden voyage will have to wait for another day. I figured that this was what the bike was built for so what better way to break her in than in the rain!
The bike rides like a dream! It feels so solid on the rough roads and eats up all of the bumps and cracks in it’s path. I found myself searching out the imperfections in the road because they just seemed to disappear and I have not ridden a bike that felt like this before. I can envision myself riding this bike for 100+ miles and looking for more. It is so comfortable and stable it allows me to look at the world as it goes by without worrying about what the road looks like.
I could have kept on going but it was cold and raining harder than when we departed. We road a nice route and got in about 25 miles. The fenders work amazing, no cold splatter of water up my back and Smiley and Matt did not mind riding behind me. The Paul Racer brakes worked very well in the wet conditions and the SRAM shifted flawlessly. The HandleBra looked as new as when I left Smiley’s and felt fantastic in the wet conditions.
I have to say that the bike is fantastic in every way. The fit is perfect, the frame is beautifully constructed, the paint is flawless, and the build is clean and tight. The entire process took a year and exceed my expectations in every way. Kelly is a gentleman who listened to me and incorporated all of my ideas in to my dream ride. Thank you Kelly for a bike that is perfect to me in every way.
John
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford0012.jpg?t=1268792526
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford0032.jpg?t=1268792596
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford006.jpg?t=1268792654
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford007.jpg?t=1268792697
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford009.jpg?t=1268792733
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu124/curtisvill/JohnAndersonsnewBedford014.jpg?t=1268792768