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 ...
Another year, another winter of discontent regarding the upcoming season’s kits. It’s almost as if they try to disappoint…
@Ron
Or give us on this site something to whine and opine about until the pros get serious about training in Australia . . . emoticon
The Evo project is nearing completion. A modern state of the art race machine with a nod to all time classic. Inside the stays and fork is bright silver trim similar to the lettering on the down tube. Reminds me so much of my old black steel frame 12 sp with chrome stays and fork. With the front derailleur added the bike will be right at 15 lbs. Amazing… Alloy seat post, stem and bars and wheel set and at 15 lbs.
@Randy C
very nice indeed
Masi Gran Criterium lug detail:
i feel like this is a prefty crafty set of lugs and a very tidy chrome job on this taiwan built frame. the Belgium blue is dead sexy, too. this ain’t a bad deal at all for a sub-$1000 steel frameset.
@Cary
Wow! Just gorgeous!
@Cary
I love the Koga-blue!
HOT Masi. Very nice Cannondale project!! I’m about to finish up a new 1×10 commuter bike, perfect timing for a Gift to Self. Just gotta cut the fork tonight. Can’t wait. It has rapid fire shifters, a Deore XT RD, nice wide ranging cassette, and upright bars. Even with my other commuters, I tend to set them up to racey, happy to finally have a relaxed, upright roll-around steed in the line-up.
Love the Masi!
@Cary
That is very pretty indeed!
Any pics of the whole bike?
@Oli
it ain’t mine. mine is chrome with black lugs. i posted this one because i think it’s a good example of what you can get nowadays for a surprisingly small stack of cash. these Taiwan-built Masis have taken a beating from “purists”, but i’ve had a few nice steel bikes, oncludong a Merckx Corsa and a Serotta Atlanta, and my Masi is as good or better than any.
autocorrect ain’t my friend. sorry for the spelling errors.
@Bart
the blue Masi depicted isn’t mine. mine is chrome with black lugs:
Evo Project update and latest on junior’s gearing: When we’d built up the young lady’s last bike in order to take advantage of full 11 sp shift range we’d needed to set up the crank with CX rings. That enabled us to use a 44×12 as high gear and safely under the USAC 26′ roll out. It was easy enough to find 11 sp 12x cassettes. That was before Shimano started producing a 14×28 junior’s specific cassette. And that works nicely with a 50 or 52 big ring. And that was a nice turn of events given that the braze on tab on the Evo wasn’t going to allow for the FD to slide down low enough for the 44 ring w/o an adapter. On the first bike the FD we used was clamp on. Easy enough to get it wherever it needed to be on the seat post. The 14 goes straight thru to 21 then 23,25 and 28. That’s a nice straight cob right there. Very cool. With the new FSA 50/36 rings and showing the silver trim on stays, seat post and rear of fork:
Evo Project is ready for the Christmas tree! Cannondale knocked it outa the park with this frame set. Just a beauty. iPhone pic’s don’t do justice. Have to work on that. We might actually have a camera around the house somewhere? All that’s remaining is to button up the fit for the young lady.
Cheers all and Merry Christmas
@Randy C
That’s going to be one cool Christmas Tree in the morning.
@Randy C
Love the ‘Dale Evo! I have the same wheels … sort of … on my Felt FC. Shimano RS81 C35s, which are the same alloy/carbon composite rim but different (Ultegra level but not branded as such) hubs. I pay a weight penalty (several hundred grams), but it’s all in the hub so not rotating weight. I also think the Dura Wheels have a lighter freehub body. Also a fan of a 50/36 set up. Can’t believe it’s a 15 pound bike! What size frame is it? Your daughter will kick your ass! :-)
Loving the end of season solo training rides on the Bixxis. Doriano knows how to build a bike.
@chuckp
We bumped her up from a 49cm Speshy Allez to this 52cm SuperSix Evo after she popped over 5′-6″ in past year. This is the race machine she’ll return to Louisville Road Nat’s with this year.
The bike with these wheels is closer to 15.5 lbs. A little less with the C24’s. C35’s on crits and flats and C24’s on the hilly road races. Sure full C wheels could be a little lighter but 1) I found some fair deals on these and less $ than C and 2) She’s raced in rain and I’m glad she’s on these and 3) They’re gonna last a long time being good ol’ good ol’ Shimano hubs and wheels.
