Bike Check: Packham’s Sparkle Purple Vélos Levesque
While our friend Andrew Packham was off on the Tour Divide route, we finished putting together the last couple parts for his custom steel Vélos Levesque build. The bike has since joined Andrew in Rossland, but before it left we took a closer look at this sparkling purple steel wonder.
Vélos Levesque is Andrew’s friend and Montreal based frame builder Alain Levesque. Andrew had pretty unique array of characteristics he wanted included on this frame, so while his Levesque might look like just a sparkly paint job on a steel frame, this is definitely a fully custom build. To start with, the frame uses a PegoRichie tube set from storied Italian steel tubing company, Columbus. PegoRitchie is a custom, oversized steel tube set commissioned by Dario Pegoretti and Richard Sachs, so that they could build lugged frames with all the ride quality benefits of oversized tubing. While Packham may not look it in his really, really skinny jeans, standing next to his friend Tall Sam, he’s a pretty tall guy himself. The oversized PegoRichie tubing allows for a fully lugged and brazed frame that retains the ride and aesthetic quality of steel in the larger size frame Packham needs.
The frame details don’t end with the tubing and weirdly tall sizing, though. The geometry reflects Packham’s history of riding track bikes in ridiculous places. Like on Stuckylife Semiprestige CX courses, or touring through Kentucky to get to SSCXWC’15. The Levesque has a super tight back end, like a track bike. At the same time, it has clearance for higher volume tires and a full set of fender tabs. The frame features a threaded English BB, and a 1 1/8″ head tube for that Levesque built steel fork. The last, smallest detail is a set of brass barrel adjusters from American frame builder KIRK.
After Alain built up Andrews frame, Toronto custom paint shop VéloColour dressed it in that eye catching purple sparkle paint. If you’re looking to lose an hour or two of your day, head over to their gallery to see more of their amazing work.
It’s kind of nice seeing a custom steel bike that isn’t decked out in the fanciest of fancy parts. We like how Andrew’s filled out this build with a mix of parts that we know work really well, which really keeps the focus on that stunning Vélos Levesque frame. Pacenti SL23 rims have been hand built at Broad Street around Ultegra hubs. Andrew went with a full Shimano 105 groupset, because it’s Shimano’s ‘most punk’ groupset. Don’t think Shimano seems very punk? Under 105’s gloss and matte exterior lie decades of Japanese punk tradition: from Melt-Banana to Kriegshög. Punk A.F. And it doesn’t hurt that the matte and gloss 105 kit matches the all black parts theme on the rest of the build, either. For all the other small parts, there’s a 1 1/8″ Chris King headset, and fi’zi:k Cerano post with an Arione saddle. Fi’zi:k being the only company that makes a quality post in the Levesque’s rare 30.6mm seat tube diameter.
A 1 1/8th King headset holding together a hand built steel fork and frame
Levesque’s very sharp little front derailleur mount
Beautiful brass barrel adjusters from American framebuilder Kirk
Detail’s on the English threaded, lugged bottom bracket, and PegoRichie ovalized chain stays
Beautiful steel dropouts, with fender mounts
The simple, polished headbadge on Packham’s Vélos Levesque works well with the bright paint
Investing where it counts: Pacenti SL23’s hand laced at Broad Street Cycles
Pacenti SL23’s roll on Shimano Ultegra hubs. The only divergence from the 105 build
Vittoria’s sadly discontinued Open Pave tyre: Andrew’s been saving these for this build
Shimano’s PRO parts round out the cockpit, with black fi’zi:k tape to match the theme
The classic road drop bar from PRO matches the steel road aesthetic perfectly
This Levesque’s built with a full Shimano 105 groupset
105’s all-black finish works well with the bright sparkle of the Vélos Levesque frame
Fi’zi:k supplies a matte black Arione saddle to top their 30.6mm Cerano post
Even when it’s not catching the light, the VéloColour paint job looks really sharp
