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 ...
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@Gianni
I had been saving this site for myself but after the recent set of comments here I feel the need to share it. It is a German site that sells vintage steel bikes. They look fantastic and are often in quite large sizes. I’ve never bought from them but keep looking around there as I dream about L’Eroica…
@Gianni
Is that a frame-mounted pump I see before me…
The handle on the down tube ? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight ?
Or art thou but a pump of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain ?
@Bespoke
Stretch. Glutes, hip flexors and hammies. And do some sit ups if you want your lower position to stick!
@Skip
Thanks Skip. I have seen the site and enjoy the eye candy. There are a few guys with interesting collections of vintage steel bikes for sale in my city but, similar to Gianni’s issue, there’s not that much available in 50-52 cm frames.
@minion
Okay, Will do although, sticking is kind of what I am concerned about!
@Gianni
Beautiful work, mate. That looks terrific. Although, every time I see a Serotta, my first thought is: “Are you a dentist?” Because dentists ride Serottas (I’m not making this up””it’s a thing; maybe there’s a course on it in dentistry school).
@ChrisO
In a word, hell yes.
@mouse
yeah, they are fugly but functional. I don’t think there is one bike in the pro peloton with one though.
@Steampunk Thanks, I’m no dentist (though I’m no anti-dentite) and I don’t think the guy I bought it from was either. But they are fanatically made bikes. All the tubing and hardware is made in-house. The dropouts are Ti. The lug interiors are all cnc’d to fit, no files. No doubt they are expensive but now no more so than Colnago and BMC.
@andrew
Nice looking bike (and nice photography too). You’ll fit in well around these parts – welcome!. Apparently you’ve already made an impression as Frank referenced your ride on the Packfiller Podcast yesterday, in between his fawning all over his own new Veloforma build. I’m now inspired to perhaps convert my 80s era Fuji back to drop bars from its current moustache bar city bike configuration.
Gianni – ooooooh boy, a new Numero Uno. NICE!!
Andrew – that is a nice bike. The only thing I think that would be nice is a seatpost that is a bit sharper. That one is definitely fine and functional, but might be a nice place to put on a shinier or sleeker part. Not a dig, just some feedback. That’s a GREAT bike to start the journey on, my friend.
@xyxax
Lugged vs Monocoque
My wife has a trek madone so I have stared at that bike a lot and it’s hard to argue with its design. Its carbon layup can be so specific but it can’t be customized. To me that is the major difference. Tube to tube construction allows different geometries, like with a Colnago C-59 in a plethora of sizes and most monocoque frames come in sm to xl.
As far as lugged carbon goes, it must be like suspenders and belts, those bikes are not going to crack at the joints. And they look badass. The Serotta has a lifetime guarantee so that says something.
xyxax, your mind will be blown when you upgrade. My old Merlin was hugely better than the steel and my new carbon bike is so much lighter than the Ti. Going right from steel to carbon will make you climb like an angel, not a fast one but much faster than before. You will be amazed.
Get a good fit and then a nice custom frame. No one gets out alive. Sell a child. You get cash and don’t have to pay college tuition. It’s a win-win.
@VeloVita
Holy crap… I don’t know that I’ve ever googled anything faster. Listening now.
@Ron
Thanks, that’s exactly the kind of thing I’d love to hear. I’ve found a classic polished alloy post that would work well, suiting the chrome fork and stays much better. I’ll dig around a little more to see what I can find, but I think I’m on the right track there.
@andrew
Cheers Andrew
@Gianni
As far as lugged carbon goes, it must be like suspenders and belts, those bikes are not going to crack at the joints. And they look badass. The Serotta has a lifetime guarantee so that says something.
Be careful with this. One international bike company has been trying to claim that lifetime warranty refers to the lifetime of the frame; 2 years for alloy and 5 for carbon. That must have been in the microscopic print.
@Ron Well… Deda Elementi RS01? Miche Supertype? Richey Classic…? This could take some time.
@andrew
I agree with Ron – if it were me, I’d go with a polished post to better match the chrome fork. I like the Supertype myself, but some may find it a bit much. Also its not a terribly long post by my recollection so just make sure if you go that route that it’ll give you enough saddle height. I’d replace the stem with a polished version as well. That said, if you just got the bike I’d ride it for a while to get a better idea as to how you want it to fit before replacing the stem, as you might find you want something longer/shorter. No rush on any of this though – the bike looks pretty damn nice as it is!
@minion
FFS, that is some durty fine print. Bastards. SInce I bought my bike second hand I get no warranty but there is a better chance I will damage it rather than it failing.
@Gianni
The Big Fit (not a grand mal seizure) is scheduled for next week. On the other hand, at last weekend’s yard sale, the kids kept peeling off their price tags, so that’s out. My broker (Jimmy Facepeel) thinks he can free up some liquidity if I don’t ask too many questions.
I haven’t been this excited since puberty.
