The Bikes
The Bike. It is the central tool in pursuit of our craft. A Velominatus meticulously maintains their bicycles and adorns them with the essential, yet minimal, accoutrement. The Rules specify the principles of good taste in configuration and setup of our machines, but within those principles lies almost infinite room for personal taste.
It seems in some ways like a kind of Stockholm Syndrome, the way we honor our machines. We love them to a point that lies well beyond obsession. Upon these machines upon we endure endless suffering, but also find an unending pleasure. The rhythm, the harmony between rider and machine, the outdoors, the wind in our faces and air in our lungs.
The Bikes is devoted entirely to our machines. Ours, The Keepers, and yours, the Community. It features articles devoted to our bikes, and proves a forum for uploading photos of your own machines for discussion. We will be harsh, but fair; this is a place to enforce and enhance our observation of The Rules.
If you’d like to submit an article about your own beloved bike, please feel free to send it to us and we’ll do our best to work with you to include it.
- Rule #12 and the Cascade Effect
That is a very reasonable opening salvo for the Rule about bike ownership. Three is good and certainly a minimum, and we are talking road bikes here, if there was any doubt. They naturally become ordered: the #1 is ichi-ban, top dog, go-to bike for every and all rides. #2 was the old #1, ... - Guest Article: Black Is Not The New Black@kogalover is singing my song here. Bikes are beautiful. ’nuff said. VLVV, Gianni With all those posts on riding in winter and being visible, either by putting Eyes of Sauron or other car melting devices on one’s steed, or by even considering a YJA instead of donning plain black kit, it was about time to finally get ...
- Dialing in the StableThis was going to be an article about Rule #45. It is amazing how much time is wasted and matches burned when professionals stop for that second bike change to get back on their #1. With all the jigs available to team mechanics it would seem they could set up five bikes exactly the same. And ...
- Matching the drapes to the rugAs a longtime titanium bike owner, I’ve always been jealous of a beautiful painted frame but Ti and carbon frames don’t need paint like a steel frame needs paint. But I want some painted beauty. It’s like buying a white car; I can’t do white, need some color. So between a Ti frame and a ...
- Festum Prophetae: Waiting for the HourEveryone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. – Mike Tyson The one thing everyone should always plan for is that however well-conceived a program might be, things will never go to plan. The high level plan for my Festum Prophetae Hour Ride was as follows: Have a custom Hour Bike built by Don Walker. Because reasons. Reasons like custom ...
My bike passed 1,000 miles old yesterday. I’m fully metric in terms of distance and speed and have been even before discovering this site (most of the people I ride with still use miles and it drives me loopy), but 1,000 miles has a nice cachet to it. So I have ridden 1,600kms so far on my journey from pedalwan to Velominatus.
I celebrated with a fine ale.
@Haldy
Dunno what it is but there’s something about black and pink that seems to work.
Oh nice bike btw,those Heds look smart.
Been along time since I’ve posted here, but shit – I have new ride. Behold:
@Blah
Stunned! Wilier Triestina is prepared to kill!
@Blah
fucking hell, some way to make a re-appearance! Bel Mezzo indeed.
OK, I need some advice chaps… Has anyone here any experience of purchasing chinese unbranded carbon wheelsets? Aliexpress is offering some VERY competitive options…
First post here.
Just completed this restoration project. I’ve coveted this ride since seeing “A Sunday in Hell” for the first time almost 35 years ago.
@bovary1031
Way to make a fucking entrance!!! Bel mezzo!
@bovary1031
Holy fuck, dude.
@bovary1031
Wow! Welcome.
Naked 404’s
Lilah IV
@bovary1031
beautiful bike, great looking work. Do you have a before picture?
@bovary1031
Nice build there!
Is that a 7 speed? Miss the wide-ass chain.
@bovary1031
Holy shit, that’s awesome.
@bovary1031
Stunning, absolutely stunning. You could actually be forgiven for not riding it (might get it dirty!) and just sitting there all day looking at it.
@1860
I neglected to take a “before” photo, but suffice it to say the frame was in crappy condition. Most of the (original) gold paint was chipped off and there were no decals but for the remainder of a “Benotto” oval. At one point it looked like someone tried to spray paint it red but lost interest.
Carbon Solutions in Watsonville did a hella awesome job on the repaint
@sthilzy
It’s a 7-speed 12-23 Regina CX. I couldn’t bring myself to spend over $75 on a NOS Regina chain, so I am using a SRAM 870 chain
@wiscot
It is good to ride since it gives me an excuse for being slow. The 12-23 in rear doesn’t win me any KOM points either.
I am in the process of weening myself from carbon and going back to steel. There’s an old Guerciotti frame that I bought in high school that’s next on the restoration list.
@bovary1031
Beau-Ti-Ful Bike. And welcome aboard.
@bovary1031
Holy smokes. I hope you cleaned the ball bearings in the bottom bracket in diesel fuel, just like Ole’s mechanic in Stars and Watercarriers.
@Nate
I used paint thinner which cut through 30 year old grease (and probably some of my remaining brain cells) like magic
@frank
Is that Moser or Ritter? I think they were both at Filotex in the 70s…
@bovary1031
That’s my man Ole, the boys did a sweet write up on him a while back.
@bovary1031, @piwakawaka
this is what’s so fucking awesome about this site. Just about opposite ends of the scale, but both are some of the finest examples of bike porn I’ve seen.
