Make It Your Own: Preamble Parts Bin Build
Once upon a time (circa mid 1990’s in St. Paul, MN), there was a need for local youth to learn some valuable skills and a happier ending for the refurbishable bicycles that were leaving the impound lot for the scrap yard. Fate connected the dots and thus, Express Bike Shop was born.
They’re a staple in the neighborhood, doing good things and making the community a better place. A few months back, we gave ‘em a new Preamble frame and told them to find it a good home.
It got the Express treatment, constructed with love, care, and lots of random parts that make it truly unique. Dig into the details from Shue, the mechanic who helped bring this steel steed to life.
From Shue:
The build was a learning experience and partnership between our youth intern, Lucas, and I. Lucas started with us about half a year ago and quickly proved to be mechanically skilled. I had him pick most, if not all, the parts for the bike and then put it together, under my guidance.
The goal was to build a bike that would make for a great commuter bike with mostly used parts. I walked through each piece of the build, and we picked a solid mix of new and used. (The only new parts on the build were the grips, headset, chain and cassette.)
The Nitty Gritty
The headset is a Cane Creek 40, a true workhorse headset. Our drivetrain of choice was a Shimano XTR 9 speed set up with a XT shifter with a gearing of 40 x 11-34. These parts still shift super crisp and when it comes time to replace the chain and cassette, it won't cost our intended user a bunch of money.
With the hills (or lack of), this gearing can get most people up anything around town. Wheels are purple anodized Hope Pro 4s laced to a Velocity Cliffhanger on the rear and DT TH540 on the front. These wheels were donated to us, and we were waiting for a fun project to put these on. Hope Pro 4s are great hubs that just work, and the rims are robust.
We are a huge supporter of swept risers, and we managed to find a sweet set in our used parts bin. A decent combination of sweep and rise gives us a nice upright riding position. Grips are Ergon GA2s. A favorite of the shop. A perfect amount of cushion and ergonomics.
Color, Cargo, and Chaos
We love color at Express so once we found the main components for the build, we went all out in our choice in housing and accessories. A good selection of accessories is important to those who rely on their bicycles as a form of transportation. Front and rear racks for loading up all the gear. Two water bottle cages for water bottles (duh).
Once we got the cages on, I was trying to figure out a nice bell set up and I couldn't find one for the longest time. As I was looking around, I saw a pair of bike horns on a coworker's bench, and I immediately wanted to find a way to mount them to the build. The mid-blade fork mounts caught my eye and with some long M5 bolts and washers, the deed was done. They are kick-activated so hands can stay on the bars.
Along the way, I found a top cap mounted bell and figured we needed a feet-free way to notify the masses. Originally, it was supposed to be just one bell/horn, but we figured the more the merrier.
The Surly Preamble is a wonderful canvas for parts bin tinkerers and a solid riding bicycle for the masses. RIP to the Cross Check but the Preamble rides pretty dang good.