P.S> I mentioned Argonaut in a recent post, so here’s a link to Prolly which describes their process, if anyone’s interested:
http://prollyisnotprobably.com/2012/11/unveiling-the-argonaut-cycles-process-part-01/#1
@xyxax
Argonaut! Man oh man, that will be a fine looking steed and it must be light as hell. You should be excited. And a paint job too, the thrill never ends. We will need timely updates, including the grand mal fit. Good on ya.
@xyxax Getting a custom bike is awesome. Mine just finished getting painted and with a little luck I’ll be on it by the solstice.
@Nate
It takes the patience of Job, doesn’t it? I was interested to see that Gianni’s Serotta has similarly bowed seat stays as yours will have (if I remember correctly). I can’t wait to see it.
@xyxax It has certainly stretched my patience. To be clear, that’s a commentary on my patience, not the work.
The bowed seatstays are something Dave developed post-Serotta. There was another type of curved seatstay that was a bit more complicated that he developed while he was with Serotta.
Are you getting an Argonaut or still figuring your builder out?
@Gianni
Please tell me your turn of phrase is a victim of autocorrect.
@minion
Name and shame for our benefit!
@Nate
I’m still figuring it out. I hope the fitting will either point me toward a very short list of stock frames that I fancy or point out that custom makes the most sense. If it’s the latter, then there are a couple of handfuls of builders that would make a great bike. Argonaut seems one of the most fully individualized, from carbon lay-up to molds. Do I need or deserve it from a cycling standpoint? Decidedly not. Can we treat ourselves to something that has an intangible personal value? If we are so lucky. Any suggestions as the solstice draws nigh?
@xyxax
I said wait a minute, Chester; you know I’m a peaceful man. He said that’s okay, boy, won’t you feed him when you can…
Music From the Big SteamPink?
@mouse
Probably shiet typing but I have the power to go back in the space/time continuum and retype them. There may have been some man on man in the Argonauts however, a lot of time at sea, rockin’ of the boat, all that.
@frank I have just listened to your interview and I am drinking a beer to your lost steed. Sorry to hear about that.
@Gianni
Look at the company you keep now:
http://instagram.com/p/agwachP_yt/
@xyxax
Re: fitting service. I’d recommend a little family trip to the Nation’s capital during which dad can take a half day to visit Stu @ Parvilla Cycles. Stu is one of handful of Master Retul fitters in the country. He uses Retul’s wireless motion capture system and a Guru Dynamic Fit Unit with Spin Scan, meaning he can adjust the “bike” on the fly and you never have to stop pedaling. He even mounts two sets of Retul sensors and spins the DFU around to capture your other side. Impressive set-up and the guy knows his stuff. He fit me a few weeks back and it made a huge difference to my comfort on the bike. And of course, he can hook you up with a custom carbone Guru… People up and down the east coast travel to Annapolis to get fit. He’s quite the busy guy.
Re: bespoke bike. Any interest in Ti? If so, you should check out Eriksen. I friend of mine who is “Xyxax” sized just got a custom frame from them and couldn’t be happier. Beautiful craftsmanship and price wasn’t too outrageous. I could but the two of you in touch if were interested.
@CanuckChuck
Hi Chuck,
I am currently riding a Litespeed Siena (older model, Ti with carbon seat stays) so, it’s for n+1 that I am considering steel.
Thanks for the offer though!
@xyxax
What are your priorities? Material, budget, how long you can wait, riding style? You are of giantish proportions, right? As a big part of the benefit of a custom is outstanding custom geometry, if I am recalling correctly that your really tall I’d think hard about working with someone who has made a lot of bikes for the taller rider.
Also, if your new fit is significantly different than your old, you might want to give the adjustments time to take, and make them incrementally rather than all at once. Make sure the new fit is right before you sign off on the geo of the new bike. This might call for a follow up session or two with the fitter.
@CanuckChuck
thanks! I’ll shoot you a mail.
@Nate
great advice. i want a carbon bike that fits me (yes, I am “differently heighted”) and meets some idiosyncratic aesthetic requirements (traditional geometry, head tube shorter than your average top tube, external cable routing, BB height that permits cranks 180mm or more–Zinn would have me on crank arms > 200mm, etc) That I could ride with you up Mt. Tam or Diablo.
did I just say “all of the above”? But you’ve given me questions to ask both fitter and builder. My fitting is scheduled a week from today, and is pre- and post- deal– Mike Sherry, ex-Performance Labs. His partner is out in your area.
Results to follow.
@xyxax If it’s carbon you are wanting the custom list is probably pretty short. Not sure if they do level top tubes, but you should check out Crumpton and Carl Strong. If a builder you are interested in has a “Smoked Out” on Velocipede Salon (http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f22/i3.html — this includes Strong, Crumpton and Argonaut) — kiss many hours goodbye!
Additionally Carl Strong has some useful thoughts here on how to chose a builder: http://www.strongframes.com/more_stuff/choose/
Have, fun, the process is a blast!
