Client Build: Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Hydro

Following up with that frame teaser from the previous post, here's the full build.

Client is in his late 60's.  Puts in some decent miles, upwards of 400/month in California during the Alaskan winters.  Wanted a new steed for the rough Alaskan roads up here.  Was currently riding a Specialized Tarmac, circa 2004.  He was in for quite the change...

One challenge when fitting a top tier race frame to folks with not as much flexibility nor tolerance for twitchy frames is getting them comfortable on said machines.  The same clients understand and appreciate pedaling and power transfer efficiency, which most "comfort fit" frames lack with longer chainstays and slack angles.

I've built a Pinarello KOBH previous to this (it'll be featured in a later post) for a friend of his to ride in California.  Being Italian, it was only a matter of time for this client.

Being Italian, everything needed to match up with his lineage.  The only things I sourced from different countries were the wheels and bar tape.  Cinelli or Deda tape would have been nice, but this client has a bad right hand so more cushion was needed, hence the choice.  Neither Campagnolo nor Fulcrum offer disc road wheels at this point, DT Swiss rivals Campagnolo in hub construction.  Gold standard.

Campagnolo is doing away with the Athena EPS gruppo, he has it on another bike down south, keep things familiar for this machine.  Additionally it helped curb costs, but only slightly.

Cockpit is FSA, their shallow K-Force carbon bar is lightweight, and with short reach, ideal for customers lacking flexibility.  The stem was kept brief, 90mm, installed for high rise.

Coming from racing and obsessing over all things PRO and "euro" it can be challenging to the eye to install and build a bike without a 120mm+ stem slammed to the headtube.  Ego is quickly overcome by the excitement of others over their respective machines.  My internal strife, as superficial and misplaced as it was, dissapaited quickly by the enthusiasm and level of stoke this client had during delivery.  My plans to ride that day were thrown out the window and I chose to stay after the bike fit, and accompany him on the inagural ride.

Proving to be a good choice was staying and a multi-tool.  There are always little quirks that can pop up during the initial outing of any whale, let alone one of this caliber.  I found myself lacking proper torque of some components for fear of damage.  My torque wrench is on permanent loan so procurement of that crucial tool is neccessary.

Needless to say, despite sporadic retorque and adjustments, he was thrilled and the bike seemed to exceed expectations, always a good outcome.

Thank you for reading, thank you for your support.

2015

A 5 year hiatus, much has happened in the mean time.

Short answer, this project, Cyclisme Gallant, has changed from graduate school business project, to a full satellite speakeasy bicycle boutique.

To date we have several builds under our belts.  One upcoming build is a Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Hydro with Campagnolo Athena EPS and TRP HY/RD brakes.  Frame pics follow.

More to come...

2010 Spring Kit Proofs

Just back from the folks at Champ-Sys are our 2010 Willamette University Cycling Club kits. Colors are the same as our race kits so feel free to mix and match.

We wanted a simpler, cleaner design, with less fuss than our race kit. Though we have certain hurdles with the race kit, mainly sponsor space, this club kit gave us free reign over our design process. As you can see we have a proprietary club logo used on the chest. The back features the familiar WU Bearcat face, and chain ring behind it.

The bib shorts feature the athletic script that adorns so many of WU's varsity sports (someday cycling) on the back panel. The sides have our club logo, but that's about to change, so stay tuned.

Changes have been submitted, though we might have to do them in house as it is quite difficult to convey to someone halfway across the world the minute changes we have in mind. We've deleted the "Willamette" from the back of the jersey, and added our company logo to the mix. We feel both the shorts and jersey should be finished after this final edit.

Please feel free to post feedback, we're open to any and all suggestions!

Willamette University Team Kit 2010

Here is the 2010 race kit for Willamette University in Salem, OR. CG has a prototype on the way for the Willamette U. Cycling Club kit. The styling will be a bit more mild, albeit reserved in comparison, but I guarantee you will love it!

CG Spring 2010 Clothing Designs!

Happy 2010 Everyone.

Here is a breif dossier about our company, please feel free to copy and paste all you like. Followed by several pre-preduction designs of our kit and accessories.

Introducing Cyclisme Gallant.

Cyclisme Gallant official press release

Hi there,

We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce to you a new cycling clothing company run by three current Willamette students: Cyclisme Gallant. CG clothing offers tasteful style and a way to show Bearcat pride on the bike without the garish look of “pro” race clothing.

Who are we?

Cyclisme Gallant is the brainchild of three Willamette University students: Brendon Gallant, the founder and an MBA candidate 2010 (WU BA '08); David Davidson, class of 2010; and Stephen Moore, class of 2012. With only three employees, CG is a small student-run business. We’re bringing a fresh perspective to world of cycling clothing by making the clothes that we actually want to ride in.

What is Cyclisme Gallant?

CG is the solution to a problem that all of us cyclists eventually face. Picture this scene: you’re meeting a few close friends for a beautiful ride on your favorite back roads. It’s not a race or a club ride, and team kit seems inappropriate and maybe even “trying too hard.” Sound familiar? It just doesn’t make sense to cover yourself in sponsor logos for a half-hour cruise. But that’s where your problem lies: the only Willamette University gear previously available was the same race-cut sponsor-covered kit worn by the collegiate team at races. And while wearing the team-issue race kit is a great way to show support, Cyclisme Gallant clothing keeps the focus on Willamette with a clean style that looks great for any ride – not just for competition.
CG offers clothing that blends the modern, Europe-inspired aesthetic of race-wear with the crimson and gold pride of your alma mater. As such, a CG kit will look great whether you wear it to race, to train or to lounge.

All levity aside, we hope you’ll take a look at our latest designs. We’re a local Oregon business run completely by Willamette students, and whatever your style of riding, we’d love to supply the clothing that you look forward to wearing.
-CG Staff

Logo. Based off of a Shimano Dura Ace 7700 rear dérailleur, this is the one essential cycling component. Though Shimano does not demand the same flair and cultural inspiration as a certain Italian brand, we feel posed as a silhouette, the Shimano piece does wonders to describe decades of racing and riding.

Introduction & Kits

Hello Everyone,

My name is Brendon Gallant and Cyclisme Gallant is my cycling company. I, along with the help of Dave Davidson and Stephen Moore, make up Cyclisme Gallant, a brand dedicated to original designs, ideas, and flat out great looking cycling kits.

The birth of CG came from a class in my graduate program. The class is focused around creating a new business. After a few no-legged ideas I bounced CG off of Dave. We came to the conclusion that CG is the culmination of what we already do in our free time, and to get paid doing the very same thing would be amazing! The professor overseeing the course loved the idea, and from there it's all been a blur! Steve was brought in for his amazing design and computer skills, as well as stylish input. All three of us come from different backgrounds, and different areas of the country, thus CG is a converging of heads if you will, a combination of what we three feel is pure cycling design.

All three of us are currently on the Willamette University Cycling team located in Salem, OR. Dave is from Bellingham, WA, Steve from Portland, OR, and myself from Anchorage, AK.

Currently we are finalizing our first cycling kit. The kit will cover any cyclists head to toe if one desires such a thing (one we wholly endorse). Prices will be very reasonable, and a pricing list along with final design proof will be made available by weeks end (providing I know how to upload pictures and the like on this site).

Again, we thank you for your time and interest