Julian's Rachel
I’ve really been leaning into step-thrus these past couple years. My first was a 51cm single speed dark blue Rachel in 2018 - I’m riding a 59cm now, two full sizes up, which goes to show how versatile this frame shape is. I got a Riv Clem in 2021, and that got me more comfy and upright, which informed the sizing choices on this lovely brown guy. I have another super secret step-thru on order, which I’ll share soon! For now, here’s the background on my current Rachel, which has quickly become my beloved everyday bike. I often think of my builds around one or two key components. For me this tends to be a handlebar, because it’s so integral to how you interact with a bike. With this bike though, there were a lot of parts that I really focussed on, and obsessed over their coming together, both functionally and aesthetically. Here’s a breakdown of the most important ones. The Sturmey-Archer AW 3-speed hub definitely contributes to the specialness of my Rachel. Mine is a 1976 model - you can tell because they’re all stamped with a production year. I’m so impressed with parts that have been on the road so many decades and will likely last many more. This choice, and the whole bike in fact, was inspired by my dear friend Dan’s (of Winooski Wheels fame) Univega. When I go visit him in Vermont and forget my own bike, it’s my first pick though I always feel a little guilty for taking his own everyday bike. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, I wanted to nod to my first bike as a young adult, the one that really got me riding and fixing bikes. It’s a 1988 Miyata Team Pro with a complete Dura-Ace 7400 groupset that my dad bought new back then. I managed to get my hands on a headset and right crank arm from that same groupset, and thought they’d be a silly but fitting addition to this build. The original Miyata by Nitto quill stem from that 1988 Team Pro is reused here - I shortened the reach on the road bike and this is a perfect place to re-use the original. The handlebar is another special bit. We were so warmly welcomed to Japan by Keita and his friends at Crumbworks in Tokyo that I want to incorporate something from them, or their house brand Magic Components to every new bike I build. Here I used Magic’s Moth Bar in the Raw Clear finish. They’re obscenely wide, in the best possible way, and there are so many spots for my hands. Mine have already developed a patina, and I look forward to more as they age over the years. I have a small and shrinking stash of this floral pattern housing that I save for only the special-est bikes, and even though I needed long swooping lengths of it here, it was totally worth a couple meters. The rest of the build is straightforward but just right. Front and rear dynamo lighting, Axiom fenders, a big ol’ Wald 139 atop a Sim Works Obento front rack, my trusty old Tubus Cargo rear rack that has been with me for tens of thousands of kilometers and is handy for pannier-filled grocery-getting, strong LX parallelogram v-brakes with matching levers, my first Brooks from 15 years ago, and my favourite Deore XT pedals that always end up on my most-ridden bike. The result is a chaotic, all over the place, but somehow coherent build that I’m thrilled to call my own. It rides like a dream and is super nimble and speedy despite how comfy and upright I am. Finally, the brown colour is just right - who knew that brown can sparkle?! Specs Bassi Rachel frameset, 59cm, Fondue Shimano Dura-Ace HP-7400 headset Shimano Dura-Ace FC-7400 right crank arm with Blackspire Mono Veloce chainring Schwinn left crank arm Shimano Deore XT PD-M730 pedals Izumi chain Sturmey-Archer AW rear hub, 1976 Panasonic dynamo front hub Sun Ringlé Rhyno Lite hubs Sim Works Homage tires Shimano LX BL- et BR-M570 brake levers and calipers NOS flower housing All-metal Sturmey-Archer shifter Miyata by Nitto stem Magic Components Moth Bar ESI XL Chunky grips Bassi seatpost Brooks Team Pro Special Brooks Sim Works Obento rack Wald 139 basket Busch & Müller IQ-XS front light Busch & Müller µ rear light Axiom Flascheguard fenders Photos by Emiliano Portrait by Simon
Emiliano's Rachel
Today I present to you my Bassi Rachel in the beautiful Monet Blue colorway. I’ve been working here at Bassi / Cycle C&L for a little more than a year and a half and I really wanted to rep our own brand on the streets of Montreal. I was kinda indecisive to which model I would choose and to be honest the Rachel wasn’t really on my radar. That was until we received the new production batch and Simon and I opened a few boxes to photograph the frames. I was struck, I was in immediate awe of the blue colorway and the way it revealed a sparkling and iridescent green hue when the sun rays hit it. At that moment it clicked, everything made sense. What I was looking for was in front of my eyes the whole time. The Rachel would be my perfect commuter. It truly has everything you need to make it the perfect commuter and the specs are widely common and as standard as they get : 700C wheels (for the 55 and 59 sizes) 1-inch threaded headset and 22.2mm quill stem Rim brakes (V-brakes only) 68mm BSC bottom bracket shell Diagonal dropouts (single speed baby!) A bunch of eyelets for accessories and racks I have a history of buying bikes on the smaller side, being an avid roadie… and this time again I went with a smaller frame. Be reassured though, it wasn't for aero purposes, my partner is 5’9 and I'm 6’0 (91cm PBH) and the size 55 fits both of us equally and the idea of sharing a bike with her was appealing and fun. Now for the build, I knew I wanted to go for silver parts and build it as a single speed, I wanted handlebars with backsweep and big tires but with enough clearance for fenders. I switched the handlebars a few times until I found the one I liked the most. I started with borrowed Rivendell Toscos (thank you Julian), then tried Magic Components Wormbar and finally settled on my all time favorite SimWorks Getaround. Build Highlights: Frame: Bassi Rachel 55cm Monet BlueHeadset: FSA Duron 1-inch threaded, installed à la Chris KingWheelset: Hplusson Archetype polished laced to basic Novatec track hubs (rear axle modified to work with 132.5mm spacing)Brakes: Shimano BR-T4000 mix matched V-brakes paired with Kool-stop salmon compound brake padsCrankset: Shimano RSX with 42t Biopace chainringHandlebar: SimWorks Getaround dull brightGrips: Ergon GA3 BlackStem: Profile design TITANIUM LOOK CrmoBottle cage: SimWorks John Cage in blackReflector: The coolest reflector ever made, yes sorry blue lug. So there you have it, my awesome, unisex, handsome and a little bit ratbike 4-season commuter (yes I’m going to ride it in the winter. Bassi's are made strong).
J-D's Rachel!
Early on in the arrival of Rachel framesets a few years back, J-D had a stroke of genius with this practical but creative Rachel build. The Moustache handlebars, bar-end shifter, and dynamo lighting keep him comfy rolling late through the night on ice cream runs. A fun anecdote - J-D's leather bartape has been on the road for about ten years by now, and has been transferred between many a bike. A very special detail here is the front rack. The all-rounder handy person of the crew, J-D conceived and welded it in his basement! We'll be getting another batch of Rachel frames in a few weeks! Reach out by email if you'd like to discuss a build, and pre-order your frame here to reserve inventory. Specs Bassi Rachel Frame and Fork Tange CDS headset Bassi Classic Narrow-Wide Crankset CR18 Polished rims Soma Shikoro tires Vintage Raleigh/Suntour bar-end shifter Decade-old leather bartape Brooks B17 Special Nitto Moustache handlebar Nitto Technomic Stem Custom rando rack Wald 137 basket Photos by @jochhoo