So just over 15 lbs with the pedals, cages and larger rings than we originally had installed. The real weight savings available if we really wanted to get carried away would be in the alloy seat post, stem and bars. But it just looks too cool with the polished silver. After next spurt of growth we’ll swap back to C set back seat post and longer stem.
I think that one of the advantages of the 50/36 is the closer ring size makes for a smoother front shift than say a bigger spread on a 52/36 or 50/34. Who knows? The theory sounds good anyways. And 36-28 will be all she really needs.
Kick my ass? We have a local hill with something like 1600+ attempts by 650 or so people on Strava. She went up it on this bike outa the saddle, on the drops, in the big ring and is something like 43rd overall and tied for 2nd with women. By the time she got to the top there was enough room to build a Wal Mart between her and I. My fastest time is faster than hers but that was a few years ago. I wasn’t even close to matching her the other day. She likes to ride bikes fast and especially up hills fast.
Cheers
@fignons barber
Lovely!
@fignons barber
gorgeous
The old C59 got some new paint this week!
-Eddie
@EBruner
that is KILLER! happy new year!
@Cary
@EBruner
The bike is awesome- really like the color scheme, but the shoes…the shoes are the bomb
Happy 2017 all!
About to dive into a project that has been off to the side long enough.
I have an older LiteSpeed Blade that is in near cherry condition, but in order to make it road/race worthy it will need some “upgrading”.
It has the 650c wheels, which sort of limit my choices, but other than that it is really cleaning, new bar tape (it still has the original speckled black/yellow tape) and the current wheels are both Spinergy SPOXs – both are in great condition, but I have read articles about the spoke nipples giving out at the worst time and near impossible to replace.
As I move along with this pics will pop up here, but as always- any and all information or input will be greatly appreciated.
Would love to finish this and race it in a few ITTs this coming year.
Take care all and ride safe.
@Dean C
Those kicks are indeed a riot. And the bike is so very one of a kind. Every time I see pic’s of a Baum with the attn to detail re: the seat post and stem I can’t help but appreciate. On this bike, the seat post is just such a sweet touch.
Cheers @EBruner what a beauty!
@fignons barber
The day will come when I’m cool enough to have a steel frame bike and campy. I can’t wait. Love that bike! Cheers
@EBruner
Gulf Porsche 917. Love it!
@chuckp
I was thinking GT40 !
The 917 is a beauty too
what a great color combo
@Randy C
@chuckp
Gulf GT40 was the inspiration. It is the 2nd frame I have had painted in the gulf colors. I am more than pleased with how it turned out!
-Eddie
Rats. Great (not) start to the year. Broke my mtb bike rear suspension pivot this morning. Does not seem likely spares are still available. (Spesh Stumpjumper 2008 or thereabouts). Probably puts paid to the plans for a custom steel build unless I can find a trashed frame to salvage the part. I guess magnesium parts have a finite life though so might be a waste.
@EBruner
I’ve seen gorgeous artist renderings of the new Ford GT in the Gulf livery being depicted in metallic light blue and orange. So cool and a classic color combo for iconic race cars. The other color scheme that has always stuck with me was the black and gold of the classic John Player Special F1 cars.
Cheers
@Teocalli
Mtn bikes are more often than not needing something fixed has been my experience! New mtn bikes are phenomenal and getting upsized from the 26″ wheels along with latest hydro discs and drivetrains will greatly increase your fun for sure. There’s a flavor of mtn bike for every occasion too. It can be a complicated affair nowadays sorting out the ideal bike for where it is ya mostly ride. I snapped this photo when riding one of my all time fave’s the other day. a 29er w/1×11 drivetrain and 90 mm full suspension is a flat out riot on fast single track:
Cheers!
@Randy C
@EBruner
I’ll throw this one into the mix too. One of my fave cars of my youth. What is it? What’s the race where it made it’s name?
@chuckp
We sure know that the go pros here weren’t mounted on it in 1970 at Targa Florio ? I’ll admit to that not being a race car I recall. Google image search is incredible.
@EBruner any chance that a beautiful Baum was your other frame?
@Randy C
Nope. I’ll dig out a photo and post it. I did have the stem painted to match on my C59, but it was too much.
-Eddie
Greetings to you all.
