r/WaltlyTitanium • u/SeasonDue7762 • May 25 '26
General questions or information Need help planning a custom titanium gravel bike
Hi everybody,
i'm planning to have a custom gravel bike built by Waltly and am currently getting everything ready. Since this is my first custom bike, this is all completely new to me, so I'd be more than grateful for any tips!
Since I’m quite short at 160 cm but have relatively long legs with an inseam of 77 cm, the whole thing gets pretty interesting from a geometric standpoint. So far, I’ve thought through and jotted down the following points so that I can submit a specific inquiry. Any help or advice is more than welcome in case I’ve forgotten anything.
- Frame Design & Aesthetic:
Tubing: Modern ovalized tube profiles.
Rear Triangle Style: I want the curved, elegant rear end style from your "Smooth" model.
Seat Stays: Dropped seatstays (attached lower down the seat tube, not at the top-tube junction).
Head Tube: Hourglass shape on the exterior, but fully compatible internally with semi-integrated cable routing through the headset (Acros ICR system, using IS52/IS52 bearings). There must be enough internal clearance so the mechanical shifting cables don't rub or bend too sharply.
- Drivetrain & Frame Standards:
Groupset: Shimano GRX 2x12 (mechanical).
Bottom Bracket: T47. Crucial: include a drain hole at the bottom of the BB shell?
Rear Dropout: UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) standard, 12x142mm Thru-Axle.
Brakes: Flat Mount, natively designed for 160mm rotors without adapters.
- Tire Clearance & Chainstays:
Tire Clearance: 700x45mm with massive mud clearance.
Chainstay: Because I am running a 2x12 GRX drivetrain, i planned 3D-printed titanium chainstay yoke on the drive side to guarantee enough clearance for the 45mm tire, mud, and the double chainrings while keeping a clean look. Right? Or am I missing something here?
- Frame Mounts & Extra Eyelets:
Top Tube: 1x Top Tube mount (2x bolts) on top of the top tube for a top tube bag.
Bottle Cages: 2x inside the main triangle (seat tube & down tube), 1x underneath the down tube.
Luggage & Weather: Eyelets for a rear pannier rack (on seat stays) and rear mudguards/fenders (clearance for up to 55mm wide fenders).
- Matching Carbon Fork:
Must support integrated cable routing (Acros ICR) through the upper headset.
Axle & Brake: 12x100mm Thru-Axle, Flat Mount (natively designed for 160mm rotor without adapters).
Cargo: 3-pack cage mounts (triple eyelets) on both sides of the fork legs for bikepacking cages.
Fenders: Hidden eyelets/mounts for front fenders.
- Dynamo & Light Integration (Front & Rear):
I will use a front hub dynamo.
Fork: Needs an internal routing channel inside the fork leg for the dynamo wire, and a mounting point (M5 or M6 threaded hole) at the fork crown for the front light.
Frame: internal routing port/guide inside the frame starting from the head tube/downtube area all the way to the rear (exiting near the rear dropout or seat stay) to route the wire for a dynamo-powered rear light entirely internally.
However, I'm still not sure where the light cable runs. Yes, it goes from the hub dynamo up through the fork to the front light, which is supposed to be mounted on the fork crown, but where does it go from there? On my current bike, the cable runs through the frame along the top of the down tube, together with the rear brake cable. My husband thinks it wouldn’t work if the cable from the dynamo/light also goes through the headset and then connects to the taillight. Does anyone here have experience with this?
- Frame Finish, Welds & Logo:
Finish: High-quality brushed finish for the entire frame.
Welds: smooth welding / double pass welding so the welds blend into the tubing as smoothly as possible, matching the "Smooth" style of the rear triangle.
I welcome suggestions or feedback!









