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”

  3. The marketing team at lunch:

    “Now what can we do to make this saddle look different from all the others out there?”

  4. @G’rilla Yeah, but someone ticked the “Approved for Production” box!

    Let’s see if a Pro team uses it on their Paris-Roubaix bike!

  5. My budget 1×9 workhorse. Everything is second hand except the frame I bought new on sale, and the rubber of course. If this is wrong I don’t wanna be right, well I still need hack of those fender eyelets. New saddle may happen soon-ish, unlikely though. Anyway there you have 

  6. @unversio

    Should point out that the savvy Yves Coppens originally ordered this custom black MX Leader from Merckx. This is the only instance of me truly loving this Athletic Script typeface.

  8. @unversio I know, I still want to though. Thankfully I don’t have the time to do-it, any extra time I have is de voted to riding and drinking beer, and looking at bikes online when I should be working.

  9. @anthony

    What Universio said.

    More importantly… Rule #26 doesn’t specifically say “Don’t photograph your bike leaning against a shitty open garbage bin so it looks like it’s either just been retrieved or is just about to go in.”

    It didn’t need to until now.

  10. @ChrisO  I think I’m the one that has been retrieved. But I kinda like garbage bin’s, thats the the best one in L.A. county.

  11. The next candidate to fill the role of #1 is ready go, let’s just hope I get up for the alarm in the morning!

  17. @Mikael Liddy

    The next candidate to fill the role of #1 is ready go, let’s just hope I get up for the alarm in the morning!

    I trust you were rule compliant for going out for more than 2 hrs?

  18. @G’rilla

    @Mikael Liddy Dude…you live a short drive from Baum! Skip the Cervelo and save your pennies.

    that short drive is still some 800k’s, plus the penny saving would need to be doubled as I’d also need an appointment with a divorce lawyer!

  19. @Mikael Liddy   –   cant lend me some cash can you ?     Found my next rig.

  20. @anthony

    @Mikael Liddy Lovely, In my not so humble opinion Cervelo makes the best looking cabon bikes.

    Not to dis anyone’s Cervelo – I know they are very good bikes – but I’ve never looked at one and thought “Damn, that’s hot – I’d love one of those”.

    I’m indifferent to them, aesthetically speaking. I don’t dislike them either.

    My regular riding partner has two Cervelos and speaks of wanting more, leading me to have to feign enthusiasm or at least conceal my lack of it.

  21. @ChrisO , I should have said in the peloton. Your right they are far from hot, I kinda like that though, too much wacky happening on most carbon bikes I see.

  23. @ChrisO

    @anthony

    @Mikael Liddy Lovely, In my not so humble opinion Cervelo makes the best looking cabon bikes.

    Not to dis anyone’s Cervelo – I know they are very good bikes – but I’ve never looked at one and thought “Damn, that’s hot – I’d love one of those”.

    I’m indifferent to them, aesthetically speaking. I don’t dislike them either.

    My regular riding partner has two Cervelos and speaks of wanting more, leading me to have to feign enthusiasm or at least conceal my lack of it.

    My evil twin is almost hoping you get handed an S3 team bike at the start of next season. That’s an almost interesting thought….do you think your performances would suffer if you were on a team bike that didn’t do it for you aesthetically?

  24. @Mike_P

    @ChrisO

    My evil twin is almost hoping you get handed an S3 team bike at the start of next season. That’s an almost interesting thought….do you think your performances would suffer if you were on a team bike that didn’t do it for you aesthetically?

    I do like to love my bikes.

    But I don’t think I’m such an artist that I would notice the difference.

    Still I’m willing to give it a try, as long as I can keep the TCR.

  25. @ChrisO

    @Mike_P

    @ChrisO

    My evil twin is almost hoping you get handed an S3 team bike at the start of next season. That’s an almost interesting thought….do you think your performances would suffer if you were on a team bike that didn’t do it for you aesthetically?

    I do like to love my bikes.

    But I don’t think I’m such an artist that I would notice the difference.

    Still I’m willing to give it a try, as long as I can keep the TCR.

    I can understand that.  That damned bike looks fast standing still. Even if it is propped up over your bed!

  27. Decent 2hr shakedown on the R3 this morning (there were some teething baby related sleep issues on Sunday night), daddy like! Assuming the insurers come to party, I think this could do the business.

    @anthony @ChrisO it’s funny, I really like the swoopy lines & chunky tubes of the Fondriest, but have also found myself quite taken with the straight lines of the R3.

