It’s been a minute since we featured a “Bikes We Ride” post, but this opportunity is too classy to pass up. Working in the cycling industry for any number of years is usually the gateway to some specially “curated” personal bikes.This special Ti Rando is one such example. There are a lot of fun details to unpack about this bike and we’re gonna let Patrick tell you in his own words. Enjoy this Bike We Ride!

I’m the third owner of this oddly proportioned Xi’an custom titanium rando bike.

The first owner found a custom ti builder in Xi’an, China who would make exactly what he wanted. He built the bike super light and even got it pictured in Bike Quarterly. He ultimately replaced it with another custom ti bike (and then another, and another…)

The second owner, a painter at one of Portland’s wonderful frame building shops, painted the fork “Mary Kay pink, with a little more lavender” and had Starmichael at Norther Cycles build the rack and decaleur. It fit and rode too much like his other bike, so this one had to go.

That’s where I came in. I knew the second owner and the bike long before it was up for sale. It’s a weird size with a 58cm seat tube, a 54.5cm top tube, and a real low bottom bracket, but I knew it would work for me. I was excited to own it, but I couldn’t justify the cost without shifting things in my budget. I gave up booze for 6 months to pay for the project. I bought the bike as a frame, fork, rack, fenders, and headset. The seatpost, stem, bars, and wheels were purchased for this project. I cobbled the drivetrain and brakes came from my parts bin.

My favorite part of this build is the brakes! I got them as a hand-me-down from my dad on a Proflex 856 in 1998. I quickly upgraded that bike to those new fangled v-brakes and these sat in a parts bin until 2017 when I had them refinished from faded red to silver for this bike. I got one of the Ringle Mojo peace sign hangers in 1996. My long time co-worker, Gram, found me the matching one at City Bikes a few years ago.

For the nerds, here are the complete specs:

• Frame: Xi’an Custom Titanium
• Fork: Xi’an custom steel, 1″ threaded steerer
• Headset: Chris King 2Nut
• Stem: Nitto Technomic Deluxe. 80mm
• Handlebars: 44cm short reach Dejia Bar
• Seatpost: American Classic Ti, 27.2
• Seat: WTB Silverado (I’m still test riding this one)
• Cranks: Old ass 170mm Race Face 110/74BCD triple cranks set up as a compact double, I think these were the first generation from 1996.
• Bottom Bracket: UN-72
• Chainrings: SR 34/48 rampless
• Pedals: Xpedo Spry
• Front Derailleur: SRAM Force 10spd
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano M951 XTR Rapid Rise… yep, rapid rise!
• Shifters: 9 speed Shimano Dura Ace downtube shifters
• Chain: Sram PC971
• Cassette: Shimano XT M750 11-32t 9 Speed
• Brake Levers: Campy Record Carbon
• Brakes: Avid Tri-Align with Ringle Mojo peace sign cable hangers.
• Hubs: SunXCD high flange 32h
• Rims: H+Son TB14
• Spokes: Sapim Race, 32h, 3x
• Tires: 700x32c Panaracer Gravel King
• Rack: An early Starmichael Bowman, before Norther with homemade hardware to work with the brakes.
• Fenders: Aluminum Honjo with hollow stays.
• Bag: Swift Industries Hinterland Ozette Randonneur Bag

All that adds up to just over 22lbs. It’s light enough for fun road rides, sturdy enough to load up with camping gear, and comfy enough for long rides.