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 EffectRule #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 BlackGuest 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 StableDialing in the Stable
    This 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 rugMatching the drapes to the rug
    As 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 HourFestum Prophetae: Waiting for the Hour
    Everyone 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 ...

15,871 Replies to “The Bikes”

  2. She ain’t much but I take the best care of her I can. for now a carbon steed is a dream. but hey this old girl was made and imported from Italy.

  3. That is a sweet Vassago! It’s hard to tell, is it a 29er? The only thing that would make it sweeter is taking all those dangly bits off and making it a singlespeed. Regardless, a new bike will make you faster, at least for the first season. New bike is the best kind of doping.

  7. G’phant:
    @nickcw
    Very nice. Envy. (And you even swapped the bar tape from saddle-matching white to wind-trainer-matching blue just for the day you were riding it inside. Outstanding attention to detail…)

    @Jeff in PetroMetro
    As A matter of fact I have since lowered the levers…they had been set up for last years Etape du Tour on my previous frame…grinding slowly up the tourmalet!

  8. @nickcw
    Good to know you dropped the levers. I’m still trying to find where I want mine. They’re designed to be more up than I’ve got them. I guess I’m supposed to ride Belgian style always. But that makes the drops useless. And sometimes the drops are a good place to be.

  11. Is it possible to be a Velominati if you occasionally ride a Salsa Fargo?

    I also have a sweet steel Scapin from the 90’s and a Litespeed Ultimate. Just lately I have been riding the terrible chip and seal and half dirt roads around my local (Durham,NC) and the Fargo is a great whip for that sort of thing.

    Trying to get back onto form. Liberal application of Rule #5 is in order.

  12. @tomb
    If I may be so bold… the answer is yes, you can be a Velominatus (note singular form) on almost any type of bike, as long as you and the bike conform to The Rules as closely as possible, and you continuously strive for closer compliance thereto.

    It is not, however, permissible for any Velominatus to use the term “whip” to refer to their bicycle. “Bike”, “Macchina”, “Bici”, “Velo” are all acceptable.

  13. I stand corrected. My poor judgement was surely caused by my posting at work during a meeting.

    I shall strive to be more V every day.

  14. @tomb
    The salsa fargo looks like a really cool and supremely utilitarian bike. The only thing stopping you from laying down the V on that bike is your legs. So just tell them to Shut Up if they talk back to you.

  15. Well guys, I did some soul-searching and I’ve come to realize the error of my ways. Upright cycling truly is the most noble, aesthetically pleasing way to ride, efficiency be damned. So I bought an upright bike from a local college student, and I’m pretty sure you’ll all agree it is the shit.

    It is single-speed so no wussy shifting to get up hills, and fixed gear so no coasting on the down side when you’re all tired from climbing. Astute viewers will note that it is clearly a flip-flop hub, but as there is no saddle bag I won’t be carrying a wrench with which to remove the wheel and flip/flop said hub, so it really is fixed gear.

    Saddle to handlebar drop is more than adequate, and steel tubing and toe-clips give it some old-school flair and panache. The bars were originally done in black, but I thought the white would be far classier.

    Sorry I left the valve caps on. Didn’t realize until after I took the pic.

    I can’t give you guys enough thanks. You’ve really changed me for the better!

  16. @BentLuvr
    Hey, you’re back. We missed you. Great to see you don’t have a closed mind on your ride of choice. Top effort. Just one question: your previously submitted ride had a special seat for your wife / friend. Where will she sit on this new steed? I hope things are ok between you now you’ve switched allegiance.

  17. @G’phant Oh, don’t worry about the wife. She’s decided to retire from cycling to take on a much larger role…I don’t know what kind of details I should be leaking before we make the formal announcement, but we had a talk about me making a comeback to the world of amateur cycling (I raced BMX once as a kid) and decided the time is ripe. She’s going to be the DS of team Impossible Dream! So, she’s been driving the car, motorpacing me and mixing up recovery drinks, texting others, giving me data via the Spiderman walkie talkies we bought and taped to my helmet, etc.

    I know it might sound crazy to you guys, but if Alexi Grewal can make a comeback in his fifties, I think I can do it in my forties.

    Any suggestions from the rest of you for how to go about getting back into top racing form?

    Oh and if anyone wants to join team Impossible Dream! feel free to put in an application with bentluvr@gmail.com

  19. BentLuvr :
    Any suggestions from the rest of you for how to go about getting back into top racing form?

    I know it’s harsh but….one family jewel removed seems to help?

  20. @Steampunk how does one go about importing Spanish beef into the US?