  29. @ChrisO

    @anthony

    @Mikael Liddy Lovely, In my not so humble opinion Cervelo makes the best looking cabon bikes.

    Not to dis anyone’s Cervelo – I know they are very good bikes – but I’ve never looked at one and thought “Damn, that’s hot – I’d love one of those”.

    I’m indifferent to them, aesthetically speaking. I don’t dislike them either.

    My regular riding partner has two Cervelos and speaks of wanting more, leading me to have to feign enthusiasm or at least conceal my lack of it.

    Even the aluminium P3SL? That one just about hits 11 on the cool scale.

    The popularity of Cervelos turns me off, but the R line is sheer design porn – Simple, clean lines that look deceivingly old-school. Can’t stand the S5 and P5, though.

  30. One of the cool things about making your own frame is you can finally do all those little things you always thought about.

    The filler is a piece of 22g stainless, silver brazed into the stays. The plan in to polish the filler, then tape off the logo, leaving a shiny windmill. Should also make for some stiff stays.

  32. @tessar interestingly, they’re quite rare here due to the fact that there’s only one, reasonably small shop that sells them in Adelaide.

  35. @Mikael Liddy

    @tessar interestingly, they’re quite rare here due to the fact that there’s only one, reasonably small shop that sells them in Adelaide.

    One of our biggest local teams rides Cervelos, and their importer is one of the biggest shops around – that means excellent end-of-season pricing. Coupled with their wind-proven designs, they’re also very attractive for the many triathletes around. I’d love an R3 if they weren’t absolutely everywhere.

  38. 3 days & 5 rides is all it’s taken. The R3 is definitely becoming the new #1, detailed photos will be provided once a couple of tweaks have been made.

  39. So, I have DA C24’s and up until now have used the shortes stemmed tube the LBS sells which happens to be 45mm. Now that Frank has highlighted the fact, yes the stems are way too long.

    So, where does one buy these 30mm stemmed tubes????

  40. Took one for the team and loaned my DA C24’s to a friend doing the 3 peaks in Victoria. Replacements aren’t too shabby, quicker in straight line and rolling hills, I’m keen now to try the big brother of my C24’s… C50’s

  43. @Mikael Liddy

    @Barracuda yeah I’m sure 50mm wheels woulda been great fun on the cogal…

    That would be horrendous mate….   would be a good to see if getting to bottom of hills on 50’s fresher would make the going up better also.   Still love my DA C24’s though

  45. @Mikael Liddy

    @Barracuda yup, one of the new bike’s features that won’t be changing anytime soon is those lovely wheels.

    Mine are about to experience a whole new world of pain over at the three peaks next Sunday… They will be glad to come back to me for a rest I think !

  46. @Barracuda

    Took one for the team and loaned my DA C24″²s to a friend doing the 3 peaks in Victoria. Replacements aren’t too shabby, quicker in straight line and rolling hills, I’m keen now to try the big brother of my C24″²s… C50″²s

    Actually I’m off to punnish myself over the three peaks for a sub 10 finish next weekend. I’m leaving the C24’s at home though and going with the Roval CL60’s. About the same weight (so climb the same) but much more aero. They tell me 3P success is found on the wind swept plains inbetween. I’m gambling on a little less rolling resistance across the flats to get me up the climbs.

    The C24’s are nothing short of awesome wheels and are my training set. Cup and cone bearings, roll well, hard wearing, lights as a feather etc etc. For races I reach for the HED Stinger 6FR’s. I do flirt with the idea of an upgrade to the C35s but really, I scoff at those on bunch rides with their deep dish rims so I’m happier to dish out the pain whilst on my 24s. It was even better when I had a  CAAD8. Deep dish rims are bit wanky outside of a race/fondo/sportive I reckon. It’s akin to turning up with a speed suit and shoe covers.

  47. @Puffy I’ll be at the 3 Peaks too – just swapped out my Campy C50 Bullets for a set of Neutron Ultras, the descents here in Perth on a windy day have been a tad too hair raising on those aero rims. Nice effort on the sub-10 goal – you’ll know me, I’ll be coming in with the Lanterne Rouge swearing.

  49. New Bike. =) My first carbon bike.

    [dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/xyverz/2014.03.02.20.47.24/1//”/]

  50. … and I also broke Rule #26 with my photos, but … I was excited and need a photo. I’ll get something better taken when next get up into the hills.

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