A ride for the people, the Sean Kelly Cyclosportive
My first bike was a Sears Moonlight Special. It was literally a piece of shit – figuratively. I mean, it would only “literally” be a piece of shit if shit was made of sand-filled steel tubes salvaged from the plumbing of the local sewage facility. Which it might have been, but I simply don’t have the peer-reviewed evidence to back that claim up.
I feel comfortable stating that this bike cost less than $50 USD back in the early 70’s, and it was yellow. It also had a saddle which, upon my personal dissection (Go Science!) was conclusively comprised of a shaped steel plate covered by a thin foam pad and a faux-leather shell. Made in America, fuck yeah. That’s one reason right there that the United States doesn’t have the same over-population problems China does.
After that, I was given my dad’s Raleigh, made of Reynolds 531 tubing which I loved deeply, apart from the exposed brake cables and Weinmann centerpull brakes. I installed some aero brake levers on it and quickly learned the value of owning some proper brake-adjustment tools like the Third Hand. (I’m not sure why a Third Hand is a bicycle-specific innovation; having one more hand feels like a genetically-viable mutation.)
Finally, after a summer of saving up, I bought my own proper racing bicycle, a Cannonwhale SR700 with Shimano 105. In hot pink, for $700. I loved the shit out of that bike, crowning it with every accessory (apart from an EPMS) that one can think of: I couldn’t afford Scott Drop-ins, so I happily accepted my brother’s bar-ends from his Bridgestone as substitutes. I saved up for ages and bought a Selle San Marco Regal and got one step closer to looking like Greg LeMan. Benotto bar tape was a no-brainer at only a few bucks a roll. So Pro, so cheap. And it never wore out and it didn’t matter how bad you were at wapping bars; if you needed four rolls to cover the real-estate (wrapping the brake levers cleanly is the crux), then you were still only out about $10.
It was such a great bike. I rode it in France, Belgium, The Netherlands, not to mention most of the northern United States. I rode with my family, my friends; I rode with my dad the most. In fact, the only time I dumped that beautiful Regal saddle was with him, five minutes into the first ride with that saddle when he decided to change the route and hang a louie when I was overlapping wheels with him. Scraped the leather clean off the right-side of the saddle. No worries, a little super-glue and the saddle lasted me another 10 years.
I lost and found my way back into Cycling two or three times during the lifetime of that $700 bike. If I was the man I am today, I’d have kept it, too. I still have many of the parts, but I dumped the frame because it’s too big for me, and I didn’t realize how much it would mean to me today. We all walk the path of La Vie Velominatus in steps; it is only natural to wander off the path from time to time.
My #1 is worth something like $10k, maybe more, maybe less. Which in any case is a stupid amount of money for a bicycle. My Nine Bike is the hand-me-down, worth a bit less but in practical terms, almost the same. An entry-level bike, like my ‘Wale SR700 would cost a few thousand dollars today, well out of reach of a young Velominatus hoping to get into the sport.
Cycling is supposed to be the accessible sport, the sport of The People. What happened?
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Great minds think alike or all we all just OCD? I was going through the "Celeste" comments yesterday and browsing the internet for a carbon celeste Bianchi. And that got me thinking that my "own" brand -Koga of course- also is known for its colour (royal blue), which got me thinking about writing an article about my first bike -a Koga of course. And here @Frank is doing just that.
Back when I was I think 13 or so, I was looking for a road bike. There were many famous Dutch brands to choose from (Gazelle, Batavus, RIH, Raleigh - which I did not know at the time was not Dutch, since every kid of my age seemed to have a green metallic Raleigh citybike with drum brakes and 3 gear Sturmey Archer, I didn't) but a friend of mine told me Koga Miyata was the shit. Sounded Japanese, not Dutch. (Koga is Dutch, but they used frames built by Miyata. The cooperation ceased a couple of years ago and now is named just Koga).
So I looked for used Koga's, almost got me a Miyata Cycle, but fortunately discovered in time the difference between a Koga Miyata and a Miyata Cycle. My dad eventually found a used red Road Winner for 600 Guilders (around 270 EUR) in the LBS, so I bought that, Although it was shiny metallic red and beautiful, I did not really like it: I thought the framesize 56 was too small for me (I wanted to be taller, rather) and I did not like the brazed on eye for mounting fenders, because it did not look pro, besides the fake-leather saddle. So soon after that, I started looking for another NEW Koga, this time 60 cm size, and this is still my 33 yr old or so Nine-bike. I got it then with a discount for 800 Guilders or so (363 EUR)and returned the red one. Funnily enough: 60cm was/is too high for me but I thought I would still grow when I bought it. And when I got my new Koga in January this year, I put fenders on the old one to celebrate its Nine-bike-status, although it does not have the mounting eyes for them. This year's new Koga is 56cm and finally in the colour I want it: blue. I ordered it via the internet, where you could put it together (Signature series) and the total cost was around 2250 EUR, but with VAT return, rebate for late delivery (6 months waiting) and employer paying 50%, the total net spend for me was way less, so I spent the rest on a used blue Koga MTB and a used blue Koga for the Mrs, which I use in winter on the turbotrainer. Anyway, could ramble on for ages...
