Fourth track bike:

The last post was the first frame I ever built. Today is the last.

When Hans passed away about 15 years ago, that meant Metzen Ellis Custom Frames was no more. Although I have been tempted on occasion to finish building three of the frames that were partially built at that time, but I could never bring myself to pick up the tools again, as frankly it would never be the same again.

There was a very popular book, published in 1974, titled, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". It was soon copied by the copycat version, "Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance", which of course I read several times. Metzen's garage was that Zen place, where we built frames, usually on the off-season. The Zen was not the actual frame building, but the process.

CBC radio always on in the background, Hans' wife Ingrid, ensuring we had warm tea, as it was sometimes pretty cold in the garage in the winter and a few of her German cookies and her famous Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. And of course and importantly, the banter back and forth of the latest racing news from Europe, current politics, but mainly jokes, always at the forefront. You have heard of the expression, it's not the destination, but the journey. That sums it up, the building of frames for friends, for those in need, for great athletes, and even a few for ourselves, wasn't the point.

This frame was ridden and raced hard, crashed a couple of times, spent a lot of time in the back of the car, bringing it to the track and back home, so very scratched and worn, so when I discovered VeloColour, a bespoke bicycle frame refinishing company in Toronto, I decided to have it repainted. However, when I picked it up, decided it was too nice to build up again, so it has remained that way for about eight years now. It used to be built with Dura-Ace 10mm pitch components and every once and a while, I think I will build it up again, but so far have resisted the temptation.

If you look at the photo of the bottom bracket, you will see the age inside the shell, contrasting the more recent paint. So even the frame can't make up its mind !

What do you think ? Leave it as a frameset only, or should it be built up again ?