Anderson Custom Bicycles
'Four Seasons' 953 all-rounder. Reynolds 953, launched in 2006, is a superlight - yet tough - stainless steel tube offering many possibilities. Developed in conjunction with Carpenter Speciality Alloys, 953 offers a wide range of options framebuilder, thanks to the vast number of tubing combinations on offer. In the right hands, 953 can be at the core of performance racing machines, top-flight mountain bikes, or in this case, a superb all-rounder. David Anderson is the sole worker at Anderson Custom Bicycles of St. Paul, Minnesota. Anderson does everything in-house – from unpacking the tubes, to welding, finishing and prepping the frame; followed by producing the stencils for the logos and painting the frames; assembling the finished frames into bikes and packaging the completed bike for delivery. For Anderson, 'custom' really means custom. Annual output figures reflect his fully hands-on approach, but he wouldn't have it any other way. " I believe that if a person builds too many, you can get to a point where its not enjoyable any more and creativity and quality can suffer. I'd rather build one bike well, than four that are OK."
This 'Four Seasons' project is designed as an all-year-round, multi-use road bike. It’s a bombproof mileage bike; it’s a lightweight sporting machine; it’s a 'credit card' tourer. It packs comfort without giving way to performance; it stands out from the crowd yet has understated looks; it uses cutting edge materials but is able to withstand more than a few knocks and the ravages of winter.
The frame should be the centrepiece of any bike. With 953, Anderson has the perfect canvas to showcase his skill and artistry. Paint can hide a lot, but in this case, Dave’s skill as a builder is laid bare for all to see. Custom-carved lugs and dropouts get a Scotchbrite finish before welding which leaves them requiring minimal work afterwards. This lets them blend perfectly with the naturally bright finish of the 953 tubes. The fork crown, which started life as a Sachs Newvex, has been mirror polished for added ‘bling’.
The build quality itself is superb; the naked shorelines show just how skilful Anderson is with a torch, while the placement of the cable guides, bottle bosses and gear stops are micrometer-perfect. Alignment too, is perfect in all planes and the wheels slot in and out of the frame, aligning perfectly every time, without any need to pull or push them into place. A good fit means consistent gear changes and no creaking from the back end. The OLN spacing of the dropouts is spot-on; the dropouts are precisely spaced, allowing just enough compression. The wheels lock in without the dropout faces getting chewed by skewers needing to be cranked in order to get a secure fit.
 The components, in the main, are the tried-and tested Dura-Ace range; a robust, serviceable and dependable workhorse of a groupset. With plenty of easy-to-find spares out there, Dura–Ace comes with the added bonus of compatibility with parts from the lower-ranked and less expensive Shimano ranges.
Other component highlights are Chris King’s superb headset and hubs. There’s very little you can say about Chris King components that hasn't been said already . However, one thing is certain; everything you read is true. They’re quite simply, the best out there. This is borne out by the performance of a 15 year-old King headset that’s seen action in four different frames, used in all weathers, for all types of riding from racing to daily commuting – and still works and looks as good as new. It would have been pressed into service on this bike, but you can’t have too much of a good thing, so another was sourced.
The hubs, with their ‘Angry Bee’ mechanism are music to anyone’s ears. It is fully expected the hubs will retain the incredible smoothness and low rolling resistance they have now if CK headsets are anything to go by.
The hubs roll inside Ambrosio Evolution rims – the wheel builder’s personal favourite - and shod with Continental’s benchmark Grand Prix 4 season clincher tyres. Fizik supplied a beautiful, custom-made Aliante, the Lay-Zee-Boy of race saddles. The bars and stem combo is the late-lamented Grammo titanium stem mated to a NOS Eubios handlebar by Cinelli. Contact points rarely look this good.
So, it looks good - but how does it ride? A lot has been said of Reynolds 953 since its introduction, some of it controversial. It started out as a tube set without clearly defined recommended applications; Reynolds deliberately left it to the framebuilders to discover for themselves where their ideal configuration and construction method lay.
So far, we have seen 953 built into TIG welded road machines. We’ve also seen a few examples of fillet-brazed frames and a handful of fine-looking MTB frames, but very few builders have opted for the traditional route of lugs and conventional diameter tubes.
Whatever the construction method or frame design, there’s much, much more to 953 than just some shiny tubes you don’t need to paint. It’s light; not that low weight is top of the list of requirements on this type of bike, but it helps. It’s tough; the stats on the material properties bear this out. It’s rigid; there’s no need to go to oversize down tubes or extreme head tube bearings to keep things stiff. It’s comfortable; the regular diameter tubes allow just the right amount of yield without ending up inefficient and whippy. Think of the performance of 753 with the comfort of 531; the durability of titanium without the sacrifices in stiffness. Think the near-aluminum or ‘sensible’ carbon frame weight without the fragility. Stack 953 up against any other frame material and it will compare favourably with neglible difference. Against the majority, it willr outperform in every department. In short, it’s an exceptional tubeset, perhaps the finest to date, in any material.
Up until now, the finest bike I had ever ridden was a team-issue LOOK KG281. I had the pleasure of its company for a season in the late ‘90’s. At the time, the bike was a revelation and one I felt immediately at home on. The KG281 had bags more performance than i could ever call on, yet it would glide effortlessly over any road surface. Comparing the LOOK with the Anderson is fairly straightforward. The equipment is much the same; the cockpit dimensions almost identical. The main component differences being the KG281 was shod with Mavic’s original Ksyrium tubular 'boutique' wheels and Vittoria rubber. The frame tubes were LOOK’s own multishape carbon bonded to proprietary cast alu lugs. However, despite the ticks in favour of the LOOK, the Anderson wins hands down. It does everything; climbs, descends, corners and rolls over any surface better than anything I have ever experienced. It has performance in spades and although seemingly disadvantaged by the fitting of fenders, it flies along like a true performance bike should.
Why?
Well given the similarity in transmission between the LOOK and the Anderson, it can only stem from either the wheels or the frame. While the wheels on the Anderson are as good as it gets, there’s no question that tubulars offer an advantage when it comes to ride and rolling qualities. So, that just leaves the frame - there’s nowhere else to look when examining why this bike rides so well. Dave Anderson’s previous experience with building in 953 before this project came along certainly helped. He's picked the best combination of tubing diameters and wall thickness for this bikes’ intended application. Experience and skill make a potent combination. He’s put them together in a flawless example of his skill as a framebuilder and topped the bike with a stylish, timeless finish that draws admiring glances whether at a Race HQ or at the club ride coffee stop.
For sure, this one is a 'keeper'. Downsides? The only one is the serious risk of increased fitness...
...ride this bike once and you won’t want to stop! With thanks to:
Anderson Custom Bicycles
Reynolds Cycle Technology, Ltd.
Chris King Components
Selle Royal / Fizik
Wheelcraft ***Discuss this article HERE>>>
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