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. As for saddles, yeah…very much a case of to each their own. I’m an Arione guy myself…and I’m a saddle monogamist, so I’ve got one on each bike. Saddle sores are a much bigger problem for me than numbness, which I only get on the trainer for the reasons @Marko described.

    The key for me is to have a narrow enough saddle to minimize chaffing and a stiff enough saddle which goes light on the padding in order to minimize the hammock effect you get in saddles like the Flite, which in my opinion is the best looking saddle ever made.

    Interesting point is that it seems that saddle manufacturers have historically made saddles that work for specific anatomies, with Fizik being the exception to that (their reptile thing is geared towards different anatomies).

    I was completely in love with the Regal saddle as well as the Rolls, but they didn’t work for my ass, sadly, so I became a Selle Italia guy. Until I met and fell in love with my Arione, that is. Not the sexiest saddle, but love that I can use the whole length, and having a bit of saddle poke out behind your ass makes your butt look smaller, adding to the illusion that I might climb well for my weight.

  3. Right guys, some qualified advice is needed…

    Very much in the start up phase and as such well and truly in Velominatus Budgetatus territory but the first steed is an Al Schwinn Le Tour that came set up with a Sora triple chain ring & 7 speed cassette. After careful consideration (in reality about 5 minutes) I’ve realised this is a situation that needs to be rectified.

    Having spoken to a couple of bike shops around town they’ve shot down the idea of selling a new drivetrain for it because “you may as well just buy a decent bike”, which is never going to get past SWMBO so it looks like a dodge of Rule #58 may have to be in order to get something resembling some decent gear on the bike.

    Now the questions are what should I be looking at in terms of brand/level & what specific parts should be first on the shopping list??

  5. Well, a few things matter quite a bit. You’ll probably be able to keep your derailleurs (depending on the year of your bike and components), but it’s going to take some creative wrenching. Sheldon Brown has a few good resources.

    Running 8 or 9 cogs on a 7 speed freehub will probably be your best bet. You’ll need a new cassette and right shifter. If you go nine speed you might want a new chain and chainrings or your shifting could end up funky.

    Transplanting Shimano Freehub Bodies This would work, but requires you dish your rear wheel and widen the spacing between dropouts which won’t fly with an aluminum frame. I don’t know much about your bike, but if the same frame could have come with 7, 8, or 9 speeds, then it probably has a wide enough spacing and an 8 or 9 speed freehub body with a spacer to move the cassette out and work with your seven speed gear.

    Here’s more general info on indexing and speeds

    This is mostly about Dura-Ace compatibility, but has some good info for you, too.

    Here’s the main article I pulled the original two links from. Lots of info on Shimano cassettes.

    I’d say if you can get some cheap parts from biking friends who have old 8/9 speed stuff laying around, give it a try and see if you can make it work. Otherwise, just enjoy your seven speeds. More speeds are convenient, but not necessary. You’d almost certainly be just as fast on any bike with five or more speeds because the gear you turn all day is not likely to be at either end of your cassette. Hope this was helpful. I’m not the most knowledgeable person about all of this, but I’m sure others will chime in and improve on my suggestions.

  7. @Mikael Liddy
    First of all, well done in recognizing your immediate needs and having the wherewithal to seek council.
    There are two ways you might look at this:

    First way: Your LBS may have a point in terms of how much worth it it is to spend money on upgrades for an entry level package to begin with. If you trust the peeps at your LBS and it’s a good shop (usually indicated by small size, not being a chain, independently owned, and offering brands other than Trek and Specialized) then take their word for it. Is there a Velominatus in the shop that has your best interest at heart as your Cycling Sensei? If this is the case you need to a)Keep the Le Tour and ride it. B)Build your fitness, fall in love with riding, and know that one day it’ll make a great rain bike/commuter (a bike like this can make you hard and when you get on a nicer bike you’ll really appreciate it. C) Get a part time job, work on the SWMBO, harvest a kidney, or sell drugs to get some scrill for bike #2 which will become bike #1 and move you toward Rule #12 compliance.

    Second Way: If you don’t trust your shop, all they sell is Trek and Specialized, there is an identical shop with the same name across town, and the employee you were speaking with was wearing tight pants with a wallet chain and a Twin Six cycling cap, then start scouring the interwebs for RIVAL or 105 level gruppos and know Rule #58 is superseded by Rule #11 in the case of lame shops.

  8. @Jeff in PetroMetro
    Just caught the Top Gear bug myself. It has become an addiction.

    @Marko
    That last post was os so perfect. So perfect that the coffee that shot out of my nose while reading the last paragraph has caused my delete key to malfunction. That was a spot on description of the employee at our Trek dealer except for the lack of the red string Kabbalah bracelet.

  9. On the subject of saddle numbness, try a slight adjustment to saddle angle. After one long ride I had numbness that wouldn’t go away for months. I even had to “explore” the situation with the doctor. I thought I had done some permanent damage. It eventually went away after I made a slight downward adjustment to the saddle. Now I ride ever with the nose of the saddle ever so slightly tilted below level, and I have nearly blocked that doctors exam from my mind.