I had a Raleigh with Weinmann centrepull brakes - I couldn't stretch to 531 in 1976 - or for that matter a front mech so five speed Sachs Huret was my lot through secondary school and early adulthood (yeah even unto police academy). £80 and I got nine years out of it - do the math as they say in 'Murica.
Now my CX bike has centrepull Avids (okay V-brakes) and no front mech (but an 11 speed block) - plus ca change huh?
I'm more and more surprised at the fantastic value I got when I bought my Felt last year. I've spouted all the costs before so I wont do it again, suffice to say it's an alu-framed machine with 105. I've applied a few choice upgrades (BB, chain, wheels) and I know for most events and races I want to do the bike is not the limiting factor.
The flipside is that I've had a look at better specced bikes (n+1, obviously) and the amount extra I'd hav to spend to get a bike significantly better is staggering. And by that I mean a bike with a decent carbon frame, not a budget one, and with Ultegra throughout. The conclusion is that it's something I'm unlikely to do; on my budget I just can't justify it.
Couldn't resist a photo from this year's Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford. The whole country was getting pissed on with rain and somehow it literally went around our 160K route. I thanked Sean for that and he said 'we do it right in Waterford'.
He is very involved in the running of the event, happy to pose for photos, leads out the event at the start. It is a full community effort with all the volunteers and local sponsors e.g. Flahavan's Oats.
There is a local myth about Sean once blowing past a group of Carrick Wheelers (Waterford racing club) on an Amsterdam city bike just to wind them up. Another story is some dolled up blonde bird from Dublin poncing up to Sean and saying, 'Seeeaaann (big smile fluttering lashes) this is my first time riding a sportive, can you give me some tips?' To which he replied 'You get on that bike, and you ride like fuck!'
Legend.
@the Engine
Started with borrowing Dad's Raleigh Europa after I could ride it outside the triangle! Yep, had the Weinmann centrepull brakes and after many paper rounds, upgraded to Dia-Compe G's, The Simplex was upgraded to Shimano 600EX, the cotterpin cranks to Stronglights, the steel rims to Mavic 700c alloys. Alloys was the ultimate to mention on a bike in the 80's!
Then bought a 531 frame and swapped the parts over and upgraded at least a new frame and parts each year. Grew out of the frames, on-sold and upgraded. Never bought a "off the shelf" bike. My first "off the shelf" was a Balance AL350 in the mid 90's.
@Barracuda
A Ti Baum would be my first-last bike!
@sthilzy
don't know what happened at the bottom there?!
Always a drool fest - the Bicycle Guide Buyer's Annual! Always just out of reach $$$
This hits home, I've never posted here. I have 3 priorities and they each have a name and bicycle of their own, so pulling the trigger on a Allez Sport with sora was kinda a big deal for me. I was a little concerned showing up to the local ride cause its pretty much bottom of the line of what a "decent" road bike is. But after 20 kilometers i realized, as much as i long in my heart of hearts to have a 10k bike, that it feels really good to know that i'm not getting spit out the back on my 5,000 dollar steed like some, and that i can pull the line the same on my Allez sport as i could on an s-works (maybe a little better on a s-works), cause its truly in the legs and the mind AND the fact that it doesn't sit in the garage 5 days a week like a ornament. Great article
@sthilzy
My dad had a 50's Raleigh racer with a four speed Sturmey Archer hub and cut down brooks saddle - I think it may have dated back to when they sponsored Reg Harris.
It was his daily transport for over 30 years until the head tube finally failed (Raleighs always used to fail there). If he could have gone back for a refund he would have. I think list price was £16 back in the day but there's no chance he paid that much - likely second hand for <£5.
I've been a Kelly fan for years - not just for his on-bike accomplishments, but the fact that he really has stayed connected to the sport at a very grassroots level. Seeing him line up with a cyclosportive is great. I'm sure Tiger or MJ wouldn't agree to play a round of golf or shoot some hoops with some regular joes.
To my eternal regret, I missed meeting Kelly at a truck stop outside of Paris after the 85 tour. I saw the car and the bikes but was too focused on food to register the fact that it might be Kelly's car. I mean, a truck stop outside of Paris, hardly where one might expect to bump into one of the all time greats.
First proper bike? A big red 24" Holdsworth. It and most of the components were bought at Dooley's Cycles in Paisley or bought from other club members. I had very little money at the time. Slowly, but surely saved and upgraded to a team replica Raleigh. More kit, more tools, more stuff. Sure cycling's expensive but when you think about it, I'd say bikes have never been such good value. Back when I was starting, basically everybody rode what amounted to custom bikes - each component sourced and bought separately. Now there are so many good off the rack choices. A $1500 bike might not be pro level, but it'll do the job. The trickle down of technology and quality is amazing. Any half way decent bike these days has brifters and a carbon fork. 25 years ago, that was top level stuff. Cycling gear is WAY better than the old wool/acrylic/real chamois days.
What makes cycling accessible is this: we don't need to book a court or a start time. We don't have a fixed number of holes to play or sets to complete. We can go out and ride when we like and as long as we can. That's accessible.
My last point: join a club (says me who currently is unaffiliated). You'll meet like-minded folks who can offer advice and maybe some free or bargain gear. You'll learn.