    @il ciclista medio Why not? I’m done having kids. (Incidentally, my wife cites the hours spent pedaling in the recumbent position as what made the births of our two children so quick and simple)

  21. Help me with a dilemma. I’m going to graduate from a Velominatus Budgetatus to a Velominatus Spendalotis and buy a new bike. I have a budget of $7k. I know I was ranting and raving about the Ritte Bosberg but I have heartburn with paying $1500 for a paint job because that is really what you are doing with the Bosberg. It is just a Taiwanese “off the shelf” frame with a snazzy paint job. I was looking at the Franco Balcom too – I can get one with SRAM Red or Campy SR11 and Zipp 202 tubulars for less than $6k but I feel like I’m in the same boat as the Bosberg. I would actually like a Cervelo R3 but there are a couple of things that I don’t like about the 2011 model. Mostly I’m wondering about their new BBright set up. It really limits crank choice. Next up is the BMC Race Machine. The problem with it is that I would have to order it online and not be able to test ride it.

    I know, just go with the Cervelo and spend the extra cash right?

    What say the Velominati?

  22. @Cyclops

    I say you wire me the $7k so you no longer have this problem.

    In all seriousness, if I were to drop that much coin on a bike, I’d be willing to drive to test ride it. Is there a shop within a few hour’s drive that sells the BMC race machine?

    Another idea, which sounds silly until you get ready to drop so much money, is maybe a cheap flight and overnight stay in a larger city close to Ider-hoe (say Seattle or Portland) where you could actually spend time test-riding the rigs you want. That could cost $400-500, but you’d be able to actually try your new $7,000 machine before ordering it.

    Is “just going” with the Cervelo going to give you better performance? Is it a good weight drop vs. what you have now? What exactly are you riding now, for reference?

  23. Right now I’m riding a Cannondale Carbon Six with SRAM Force shifters/derailleurs, S-Works BB30 compact cranks, Easton EC90 bars, EA90sl wheels and Dura-Ace 7700 brakes. About 16.5 lbs. with pedals and cages.

    I want something approaching 14 pounds.

  24. @Cyclops, @mcsqueak
    Ultimately, it doesn’t matter much what you get; all of those bikes are great bikes and you’ll love them. The funny thing about making a choice is that you’ll never know what it would have been like to choose the other products, so follow your heart and you’ll be happy.

    Some advice from someone who spends too much money on bikes:

    1) You’re spending tons of cash on this bike. You don’t often buy a dream bike. Don’t cut corners that you’ll regret later. You can upgrade components pretty easily, but the bones have to be right. Get the dream frame and dream wheels.

    2) As for the BBRight; are you really limited by crankset choice? How many different cranksets are you considering? In all liklihood, more companies will support that layup in the coming years, so not sure if that’s really a deciding factor. But I ride a standard BB, so not sure about the BB30 and BBRight cranks

    3) Marko loves his BMC, and by all accounts I think the BMCs are great bikes. I think a lot of people love the Ritte’s as well. I love my R3. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these choices, although I follow your logic on the Ritte.

  25. @Cyclops

    14 lbs! That thing is going to be a sail if you ever visit Zee Land on a windy day. I like the idea of tubular wheels too since you’ll be getting some podium spots soon enough if you keep the racing up.

    Well, I’m about out of ideas besides traveling to do some test rides. My last bike budget was no where near yours, so I didn’t even bother looking at the very high-end stuff, as I didn’t want to die of heartbreak when I found the perfect ride I couldn’t afford.

    It’s too bad about the Bossburg… they don’t do their own frame designs in-house?

  26. @Cyclops
    Some food for thought, man. If this is a once in a lifetime it’s time to buy my dreambike once and for all kind of thing, have you thought about titanium? frank’s right, I love my BMC and will have it for many more years (knock on wood) but the next frame I buy for numero uno will be Ti. I’ll bequeath it to my daughter, it’ll ride nicer than carbon, I won’t need a rainbike anymore, and I’ll get a skinny tube classic look with modern performance. (Anyone from Moots or Serotta reading this can email me and I’ll give you my address). I’ll take the wheels (404), gruppo (red), cockpit (k-force), all of it, off the team machine and put it on a vamoots or classique when needed.

  27. Order the LOOK 696 frame set and transfer all components from you c’dale. Every thing I read says that is one of the most advanced frames ever built.

  28. @Cyclops If your dream bike is the most technologically advanced wonder of its time, will it still be your dream bike in ten years when new bikes all weigh 10lbs, sport 12-14 speeds, and have negative drag in the wind tunnel?

