I was searching for a large tire all road-type road bike and connected with a friend of a friend back in Philadelphia who was selling his custom Bilenky. This is somewhere between 5-7 years old. Tubeset is described as a "framebuilder's special" - a mix of Reynolds and Tange chromoly steel, TIG welded. The bike was designed to have typical road race geometry and quick handling, yet clear larger tires. I run slick tires that measure 29c and could have room for fenders. I've also ran 32c cyclocross tires but have to deflate them to clear the brake pads. That setup barely clears the mildly-dimpled chainstays. 55.5 top tube.
Frame:
Bilenky custom - wet paint and wet painted script, metal headbadge, chain peg, fender mounts, rear rack mount.
Fork/Headset:
Bilenky custom, Chris King
Crankset/Bottom Bracket:
Sram Red 10 172.5 / Red Blackbox Ceramic GXP
Pedals:
XTR
Drivetrain/Cog/Chainring/Chain:
52-36 x 11-28 Sram Red / PC-1051
Derailleurs/Shifters:
Sram Red 10
Saddle/Seatpost:
Specialized Romin Ti 143 / Campagnolo Record carbon
Brakes:
Shimano Ultegra Long Reach 57mm (BR-R650)
Front Wheel/Hub/Tire:
White Industries H2 32h 3x to H+Son TB14 / S-Works 26c
Rear Wheel/Hub/Tire:
White Industries H3 32h 3x to H+Son TB14 / Panaracer Gravelking 26c
Accessories:
Elite Ciussi bottle cages, Zefal HPX frame pump, Yanco / Tracko saddle bag, Brooks leather bar tape, Honjo Aluminum fenders 35mm
Bike History
Click a link below to see past stages of this bike.
Added by _rd. Last updated almost 6 years ago.
13 Comments
This is so awesome. There's nothing better than a no bs steel frame.
Posted about 9 years ago
very awesome! inspiration for me to build a new one, you've got!
Posted about 9 years ago
Such a wonderful build, though part of me wishes the stem was silver, just to match with the seatpost.
Posted about 9 years ago
Thank you! I'm aware of that 'rule' and debated a silver stem and HS spacers. In the end I like a darker aesthetic to the bike. And justified it with a stem that matches the frame and fork in color, while still having a classic looking silver seatpost.
Posted about 9 years ago
Photos
Tags
56cm, all-road, apex, bilenky, chris-king, fat-tire, made-in-usa, philadelphia, reynolds, rival, road-bike, sram, steel, tange, tig, white-industries
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_rd's Other Bikes
daniel5 says:
The Bilenky sounds super cool with its mix of Reynolds and Tange steel and the fact that it can rock larger tires. You mentioned using 29c and 32c tires; have you ever looked at simpletire https://simpletire.pissedconsumer.com/r... for more tire options? It's awesome how versatile your bike is, handling everything from slicks to cyclocross tires.
Posted 9 months ago