@xyxax
Whew…I was afraid it was going to be photos of John Kerry and a bunch of dentists. Yeah, that is a good crowd to ride with. Don’t rule Ben Serotta out, he is in NY, upstate. Serious fitter too. Nice paint.
I have started contemplating a vintage steel build for n+2. I can’t spend a ridiculous fortune as I am already at s-1 as far as the VMH is concerned. I figure if I build it up slowly, I can probably get away with it.
One challenge I face is that it’s impossible to test ride frames, so I’m flying a little blind as I peruse the E-bay and other online outfits. So I figured I’d try a little crowd sourcing. I’d like a frame in the $500-$600 range, 70s-80s vintage. I realize that takes me out of Cinelli range, but I regularly see frames in that range that appear to be in good shape. Problem is that I don’t know anything about the relative merits of a Bottechia vs. a Guerciotti or which models of Bianchi are quality vs. crap.
Realizing that the “right bike” is a very subjective thing, but I would appreciate hearing thoughts on where to start.
@Spun Up If you’re going for a genuine 70’s/80’s vintage steel frame, I’d being thinking about what country of origin and what group set would be fitted. Like a Colnago with Suntour components is wrong. There’s also lost over time groups sets that were around that era. Galli, Zeus, Huret that would suit frame of origin.
Also know your steel frame makers markings mainly fork crown, BB, lugs. Like Colnago’s ‘club’ logo, Olmo star logo, Tommasini T, etc. There’s a lot of reproduction decals now available and some repainted, redecaled frames appear and to the untrained eye, make the purchase of a mock up.
More important is what kit would you be wearing while out on ride with steel steed.
@Spun Up Learn about the different types and grades of tubesets. If you find bikes that might be of interest, post them up here for comments. You should be able to find something in your price range. The geometries were simpler and more standard back then, so figure out what top tube length you need and go from there.
@sthilzy If I’m going, I’m going all in… would love an Italian frame with period-correct Campy. Think I’ll stick with my standard kit, but may rock exotic facial hair occasionally. I’m pretty fond of the Duane Allman (mutton chops connected to mustache). I’ll have to wait until January of ’15 before I can get away with that, but that will probably be about the time I get the project complete.
@Nate Other than Reynolds 531, what are the other tubesets from that era that I should seek out?
@Spun Up
I second what Nate just said. If you narrow down your search to frames made with the best tubes you just ruled out a lot of assembly line bikes that are nothing special and not well built. Also, the best tubesets were that because they were stronger and lighter. Steel is heavy enough so getting a lighter one is more fun.
I remember seeing Merckx frames arriving in the US in the early 1980s, oh momma. Very beautiful and nice decals.
@Spun Up
70s-80s is a significant span, especially with the innovations of the mid to late 80s. If you want to build a frame up period-correct, consider what you do or don’t want in terms of aesthetics and functionality — aero brake levers, indexed shifting, clipless pedals, braze- or clamp-on fittings, shift cables under or over the bottom bracket, internal cable routing…
Tubing is important, but anything 531 or SL and up is awesome.
Or just get a Merckx from the 80s. Go with mid-80s and you can build it old Record or C-Record.
@Gianni
You can’t go wrong with Merckx. How big are you? If you are normal I bet you can find a Merckx Corsa that will work for you. A Merckx MX Leader is revered for the larger rider but they have a cultish following and you won’t find one at your price point.
More broadly I might focus more on 90s than 70s-80s. It will have 130 mm rear spacing so you can build it up with a used but modern 9 or 10 speed group that you can get for a great price. I bet with Shimano 11 coming out you can find a great deal on a used but bomber Ultegra 6600-6700 or DA 7800 group. Much easier to find the parts for, and indestructible. Also, period correct is cool but can quickly get expensive. Personally, I like the old steel frame-modern component aesthetic. Check out the archives here to find the articles about @brett’s Bosomworth.
In terms of tubesets from that era, Columbus SL, SLX, Spirit, Life. 753, 853. There are surely more.
Also, have a look at the Paceline forum classifieds (http://forums.thepaceline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=6). It’s a bunch of dudes obsessed with metal bikes who know their shit and their history. If you have questions about tubesets or particular models they have probably already been answered over there too.
Whatever you do, keep us posted.
@Gianni
I believe Hylas was Hercules’ SO. Hylas went missing so Hercules left the Argonauts in search of him.
@itburns
Where else can you get infinitely deep knowledge of cycling, informed references to Greek mythology, and first-rate swearing?
This is my current N1, a Rossin Record Columbus SLx
P.S. Please forgive some of the significant rule breaches – its a rebuild on a budget and the photo was short in the wee small hours on the way home from work
@PeakInTwoYears
Yarp. Ya mean Hercules like this…
@Nate Great post, thanks for that.
@Garrr Like it a lot — is that a frame made for downtube shifters that you’ve put ergoshifters on? I may want to do something similar at some point; it looks like you found something to screw into those holes in the downtube?
@Garrr not seeing too much wrong with that for a starter steed.