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So far it’s a solo ride.

Bike of the Week: A Color Pop No. 22 Reactor

Chad Nordwall |

Hot on the heels of our recent No. 22 Drifter X BOTW, we decided to double down with another project we worked on with the gang from upstate NY. But this time, the build started with No. 22's Reactor road frame before being shipped to our good friends at Velocolour for a Dutch-inspired color pop paint job. Follow along below as we break the build down.

THE FRAMESET

No.22 Reactor. Custom geometry. Carbon seat tube with a titanium topper. Anodized/Liquid paint finish.

We built this No. 22 for an athlete who was getting their first new bike in quite a while and was looking for a high-performance rig that was great looking and unique. We talked about all the frame materials and the pros and cons of each. In the end, we went with the No.22 Reactor. Since this client is on the taller side, we wanted something that would still be stiff and fast given the size of the frame. The Reactor is perfect for that. An oversized tubeset - especially at the chainstays - would deliver the stiffness and the titanium lay-up would provide just enough give to not be too bone-jarring over the rougher roads he'd be riding on. But make no mistake, this is a full-on performance frame with stiffness as the headline feature.

There are three ways you can configure the seat tube on the Reactor: Carbon Integrated Seat Tube (ISP), titanium ISP or a titanium seat tube with a standard seat post. We went with the carbon option, finished with No. 22’s titanium topper.

No. 22 Reactor Seatstays

For the unique side of things, we married No. 22's stock anodized treatment with a liquid finish from our besties at Velocolour. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but from our standpoint, this one came out swinging. A geometric color pop paint job that riffs on the work of Piet Mondrian.

No. 22 Paint Finish

DRIVETRAIN

Campagnolo Super Record mechanical. 175 cranks. 50X34 rings. 11-34 cassette.

This athlete wanted the latest tech but at no cost to simplicity and durability; a bike he could work on himself and travel without issues. Mechanical shifting and rim brakes met the call. It doesn't hurt that they also saved a good chunk of weight.

No. 22 Reactor Drivetrain

We fitted a Ceramicspeed BB even though Campy's Super Record BB is already ceramic. The reason for that is durability. Ceramicspeed units last longer with less servicing; if anything ever goes wrong, they have a lifetime warranty. The pulleys are also from Ceramicspeed, the coated titanium version.

COCKPIT

We fitted a standard road bar and stem from ENVE and wrapped it with black tape from the Utah company, too. As noted before, we used a carbon ISP seat tube with No. 22's titanium topper and put the cherry on the cake with a Fizik Antares Adaptive 00 saddle. Look's carbon ti KEO pedals with ceramic bearings complete the touchpoint essentials.

No. 22 Reactor Cockpit

Fizik Antares Saddle

WHEELS

We selected ENVE SES AR 4.5 wheels for the build and ran with Vittoria Corsa Control 28c rubber and Schwalbe Aerothan ultra light tubes. We went for tubes over tubeless in keeping with the simplicity route. No mess and no fuss when traveling with the bike.

ENVE SES AR 4.5 wheels

EPHEMERA

The ceramic love doesn't stop at the drivetrain. We also put a Ceramicspeed headset into the frame. This is a small detail, but we feel that the higher quality bearings add just a bit more control to the front end, and we're all about the details. And, of course, all the bolts are either standard or low-profile titanium.

No. 22 Headset

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