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A mauve colorblock graphic of a triceratops dinosaur skull and the name Sarah Francis.

Finishing the bike!

  • Apr 7, 2023
  • 1 min read

The best part about building this bike was adding fun little sparkles to give it character! First up: the head badge.

Aluminum shield-shaped badge with black plesiosaur fossil

I got this delightful plesiosaur head badge from Ebay. It goes on the front of the head tube, where bike manufacturers normally put their logo. The Surly logo was removed from my frame as part of the painting process, and I was excited to put something else there in its place.

front view of plesiosaur head badge mounted onto the front of the bike

I also bought some reflective stickers! I got a page of orange lightning bolts, and a page of hexagons that faded from yellow to pink to purple.

orange lightning bolt underneath the bike seat, and faded yellow to purple hexagons on the top tube of purple bike frame

faded orange to purple hexagon stickers on the rear chainstay by the rear wheel

faded yellow to purple hexagon stickers on the side of the fork by the front wheel

The last final additions were a rear rack for carrying panniers, water bottle cages, fenders from my old bike, a kickstand, and wrapping the bars with black bar tape. Wrapping the bars was a bit tricky with the unusual bar shape!

moloko flat handlebars partially wrapped with black bar tape

Wrapping the bars this way will give me some flexibility in where I can grip the bars while I'm riding. That's one of the main benefits of this handlebar style!

top view of moloko handlebars with black bar tape. The outsides and parts of the middle ar wrapped.

I also treated myself to a double-leg kickstand. This style of kickstand allows you to pop one of the wheels off the ground while the bike is parked, and can be more stable when the bike is fully loaded.

double leg kickstand mounted on the bike. The rear wheel is floating above the floor.

Both kickstand legs tuck up on the side when it's not in use.

black double leg kickstand tucked up with both legs next to each other, parallel to the chain stay on the frame

And there we have it! I can't believe this project is DONE! The bike looks so good and it rides really nice. I've learned so much, and I am so grateful to all the help I've gotten along the way! Special thanks to Camden Cycles, The Hub Bike Co-op, and Grease Rag.

completed purple touring bike, side view. Rack and fenders are mounted, and the bike is supported with a double leg kickstand.

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