Milwaukee Cycle

The bike I've ridden more than any other is the Milwaukee Road. The what? I built up this bike in February 2014 when I really didn't know what I was doing. Since then I've ridden it more than 10,000 miles. It's a steel road bike, a collection of shiny parts I've bolted to a semi-custom steel frame. It's been my daily driver for five years now. The badge on the head tube says Milwaukee Bicycle Company. I built this bike for one purpose, getting around Seattle. It needed to be durable, comfortable enough to ride all day, and not too slow rolling on pavement. Milwaukee frames are sold online through Ben's Cycle, which is a bike shop located in, you'll never guess what city. The frames are actually built by Waterford Precision Cycles, which is owned and operated by Richard Schwinn. Schwinn, where have I heard that name before? Let's take a closer look at the geometry. This is a size 53 frame, which means the seat tube length is 53 centimeters. One unusual thing about this frame is the seat tube angle is a steep 74. 5 degrees. This puts your hips right above the pedals, instead of behind them. It feels a lot more natural to me, especially for climbing, and I can see why steeper seat tube angles are catching on in the mountain bike world. I'm so used to it, I have to move my saddle all the way forward on other bikes. The seat post? Well, that'stuck in the frame. I didn't use any kind of rust inhibitor when I got it, and after years of riding in the rain, the seat post decided it wants to stay where it is. Lesson learned, use Framesaver and don't abandon your post. I could take it to a bike shop, but it's at the perfect height. What if I just leave it there? The head tube angle is 72. 5 degrees, and it has the quickest steering of any bike I've ridden. I've heard steering geometry described as a trade-off between quickness and stability, but to be honest, I wouldn't describe quick steering as feeling unstable. I also find it very easy to keep my balance on this bike, and it's great at turning tight corners in the city. I wouldn't want the steering to be any quicker, though. The chain stays are 425 millimeters, which is not the shortest you'll find on a road bike, so it's not the most nimble as far as butt steering is concerned. I actually There'something to be said for that. They also allow the bike to have clearance for 28mm tires with fenders. The bottom bracket drop is 70mm, which is just perfect for me with 170mm cranks. Any lower and my pedals will be scraping the curb a lot more often. The frame is made from True Temper OX Platin Even with this retro grouch build without a single piece of carbon fiber on it, this bike weighs 9. 6 kilograms or 21 pounds. The frame weighs 1. 73 kilograms, and the fork weighs 930 grams. Not bad for heavy metal. So what is a semi-custom frame? You get to customize how it's finished, but the sizes are standardized to keep costs down. The base price for this frame set is $865. A true custom frame set costs about three times that. You can get any color you I wanted a red one, but I made a mistake with the paint coat I provided, just In most lighting conditions, it's hard to tell this is a red bike at all. It's not the end of the world. I actually think the paint looks great. It changes color depending on the lighting conditions. Only in direct bright sunlight can you see the underlying sparklepony metallic red. There is one problem, though. It chips off very easily. The chainstay gets the worst of it from something called chain slap. I can't remember, but it may have come with a slap guard that I peeled off because I didn't know what it was. Keep in mind this bike has not had an easy life. It's been crashed more times than I can remember, and it's been locked up all over the city. Those exposed unpainted areas will eventually begin to rust. You can protect your frame using touch-up paint. If you don't have touch-up paint, you can use the old trick of applying nail polish. It sounds crazy, but it's an enamel. It seals out water and oxygen, and it's hard wearing. I've found Revlon holds up well over time. For a bike A third set of bottle bosses costs 40 bucks. I just have the two in the usual places. The paint chipping is from attaching bike-packing related objects to the frame. One option I did go for was a set of rack bosses. They have the classic hourglass shape and are braised on, which is stronger than the alternative of putting holes in the seatstays. Most of the time I've ridden this bike, it's had a rear rack on it. The bosses have held up great over time, and they're in the perfect spot. I went for the option of extra eyelets to allow our rack and fenders to be installed at the same time. The bottom bracket is threaded, hallelujah. It uses English standard threading, and it's 68mm wide. This is about as close to a standard as you'll find in road bike bottom brackets. Each one was replaced by about 15 new standards, so this frame is a great option for people wanting something compatible with all those old parts they have laying around. When working on your bike, always use a precision tool, I've done almost no maintenance on this bike, and I never wash it or clean it. Taking it apart and putting it back together for this video is the most work I've done on it. The fork installs as you'd expect. The 1-1-eighth inch non-tapered steer is another standard that seems to be going away as carbon forks take over the world. But the smaller head tube makes for a lighter frame, and it works well for steel. The frame does not come with a headset, so you get to choose your own. I chose a Cane Creek 110, and after years of abuse, the seals are still very good and the bearings still feel I could see why it comes with a 110 year warranty. In hindsight, I should have sized up and gone for an endurance bike instead of a road race bike. With my relaxed upright riding position, I need a big stack of spacers and a riser stem to put the handlebars where I want them. No slamming that stem for this commuter. The frame is set up for down tube shifters, but you could always install cable stops and use brifters if you want. Down tube shifters are falling out of favor because people say you have to take your hands off the handlebars to change gear. So not necessarily, and if you loosen it a bit, it shifts for you automatically when you go over a b The derailleur mounts directly to the dropout. On newer bikes, the derailleur hanger is a separate, sacrificial part that's designed to break in the event of a crash. Because this is a steel bike, it's one piece, and I could just bend it back into shape if it ever got damaged. I'm happy to report I've never had to do that, and it'still perfectly aligned after many crashes. You may have noticed I don't have a front derailleur. I don't have a clutch or a narrow wide chainring either. No, I haven't found some secret chain retention formula. I've just been too lazy to get a chain guard. Still, a 34 tooth chainring on the front, with an 11-34 cassette, is the perfect gearing for me for everything but off-road climbing. Okay, so my top speed is limited, but that's not the main reason it's limited. Having a 1x setup left me with an unused down tube shifter boss. Turns out it's exactly the right threading for a bell. Has anybody else tried this? The shift cable guide is the usual under-the-bottom bracket plastic affair with that weird Phillips screw. This bike is set up for caliper brakes, and the front brake installs in the fork crown as you'd expect. I recently tried hydraulic disc brakes, and I think they're much better. But I did want to say I've had no issues braking in the Seattle rain with rim brakes. I think the main reason they've worked well for me is because I use al Last but not least, the wheels. The dropouts are quick release, and wheel changes are very easy. Lately I've been running a pair of FALBA Pro 1 tubeless. My advice? Set them up tubeless. With conventional inner tubes, I'm averaging two flats per video. It's actually worse than that. I'm tearing holes in these tires all over the place. I'm sure they're great for racing, but they're not for me. So what is it about this bike that has me wanting to ride it more and more? Well, it's a bike, and I'm very fortunate to have it. It's been my car. It takes me to work every day. Carries my groceries. It's how I explore the world around me. When I think about how many miles have passed under its wheels? Well, okay, five different wheels. Why an odd n Because sometimes life is Nothing compares to the feeling of kicking the shifter into high gear and sprinting down the block. It's not the lightest or most high-tech thing out there, but it's incredibly durable and almost maintenance-free with thicker tires. If you're saying to yourself, I thought this was a bike-packing show. The next episode will be about long-distance riding, as I prepare to take this bike on a multi-day trip. If you want to go bike-packing, consider starting with the bike you have.