  10. @Mikael Liddy

    Marko and ZachOlson offered up some solid advise. My only suggestion in addition to theirs is if your town/city is big enough, it may have a bike shop that specializes in older bikes.

    I started down my road to being obsessed with cycling on my late father’s early 80’s Schwinn Traveler. When I got it after he died, it had been sitting in storage for years, thankfully inside. I took it to a shop here in town that has bins and bins of old parts, and pretty much only works with old bikes. For a cool $100 they cleaned her up, replaced the worn parts, and she was good to go as my main ride for nearly a year before I saved up to buy my Felt.

    I agree with not buying a brand-new drive-train for an old bike due to the cost, but you can certainly make your bike serviceable and fun to ride until you save up for a good new (or used) modern bike.

  11. @ZachOlson @Marko @mcsqueak

    Many thanks for the advice…there are some options to ponder.

    Having done some research on the bike itself it looks most likely to be either an ’08 or ’09 so it’s all reasonably up to date, this also advised me it’s actually an 8 speed cassette (so much for the counting skills) on the back!

    At this stage the plan for this one is to get me going (showing much Rule #9 over the coming winter) & then morph in to the rain bike as the stable expands once SWMBO has been convinced by my awesome winter dedication & the bank balance returns to nearer pre wedding/honeymoon levels.

    Still on the lookout for a decent LBS to trust as there is nothing worthwhile near home whilst the most likely candidate near work is still a little hit & miss depending upon who serves you. The older guys will generally happily engage you in a 30 minute convo on any topic while the younger guys seem to prefer a withering sneer for simply having the gall to enter the same room as them.

    On a slightly different topic, Schwinn seem to have had it in their heads that whoever was to be riding this would spend most of their time on the bar tops & have fitted a separate set of brake levers there…how much work is going to be involved in getting rid as they’re basically just getting in the way?

    Cheers

  12. @Mikael Liddy
    Hey, trus all solid advice, realise I’m late to the party, but you can ditch the inner chainring on the bike and tune the front derailleur so that you only use the two outer rings. You will need to remove the cranks to get the ring off, but if you can’t do that I’m pretty sure you can limit the front mech to only run on the 2 biggest rings. Don’t give up on your components straight away, it might just be a case of adjusting or replacing chainrings and a cassette with a decent range to get you rolling. Also look out for a cheap shimano rear wheel on ebay. Seven speed freehubs won’t be too good for anything, but Shimano freehubs are all identical (hyperglide) for 8,9 and 10 speed. Dolalr reserves are your friend.
    Basically as soon as the price of replacing a drivetrain reaches around or goes past 3/5s of the price of a replacement bike, staff in shops tend to point that out so they don’t get pissed customers coming back at them with the repair bill, saying for another hundred bucks I could have had a new bike blah blah blah. Doesn’t really tend to happen with road bikes, more cheap commuters with one piece cranks and large range cassettes. If that’s not the case, and the shop is trying to sell you a 1500 dollar bike over a 200 dollar repair bill, burn those SOBs by never, ever going into their shop again. For all the money you’re going to spend on bikes in the future, and trust me if the bugs got you’ it’ll be a lot, go somewhere people respect your money as much as you do.
    Finally (phew!) make the Park Tools website your best friend. Their repair advice is without par and with a handful of tools and your Schwinn you’ve got the perfect learning project.

    TL:DR

    Cassette and rings first if you can. If you got friction/downtube shifters even better.
    cheap shimano rear wheel
    Find a shop you get good advice from that you think deserves your $$$.
    Prk Tools website and a multi tool.

  13. @Mikael Liddy
    I’ve seen the extra brake levers on entry level bikes. Are yours short and black? If so, those are also used on some trick cyclocross bikes. I kinda like ’em. They’re way out of compliance, but since it’s just you and me talking, and no one else knows about our conversation, I vote to keep them on. Keep putting in the miles without spending another dime on the bike. Instead, save for THE NEXT BIKE (n + 1). You can find some great used road bikes on the interwebs. If you need guidance or suggestions, we can help. Well, Oli can help. He’s pretty smart about bikes.

  14. Rad! If you’ve got 8 speed on their now you already have the perfect rain bike: cassettes and chains are cheaper that 10 speed,and readily available in a number of combinations from Shimano and SRAM. If I were you I would just remove the smallest chainring (rule 5 it) which should improve shifting and chainlines, and removing the cyclocross brakes on the top of your bar will be a case of replacing the brake cable outers and retaping your handlebars, and probably trimming the cable length of the brake cable wires.

  15. @Cyclops

    Thanks for considering our Balcom. We do in fact design and engineer our bikes in house and manufacture in Taiwan. If you’re open to traveling, come on out and visit us. We’ll provide a bike, take you on a few rides, and hook you up with a room at the Renaissance just down the road from us if you need a place to stay. Give us a call.

