coming together

increasingly i feel like this thing is coming together, at least in my head.

for now my focus is mostly on the frame...i've started looking into where to get parts, which is a whole world unto itself, and a little daunting.
ordered practice lugs from Rivendell ($2 apiece after i became a member).
Strawberry has a great deal on fork blades i think: Reynolds 525, butted, for about $14 a pair.  i hope he's still got some when i want to order.
got a ceeway price list, so i'm slowly converting the prices i need into $.
Bringheli has got some damn cheap Deda tubes.  i bet i'll end up ordering most of my tubes from him.  ceeway is again my favorite for small parts.
been looking into funding, which has me thinking of ways to get the total cost down.

RONCESVALLES will be on the DT decals as of now.  maybe a sweet R headbadge.
it's the name of a town in Spain that my mother's family name comes from.  a Basque town, the site of a pass through the Pyrenees, and featured in the Chanson de Roland.
the bike will be in the basque spirit; it will be duro--strong, lasting.

most of my research these days is sourcing stuff for a parts list/budget spreadsheet.  my general procedure for this is to find every feasible supplier of a particular part, get all the price and spec data in one place, then decide what i want based on what i know at the time.  i'm learning every day, so my choices have evolved many times.
i'm working within a few constraints:
cost
clearance for touring tires and fenders
my size
the geometry i'm planning on using
weight (not much of a factor)
wheelbase (have to ensure all the tubes are long enough, especially chainstays)
the frame's "feel" (i'm pretty much guessing here, taking ideas from pro FBs and production bikes)
availability of parts (Reynolds tubing in particular appears hard to get in the limited quantities i want)
compatibility of parts with one another (always a tough one, especially w/o photos)

nearly everything is at best an educated guess, since i'm new here and lack hands-on experience.  having more wrench experience would also be really helpful in deciphering the selection of components.

currently looking at:
72° parallel ST/HT (actual angles)
80mm of drop, maybe a bit less
74° ST & top HT lugs, Long Shen from Ceeway (meaning a couple cm slant to TT)
Richard Sachs fork crown (the centerpiece of the bike and the widest i've seen)
.9/.6/.9mm DT, Deda ZeroTre
.8/.5/.8mm TT, Deda ZeroUno
not sure on ST thickness yet, but single-butted
thick (~1mm) fork blades, steerer (25.4mm threaded), HT; mostly ZeroTre, whatever's cheap
longish chainstays, pre-bent if possible (been hard to find anything over the high 300mms, and i was thinking 425mm or so c-c.  yes, i know the actual tube will be shorter than the true c-c measurement.)
double-tapered seat stays, if i can find some cheap enough
plug-in top eyes, hopefully a wraparound-type cluster (always liked em)
stainless dropouts if i can get em with eyelets (got fronts, need backs)
triple TT cable routing, pulley for front derailer
rack mounts, canti mounts and bridge, SS & CS bridges (for versatility and mounting fenders), reinforcements on SS and at bottle bosses, front derailer tab, chain hanger, spoke holder (need a source)

the geometry is still in beta, pending me getting around to measuring myself.  i'm 5'11", turning 21 on May 13, 180-190 pounds i think.

my idea was to use the thickest stuff on the DT, CS, and blades for a solid feel, and where the extra weight will make the CG lower.  thinner, higher-end, springier steel on the SS, TT, and ST(?) for a springier cockpit.  i kinda feel like a marketing douche writing things like "springier cockpit", but it makes some sense to me, and it's my best guess guess right now.
the idea comes from some Lemond bikes i saw at my old job, with carbon tubes stuck into steel lugs and tubes, with steel forming the "chassis" and carbon for the "cockpit".  hopefully i'm not just talking out of my ass here.

let me know what you think of all this:
ethan { a t } fast50 { • } net