@Mikael Liddy
took her out for a good thrashing today, knocked 15 secs of my circuit record, lovely cool autumn day, very quick and very slick with 404’s, I am always amazed at how fast they are even with the weight penalty and stiffness issues, although the Chris King hub has really helped I was still getting some pad rub, pleased to be going quick though, it’s been a while.
My newest ride. A Colnago Master from mid 90s.
@rs_sttr
Sweet.
Not so sure about the battery mount though for the electronic groupset……………
@Teocalli
True, but you have to admit it’s quite accessible compared to some others . . .
The battery is from my workplace.
The bike is an old 1996 Rabobank team bike with Dura-Ace 7410, brakes are probably early 7700 prototypes.
@rs_sttr
awesome ride – love the straight bladed Colnago fork
@Mikael Liddy
I think I need to watch The Impossible Hour again
@rs_sttr
nice, that’s crying out for some gumwalls instead of those redskins.
Autumn = Rule #9 & grave…which means Friday nights spent cleaning The Redback in prep to do it all again tomorrow morning…
From this…
to this…
@rs_sttr
Awesome. Love a nice Colnago fade.
Storage solution for #2.
My latest bike storage problem is solved. If the TV is not sufficiently entertaining I can look up and rest my gaze on number 2.
@geoffrey
Classy solution.
@geoffrey
Nice #2!
Also a nice amp; are those EL34’s?
@frank
They sure are. I need some new ones. After a couple of years they lose their mojo.
@Mikael Liddy
No kidding! It’s the black one I’d wanna ride. And stare at the other one.
@VeloJello
you’re joking right ??
@piwakawaka
I can’t stop going back to that photo. Very, very, cool bike.
@wilburrox
Thanks! Raced this on her on the weekend,
https://app.strava.com/activities/310400900/segments/7323511662
1st over 40 and beaten only by the best local guys, unique race as there is a track for the MTB’s and runners so it’s a three way event, MTB won this year.
It’s a half hour in the red zone, good times.
Sorry she’s not Sur la plaque, it ‘aint that kinda climb!!
@piwakawaka
Not exactly the kinda race for the time machine hey? Wow, Straight up a hill ? Nice! The dudes I was riding with today were on a Venge and a Propel with aero wheels and 23c. And I was on a Roubaix w/25c on HED Ardenne +’s at 75psi. It was raining. We hit the hills and chip seal. I give ’em credit. Downhills? Hah… my alloy rims were EASY better. Aero bikes are fast. Maybe I just need an ugly helmet! But I would love to ride that BMC that’s for sure. Cheers.
@piwakawaka
I’d get one of the cool red BMC Pearl Izumi kits and put it away in a drawer and save for later. Kinda like a good red wine? I know, I know… the whole team kit thing… BUT, I think if ya ride one a couple of years later ??
Seriously, what is the time frame that a team kit becomes cool to wear? This cat in town shows up on an Eddie Merckx in 7-11 colors / kit and I can’t help but think so cool. And a Brooklyn kit? Mapei?
@wilburrox
Why would he be joking?
You can get awesome wheels from China. I currently have 3 sets. Two for CX and one for the track bike.
Treat them as consumables. They’re fine. Also, I have nothing but good things to say about Novatec hubs. Yes, they’re cheap but they roll extremely well. They’re also very easy to service and get spare parts from Novatec USA. Why would you spend $2,500 or so on a pair of Zipps when you could spend $6-700 on a pair of carbon wheels that WILL be lighter?
@wilburrox
I ride in a La vie Claire top, from Prendas in the UK, they sell a bunch of retro kits, I think so long as the team is long gone all good, I won a BMC team kit in a race, but I break the rules and don’t wear it all at once!!
@mouse
Concur. I’ve been riding a set of Chinese carbon tubulars for a couple of years, built a few with generic carbon rims and hubs and trued/tensioned a couple sets for others. Maybe just luck, or limited sample size, but I’ve no complaints with the components per se. Build quality of the complete wheels can be spotty (I had NDS spokes loosen up almost immediately). Check the tension and retension/true if necessary before riding them. Also a good idea to pull the free hub and make sure the pawls are actually lubed…
@pistard
Okay folks, I hear ya… hell, they’re probably branded wheels built w/technology provided by a western company that the factory in China chose to produce an overrun on the nightshift and ship out the back door. Why buy Zipps when for much cheaper ya get lighter? I don’t know? Maybe ’cause I appreciate a company standing behind their product when I bomb down a mountainside. One that I’m pretty sure has a reasonable QC program. And I guess I don’t mind paying for someone’s engineering and technology efforts. Just the same, I’m sure ya can get some cheap good stuff as well as some cheap sh**. Just try returning the cheap sh** after the wheel blows halfway down the descent. Just me, I wouldn’t wear cheap unbranded Chinese sox and underwear either.
@wilburrox
Yup – when you are flying through the air after your wheel explodes is a tad too late to be thinking “Oh wait…….”. Unbranded and light just has to come with some risk inbuilt (pun not intended when I typed that). I pay my LBS a premium for service and I pay a brand for some assurance.
I did read an article recently that seemed to show that the “same product nightshift overrun” was a fallacy.
@Teocalli
I’d wager $100 they wouldn’t be fun to ride in rain.