    BAHAHAHA Just kidding. BUY SOME SICK CARBON WONDERTOY AND RIDE THE PISS OUT OF IT! We all know that’s the best thing to do, and in ten or twenty years it’ll be a classic.

  29. @Marko
    I was thinking the same kind of thing. With that kind of money, it would also be possible to start thinking about a custom ti build. It might lack the cachet of a top-end, brand name bike, but the performance and personal satisfaction would more than make up for that. If I had that kind of money to play around with, I’d want a bike that performed, but was also interesting. A custom build would be a much cooler talking point than an off-the-shelf frame.

    And bequeath to daughter? I’d likely have to sell one of mine to get a bike in that range…

  30. My favorite bike —- this is the before photo. Changing out fork to one inch carbon and threadless headset combo….pictures to follow

  34. @Mark
    What year is that frame? Apart from the color, I sure prefer the lines of your Kestrel compared to their newer offerings. What effect does such a small rear triangle produce?

  35. @xyxax:

    you don’t like yellow? ;) its a 2001 frame. not sure what the small rear triangle produces….maybe it allows for a better dampening of the road? i too don’t care for the newer models that Kestrel produces….they were bought out by Fuji (i believe) and haven’t looked the same.

  36. Beautiful bike that’s a 2001? Good work on keeping a bike that age in such good shape!

    What kind of saddle is that, a specialized or summit else?

  37. Hopefully this works – one Avanti Quantum, one careful lady owner only been round the block a few times.

  38. /Users/haig_3/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2011/25:04:2011/P4220032.JPG

  39. @ Minion:

    thank you. it was used for RAAM a few times so it has miles on it, but i had it rebuilt and re-painted, so i do ride the darn thing! the saddle is a specialized. just finished putting on a new fork and switched it over to a threadless headset (pictures to come) —- btw, i had an issue uploading a picture, so i renamed the .jpg to a single number then uploaded it and it worked….

  40. @Mark
    Maybe it’s just being in New York and having the urge to shout TAXI! But you’ve really restored it well and it looks great. Not only that, it rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

    and just FYI, take the valve stem caps off before you post the next pic.

  42. Gahhhh yeah I have no probs uploading pics from work, but I tried uploading those from the mac at home…and since you can’t delete or edit posts, I didn’t really want to be playing around with multiple posts trying to upload photos and documenting my failure. For some reason on the mac the button to uplaod photos is missing, but I’ll get them into my work pc and do it from there.

  43. @Mark
    Cool! Watched a film in the film festival last night, Bicycle dreams about RAAM, the movie was pretty naff but the riders and their experiences were awesome. Gotta say, some pretty clunky bikes getting ridden, and the winner was a guy from Slovakia, on an aluminium Pinarello, for 9 days with 11 hours sleep. Pretty humbling when you consider the entry fee and costs involved, (20k US to enter innit?) and the guys doing it on a soldier’s wage from a relatively poor country.

  46. @Oli Brooke-White

    Yeah, that was truly a tragic loss. What a true hardman. I still recommend listening to the Radiolab podcast covering ultra-endurance sport topics, including Jure and one of his RAAM rides, if you haven’t already heard it.

    I was thinking about RAAM the other day while out for a ride (I can’t remember why). My newest bike is exactly a year old now, and I’ve put about 3,200 km on her. The distance across the United States is nearly 5,000 km.

    So in 9 days they did 1,800 km more than I’ve done on my bike in an entire year. Simply amazing, and very humbling.

  47. @Oli Brooke-White
    No I didn’t know that. one of the competitors, Bob Breedlove was killed in an accident during the race that was included in the movie, which led to another rider with a young family pulling out of the race. Jure was awesome though, the amount of conditioning he had and the fact that he’d ridden for more than half his life was great. He looked on film like he monstered that race as well: I don’t want to say he wasn’t suffering, but he had when the other competitors were hallucinating and suffering heat stroke 3, 4 days in, I think he was dealing with those things after 6 or sevn days, the whole time riding away from the competition. The man deserved a happy life after racing, its really sad hh was killed.

  50. @Mark
    Good Lord. I feel puny. And in awe.

    This passage, though, is troubling: “I used to do lots of long miles early in my career, something to the effect of 800-900 a week. Now I focus more on quality over quantity. Rarely do I ride in excess of 450-500 miles a week.” If Steampunk decides to take a leaf out of Steve’s mileage book my sponsorship of his annual k’s could end up costing me a fortune. So no-one tell Steampunk about this, ok?

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