Besides, it is a Merckx.

Click this link to read the article.

Enjoy!

The pic above is one I’ve stolen from the Baum twitter feed.  All three of these are steel ‘Ristretto’ frames ready to be finished and painted.

Why am I sneaking this pic in?  Because the one on the right is MINE!

Despite being linked to a team though, David is self-funded. This means finding personal sponsorship arrangements, for which David is selling ‘shares’ in himself to interested parties.  In order to help with the latter David and I have recently been in discussion about a potential blog post involving his new team bike – after all, it sounds like it could be a fairly tasty bit of kit when it’s ready.

Except this weekend it got stolen.

David was due to attend Trofeo Laigueglia on Saturday – a UCI 1.1 ranked race.  Remarkably after a bit of a rally-round amongst the teams at the race he was able to borrow a bike that fitted him reasonably well, meaning he was still able to compete, and he is expecting a replacement team bike soon enough. However, he lost his SRM in the theft and – unless that’s covered by his insurance – that is a hefty chunk of money to have to find to replace when you don’t get paid to race.

It’s likely to be a long shot suggesting we keep our eyes peeled in case David’s bike appears for sale anywhere. It went walkies in Italy so who knows where it might be right now. Perhaps what I’d prefer to ask is that if you know of anyone who might be prepared to help with a long term SRM loan, or a hefty discount, or just to support David’s general funding through buying some shares, please do drop him a line.

And for those not able to offer fiscal or product support, why not at least follow David on his blog and Facebook page to offer a fellow Brit a bit of moral support.

Here’s the driveside chainstay being tacked to the dropout:

Notice the holes on that dropout below? Drilled to reduce as much weight as possible whilst also creating a surface for the skewer to grip. This is one of the new features Darren was hoping he would be able to present at NAHBS. Instead, I get to show it to you for the first time here and now…

UPDATE: I’ve since learned (and been scolded for not realising!) that the flattened, scalloped stays are new to the Ristretto. This effectively means a whole new back end which Darren says will give a much snappier race feel to the Ristretto frame.

Here’s some of the tubes being mitred – this is the chainstays being shaped to fit the BB:

The bottle cage mounts being created and welded:

And the tubes all mitred and ready to go:

And this last pic for today’s instalment should really be introduced with a drum roll – the frame itself beginning to take shape. Here it’s being setup with the mitred tubes ready to tack together…

More to follow as soon as more shots arrive from Baum HQ!

This looks to be the BB taking shape…

The tubes with the scalloped ends you can see below are the chain stays – that scalloping is a feature that carries across many of the Baum model range.

And this looks like it’s the finished BB shell…

From here it will move on to have the dropouts tacked on, the frame will be mocked up to get the tube mitres right and it’ll have the bottle cage mounts welded in.

The next set of photos have already arrived too – on the next post (due Sunday evening, or early Monday if you’re in Oz) things start to become bike-shaped.

You have no idea how exciting this is for me, and I’ve already been through this once before!

The musettes are made in sample format (see pic above) and I will be placing an order regardless.  The interest shown (there’s a form below) just dictates how many I will order.

The jersey design is also something I intend to go ahead with regardless, depending on minimum order quantities.  It would be something along the lines of the design shown below, although I’m currently waiting to see what someone else can come up with:

I’m interested in doing it in merino for something a little different, but again, I’m waiting to see how achievable that is.

Given the jersey and musette designs you can probably guess that a bottle and t-shirt would probably be along similar lines, but probably with more of a focus on the ‘B’ logo.  I’m less likely to do the t-shirt, but if people are keen then I’ll go ahead.

As for the name stickers, it’d be something along these lines, but with the ‘B’ logo replacing the country flag:

I’ve already done the necessary to get this underway as a possibility as I’d quite like some for myself.  If I can set it up such that people can place their own orders with the people that make them then that’s what I’d prefer to do as it takes me out of the equation then.

So fill in the form below and let me know.  Anyone requesting pre-orders will be contacted ASAP (assuming the form works as intended at least!).

Thanks for your time!

Over to you Todd…

I had been thinking of upgrading my bike to something flashy… Something Italian with GREAT BIG Campagnolo logos on the wheels and a god awful mix of reds and blues and yellows like the pros ride… I wanted to be like the pros!

I asked a friend who is a pro what he thought I should do. He is known for being very particular for his fit and equipment and is known for riding a very unique, almost unconventionally low position and is still affective at generating watts and, most importantly, winning races.