My Number 1 ride, Fondriest (c 1987) with Campag groupset.
A constant work in progress.
@Randy C
Porsche 908/3. Built specifically for Targa Florio because Porsche knew the 917 wouldn’t be competitive there. The car in the pic is a complete restoration of chassis #004, which was a spare and never actually completely fitted out for actual racing. So essentially a pristine and brand new 908/3. Estimated value? $1.4-1.7 million USD.
So I was wondering if anyone knew of a top end frame builder in England/Europe that could help me build up my Eroica 1985 Hinault bike???
I’ve laid my hands on an original set of NIB 753 Reynolds complete frame building tubing set and also the correct NOS Cinelli bottom bracket frame shell and the Cinelli fork crown.
I tried Dave Yeats and Bob Jackson but both are so busy that they no longer take custom build ups like this.
It would need to be someone handy with working with the Reynolds 753 tubing (they used to require the builder to take their course before building with it from what I have read–although this might be bullshit and Oli/others can call me out if it is as easy to work with as any other metal) and able to chrome as well.
Already having the 7 spd Campag wheelset built and actively sourcing the other Campag SR 7 spd groupset that Hinault and LeMan rode in 1985.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
@fignons barber
Oh My LORD!!! Just a Gorgeous bike! If and when I get a track bike, it will be a Bixxis!
@Buck Rogers
I have a Super Record front (braze-on) and rear derailleur that would date to about 85 as I had them on my Colnago that I got in 85. We should talk as you have a use for them and I don’t.
@Buck Rogers
What do you need doing? Anything structural or is it just painting/chroming and decals?
There are a number of folk in the UK but depends on what you need. Let me know and I can suggest some contacts.
Ah just reread your thread – seems to want the frame built up from tubes etc that you have and then finished with decals paint etc.
Your could try Mercian Cycles or Rourke who both do good work and might be more flexible as they are not one man bands. Another outfit that I have been looking at is Paulus Quiros but they might prefer to build from their own sources. Then there are the likes of Saffron Bikes and Swallow. I can vouch for Mercian (they did The Butler for me including a couple of mods to the frame I wanted and have also replaced the steerer tube in the forks since the original rebuild) and they are also able to source or reproduce original decals.
@Buck Rogers
For Parts also keep an eye on Boulder Cycles in CO USA. They will ship international and their prices can be way better than e_Bay. They also seem to have some good NOS stuff now and then. I recently picked up some drilled NOS Campag levers for the GIOS.
If you need some Campag brake levers on a temporary basis while you shop around I have a spare set you can borrow and I might have a set of shifters – will look when I get home as I can’t remember whether I sold them on or not.
I’ll be passing through Denver in a couple of weeks so could arrange to pick some stuff up if you needed and then post on from UK to save shipping and potentially customs.
I also have a coiled wire outer cable for the rear mech (depending on where you have a frame stop on the chain stays). They can be a right bugger to find and look way better than the plastic cover type.
@Buck Rogers
They still have some of those Campy Levers ………….
http://boulderbicycle.bike/Brake-Stuff/Vintage-Brake-Stuff/Campy-Components/campagnolo-victory-brake-lever-pair-with-hoods-just-like-super-record-eroica-necessary-item.html
@Buck Rogers
Somebody may know otherwise but these can be a bugger to find……one left………
http://boulderbicycle.bike/Derailleurs-and-shifters-and-parts-cables/Vintage-Campy-cables-and-clips-and-parts/campagnolo-stainless-derailleur-housing-for-chainstay-cable-clip.html
@Teocalli
I wrote to Mercian but they never wrote back. I guess I could try them again.
Donald, at Bob Jackson, wrote back that it can be a bugger to find a builder to put the 753 tubing together as it requires someone who has attended the Reynolds Master Builder course “back in the day” and most of those builders are gone now.
He said to try a Kevin Sayles in Leeds and someone on retrobike said to try Steve Goff.
Any leads you might have to someone that has worked with Reynolds 753 in the past would be greatly appreciated!
@wiscot
Sounds like a plan. My personal email is [email protected].
I am thinking of going with band on FD, though, as someone on retrobike said it is safer than trying to braze on the mount on the thin 753 tubing, which is really hard to find these days (so they said).
I’m feeling a bit like Donny here, though as I probably know just enough to get into trouble and fuck it all up if I am not careful!