Baum v Cecil Walker?

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sorry, but I reckon Cecil Walker decals are a bit fugly.
I prefer Paconi's -- and the bigger ones on oversized tubes look even better :)

On a slight tangent...that Cecil Walker appears to be built backwards.

Short headtube with a stack of spacers and an extended seat tube with bugger all seatpost.
:confused:

...Hillman Cycles also did a custom paint job on my first MTB in 1986: sky blue/red/gold/white!) :)

The most memorable paintjob I've ever seen was on a mid nineties Hillman. Gloss white, but with multi-coloured patches all over it. When you looked at the frame closely it turned out that it had about 6 different coloured coats underneath. The patches were hand-sanded with really fine grit paper and as you went deeper different colours were revealed.

Must've taken bloody ages!

I'm looking to get a custom bike in Victoria (Melbourne) and I'm tossing up between going to Baum or Cecil Walker. If you have had any experiences with them on their custom bikes (good or bad) I'd appreciate hearing them. JotjepoesI'm currently getting a frame made by Thylacine. All I can say is that Warwick (Thylo) has been incredibly professional and has actaully listended to what I wanted and is building me a bike based on my requirements rather than tell me what I should have, because "thats's the way we've done it for the last 30 years".

A custom bike was a big decision for me and I was afraid that I'd be paying through the nose for what I could get off the shelf. The truth with Thylo is the exact opposite. I believe I'm going to have a bike for life which will be far more suited to my shape, age, flexibility, strength etc etc, AND he's no more expensive than the off the shelf bikes.

Do yourself a favour and speak to Warwick for 1/2 an hour about his bikes and his philosphies on matching your specific requirements to a frame/set up. It'll be the best 30 minutes you spend researching...I promise you that!!

On a slight tangent...that Cecil Walker appears to be built backwards.

Short headtube with a stack of spacers and an extended seat tube with bugger all seatpost.
:confused:I'm not sure about the cable ties holding the chain-stay guard on :)

by today's "trends", that bike is too big for him. It doesn't look cool with the low seat and a million spacers. :p

This is more like it:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2004/tech/news/may21/cn_04giro_01.jpg

The most memorable paintjob I've ever seen was on a mid nineties Hillman. Gloss white, but with multi-coloured patches all over it. When you looked at the frame closely it turned out that it had about 6 different coloured coats underneath. The patches were hand-sanded with really fine grit paper and as you went deeper different colours were revealed.

Must've taken bloody ages!

Anything taking "bloody ages" would have been right up their alley in those days: if you wanted "the best" (by their or your own standard), then wait for it! But the gong for elaborate paint jobs was at the time firmly in CWC's court. Hillman a close second, but much more conservative.

FWIW the orange and white cecil walker is mine, built by them in 1998 but measured for me by john kennedy. the reason for the tall handlebars was my poor flexibility in the hamstrings which has been rectified (i now have a 5mm spacer below the stem)

compact frames were certainly not as common back then and only the year before 853 was ridden in the tour. 531 aussie i like how you said by todays "trends". I've never been one for trends, hence a steel frame i ride :) the frame fits me perfectly and being steel its been repaired after my big stack in 2000, try doing that with a carbon frame.

the black "cecil walker" on the seat and down tubes are hand painted on, not decals ;)

this is a pic from the 98 tour....not many compacts there

On a slight tangent...that Cecil Walker appears to be built backwards.

Short headtube with a stack of spacers and an extended seat tube with bugger all seatpost.
:confused:
Thats how they seemed to build them in the past, my Appolo beater is made much the same, it handles like a dream though. It's probably a Masi copy, the Tailor (Faliero Masi) certainly knew how to build bikes.

FWIW the orange and white cecil walker is mine, built by them in 1998 but measured for me by john kennedy. the reason for the tall handlebars was my poor flexibility in the hamstrings which has been rectified (i now have a 5mm spacer below the stem)

compact frames were certainly not as common back then and only the year before 853 was ridden in the tour. 531 aussie i like how you said by todays "trends". I've never been one for trends, hence a steel frame i ride :) the frame fits me perfectly and being steel its been repaired after my big stack in 2000, try doing that with a carbon frame.
ooops!! :) Sorry if you're pissed off :o

Incidentally; good effort to get a Cecil Walker on the Campy Only Gallery

We're all obviously right about current "trends". 'Back in my day', everyone used an 11 or 12cm stem, had no more than 5 or 6 inches of seatpost showing, and the bottom of the bars were parallel to the ground :)

certainly not pissed off 531 :)

i just love how people look at what the pro's ride and assume they can set their bikes up the same :rolleyes: if only we were all as flexible. the upper body as a proportion of your height also influences the way a frame is made, thats 1 reason why chris boardman could get so low as he had a quite long torso for his height.

my frames celebrates a decade in existance early next year and i've loved every km on it, it mightn't be the lightest but its the most comfy :)

I'm looking to get a custom bike in Victoria (Melbourne) and I'm tossing up between going to Baum or Cecil Walker. If you have had any experiences with them on their custom bikes (good or bad) I'd appreciate hearing them.

Cecil Walker are close to me and do both steel and alu frames. Baum seem to have an exellent reputation but only do steel (and titanium) and seem a lot more expensive. I still haven't entirely decided whether to go steel or alu, but I figure I'll talk to them about it. (I'd love to have titanium but that's a lot of $$$!)

Why custom? I'm short with small hands. Having done a lot of research (I initially wanted to go carbon) I've discovered that existing WSD's which cater for small hands, don't seem to have the geometry right for me.

I've considered Kennedy's as well, but they only do campy and not shimano, and from the research I've done, the shimano set up seems better for my small hands.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Jotjepoes


Hi, a short story. I had a custom frame (& fit-out) done by CWC and was the worst bike I've ridden. Several years later, I'm still reminded every time I shave due the facial scar as a result of a 'face plant fall' when the rear wheel pulled out of the rear dropout (the old forward facing type) for the upteenth time.

The first experience of the problem was within 2 minutes of riding out of the shop for my first ride on the newby ($4500). Leigh (shop manager, sev years back) said that the skewers were a bit loose (but problem still happened even after he tightened the rear skewer)

Problem became obvious, as rear axle could not be seated fully in the drop out. I've not seen any other bikes with this problem, and could not get an explanation other than "it should be ok".

Shoes also always rubbed against the front wheel when turning at slow(ish) speeds. Very annoying to say the least!

Sold for parts (components) within six months!! Obviously, CWC did not give a damn and tried putting the problem on me! So be it !!

I have never shopped at CWC since, and 'word of mouth' is my consolation!

Nothwithstanding, I also have a Paconi badged frame (track) & is fine!

Comes down to the poor measuring and follow up service by CWC.