We’d had discussions about bikes, lots of them – and we agreed on lots. He said I should forget about the shiny Pro look and get the best bike around: a Baum. He said he was in the process of getting one built as well after his teams new bike supplier wasn’t interested in building a bike to fit him properly – strange given his standing in the Pro Tour that year.

I saw his Baum. It wasn’t flash, no flashes of color, not even a sticker on it at all! it was gloss white all over. Not even his name on it. Straight Seat stays, no fancy details like I’d seen on other non-carbon bikes… But the smile on his face and the passion he had for the bike… I knew there was something special about it.

I made inquiries. Shit they were expensive. I purchased a Colnago C50 instead. That year my friend won a race and to reward himself, he went and purchased another Baum. I first lay eyes on it in his garage and from that time on, I knew I needed to get one. The lurid Navy Blue from an Aston Martin, bold contrasting colors… This thing rocked!

I went to the factory to get a set of Lightweights for a friend and couldn’t leave without having my name on the list. I never got a tour of the factory, I just said I wanted the best frame they had.

7 months later (yeah, a bit longer than average because I had trouble deciding on colors) the frame turned into everything brand new. A Corretto, on Lightweights & Super Record 11. I was mesmerized by the professional photos I got when the bike was completed. But the details in real life are what blew my mind. The crew mix old world craftsmanship, new school Pro Tour wrenching with bespoke luxury. I’ve spent time around class-winning Pebble Beach Concourse automobiles and think I can recognize the highest quality fit and finish. My Baum has not disappointed in fit, finish, quality, after sales service.

My C50 lives on the wall at home above my Baum that I use rain, hail, shine. It’s so much better, I wouldn’t consider riding anything else. I’ve thrown it down the road twice on Lightweights. I’ve won bunch kicks at 60km/h, bombed down hills at 90km/h, cruised to the cafe. It just does everything without fuss. It inspires confidence, let’s you go deeper and brake later into a corner, soaks up the bumps and thumps nicely and when you get off, you can still walk.

I take it home, give it a wash and it comes up like new. Grandmas and Hillbillys come up to me and say “that’s the nicest bike I’ve ever seen!” Racers come up and say its their dream bike. I just think “why don’t you get down to see Darren and do what I did… And never regret it!”

To choose my colors, specifications, etc. it takes away what you do with most other bike’s you buy… “it’s nice… But I want this bar tape, this length stem, these wheels, these bars, that saddle… $5000 turns into $7000… Next year it’s all last year’s kit, so you do it again.

I ramble. To cut a long story short. Do it, you won’t regret it. Jodie, Dave, Sticks, the new paint boys… Darren… They know their shit. They love bikes.

I asked my friend why he doesn’t ride the new top of the line by his team’s bike manufacturer… His reponse… “it’s good, but their other model is the closest bike I’ve had to my Baum”. What did he do after winning the biggest race of his career – order a Baum… Wait in line like everyone else… And get super excited about speccing it up, what color to choose, etc.

That pro?  Well if you can’t work it out then don’t worry – it’s a nice story without having to know who he is.  And I whole-heartedly agree with every last sentiment.

Todd’s Corretto is pictured above – the bike that made me go for the Black Edition Lightweights, and made my mind up about which brakes I was having.  He is soon to be the proud owner of a second Baum, and his father owns one too.

Once you’ve ridden one there’s not much else that’ll come close – just ask the guys at Above Category, Prestige Cycles or any other Baum associate.  It’s why Todd and I both had to go back for more.

Project Baum will continue – I have the first of the pictures to go out already…

I get to show you guys how a Baum develops.

You see, now that my Ristretto isn’t going to be ready in time for the NAHBS show Baum have decided they want to send me pics to blog and tweet about as the build progresses. This means you, my esteemed reader, get to see a Baum from birth to completion; from raw tubes to ready-to-roll creation; from steel to steed.

Why won’t Cinderella go to the ball? That’s a long story involving supply issues which have caused delays, created problems with builds and generally meaning that – through no fault of their own – Baum simply won’t be able to get the bike finished in time. A shame, but a situation that works out quite nicely now that I’ll have the opportunity to share a complete Baum build with you all.

So, as soon as pictures start arriving from Jodie at Baum HQ I’ll get the Project Baum posts underway – watch this space.

Excited? No, never!… *wibble*