  16. @Mikael Liddy
    I was waiting for someone else to chime in, but budget-wise, you might also investigate a longer-term progetto. Find a good, older frame, and slowly build. This is often lighter on the finances than a new bike, especially if it’s drawn out (get the right parts, not the first, readily available ones); it adds to the relationship you develop with the bike; and the joy of the hunt is great fun.

    I’d also warn you away from too much bike envy. While there’s an awful lot of candy around, I’m guessing your Schwinn’s greatest deficiency isn’t a little extra weight or its performance, but rather the perception that it’s inferior to some of the bling carbon bikes you see while you ride or read about here. Remember: any bike is only as good as its engine (there’s a great discussion of Rob’s Dahon buried somewhere on these pages””worth a look!). The primary goal is to enjoy your riding. Second is to ensure you’re comfortable on the bike. If you have these two, then you’re in no hurry. Just enjoy riding and enjoy it often.

  17. @steampunk +1

    You’ll pass many a MAMIL riding a carbon steed if you put in the miles on your Schwinn.

  18. Cyclops :
    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?

    You just got your answer from Julian@Franco Bicycles. Damn. No one’s ever offered me a room at the Renaissance for anything. I guess I’m just not cute enough.

  20. Cyclops: I just cruised over to the Franco website. I like the Balcom–the one that pops up on the Balcom Road page, SRAM Red and Zipp 404’s. For under $6k? And test rides in So Cal? And a room at the Renaissance? Sheeeit.

    This whole journey merits a Guest Article if you do it. Please take a camera.

    Oh, and the all-black is super stealthy. Would look awesome with the Sacred Garments.

  23. Talk about customer service. Literally 20 seconds after I clicked the submit button on the Franco Bikes contact form my phone rang and it was Julian. Nice. God willing I’ll be on a Balcom shortly.

  28. @Cyclops
    I hear you. But it seems like the guys at Franco want to provide you with a top notch experience and product, and are probably capable of delivering. I’m really excited for you. And I’ve never met a Julian I didn’t like.

    Did I mention I’m a fanboy of Julian Dean? He rode my bike. (Yes, JiPM. We’ve heard it ad nauseum. Zip it before we drop you in a tank of frickin’ sharks with frickin’ lazer beams attached to their frickin’ heads.)

  29. @Jeff in PetroMetro @Cyclops

    And the Franco product seems to be really top-notch. Worst case scenario: you end on some beautiful rides around Westlake Village and Malibu, but decide the bike just isn’t for you. That’s winning, man.

  30. @Cyclops

    I didn’t me not getting my hopes up as far as the Franco guys are concerned. After all I’ve read about them and then talking with Julian it sounds like it would be an awesome experience all the way around. I just have some things in the works that would be a big change for me financially and until I actually see it materialize I won’t get too excited about things.

  33. Italian steel with Japanese gruppo, the fact that is ridden by an Italian guy diluite the offence…

  34. @Minion
    Wait. Which post? About having never met a Julian I didn’t like? Seriously, I’ve never met a Julian I didn’t like. And I particularly like Julian Dean from around 2007 when he wore those killer black and white Kiwi kits for 2 years instead of the Jolly Green Giant kit from Credit Agricole (while riding my awesome Look 595) and the god-awful argyle.

  36. @Jeff in PetroMetro
    My bad, I thought sharks with lazers was a reference to the map of Aus I posted here a while ago, and thought you were calling him an Aussie. Thanks to the google, Dr Evil once again prevails. Yeah! The black and white CA kit was sweeeeet, Rolly’s got it now but the HTC Highroad kit isn’t quite as goodlooking in the black and white (Rolly’s more than entitled to disagree with me though)

  38. Franco Bicycles, I like the photos but I like more his bicycles.
    Bei mezzi!

  40. @Pedale.Forchetta
    Italian Steel Part II My ’62 GS 160… Restored a few years ago from an Italian barn find.

    Just had her out for a spin and dinner last night after my 50km, 1km of climbing after work ride, down to a great, vero italiano trattoria for homemade tagliatelle. Had to share.

  43. @sgt
    WOW!!!!!! Your Vespa is the shit! Merckx, that hawt. I’m in awe.

    There are a ton of scooters in my neighborhood, but nothing like yours. Soooo nice.

    I wanna go all Quadrophenia on one. I’d be better off getting a much crummier scoot.

  44. @minion
    No, no. I’m assuming y’all are sick of hearing me go on endlessly about my Look 595. And how Julian Dean had one just like mine. With my bidon cages. So did Christophe Le Mevel.

    Stop.

    See? I did it again. I figured y’all were gonna go all Dr. Evil on my ass and throw me in a tank full of sharks with frickin’ lazer beams attached to their heads.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh7bYNAHXxw

  45. In New Zild team Pure Black racing use black Quantum teams, which are 2 groupsets/framesets above my bike. I bought it before they were a twinkle in anyone’s eye, and by that twist of fate it now looks (a tiny bit – don’t see many other straight black quantums around) like I have a team bike. Till they see the rider.

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