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 ...
@kixsand
The Mule Protection Society might be after them for Bura. Could be a it close to Burro? I’m budgeting to replace my off road rig and after the Cafe Roubaix apology was thinking maybe another big S rig would be OK. Not now.
@Bespoke
30 seconds of indepth interweb investigation puts Neil Pryde’s turnover at $100m compared to Specialized’s $500m so I wouldn’t exactly say they’re small. Not that turnover means much if it isn’t converted into profit.
More likely that they’re just not interested in finding out whether their lawyers have bigger knobs than Specialized’s. “Sod you, we’re not playing your petty game”
I remember visiting their sail loft in Hong Kong as a kid in the 70s when we needed new sails/sail repairs for our yacht. They were pretty cool then and well respected by the sailing community in HK.
It’s interesting to note that both companies are still run by their founders.
@Chris True, Neil Pryde is not small as a company but I bet their bike division is a tiny part of the whole. Presumably a separate P&L and they would have been looking at it from that point of view.
But while I know that emotionally the Cafe Roubaix thing hit the Corporate Bully nerve for many people it wasn’t what made the rights and wrongs in that case IMHO.
The real issue was the principle of any company appropriating a name or a term which belongs to a wider community and seeking to exercise proprietary rights over it.
Just as Roubaix was not associated with cycling by Specialized, nor was the term Allez.
It belongs to me and you and everyone in cycling (cue the James Stewart speech from A Wonderful Life here). That’s what I meant by them not changing their spots.
Do I object to Specialized using Allez, Roubaix or any other common cycling word or phrase – No. Although I would contrast it to someone like the much-maligned Rapha and say that at least Rapha have ‘created’ their mythology instead of expropriating it.
But should Specialized object if they think someone else has the same idea of associating those terms with their own cycling products. Equally, No.
@Chris
I sort of imagined people like this would have each other’s phone numbers, and the one would be on the blower to the other with a pretty clear message: Take your hand off it, Daryl. [wish I could find a clip of that, or be bothered uploading one myself].
I met a couple of guys from Special-assed at the Berlin bike show (Berliner Fahrradschau) a couple of weeks ago, including Recip from the AWOL videos, and they seemed like genuine giys, but this legal stuff is getting silly and has nothing to do with fighting counterfeiters or protecting their brand. Fuck them and I won’t buy their stuff.
@ChrisO True, the bike business is a relatively small part of the organisation and it will be expected to stand on it’s own two feet, but it does place them in a different category to small business etc like Cafe Roubaix and suggests that they probably have the means to fight if the company as a whole chooses to unlike @Dan who’d already put everything into setting his shop up.
As for the rest of it, I’d agree with you entirely.
@Chris
Fair. Subsequent 30 seconds spent did reveal that they are not so small; bike component of P&L notwithstanding.
@chrismurphy92 So it’s definitely a Giant, then? Seriously, though, slick looking ride, and fast looking wheels. You sure that stem’s on the right way up?
@chrismurphy92 if needed move the stem up and then flip it cause slammed and +degrees is
I was always curious as to why that was. Why go up to go back down?
@Weldertron
‘coz a riser stem just does not look right?
@chrismurphy92 if needed move the stem up and then flip it cause slammed and +degrees is < not slammed and -degrees.
@chrismurphy92 [ comment w/ RedRanger ] Find +/- 17 degree stem to make the stem appear somewhat level, then go up and down to find your position. Then have the steerer cut.
@chrismurphy92 Nevermind — 17 angle keeps you topped out on the steerer.
@chrismurphy92 Unless you’re comfortable migrating South.
@chrismurphy92 Very nice – what version of TCR is it ?
Although I’m given Giant bikes to ride my admiration for them has nothing to do with obligation. I would happily live with my TCR forever.
I agree with the comments above that the cockpit could do with a little work. Have you looked at the Giant oversize stems – they’re also very good.
@chrismurphy92
Looks very forward. Long stem, and seat pushed forward all the way.
Here she is again, up-gunned from a 9 speed D-A and Ultegra levers to D-A levers and 10 speed 11-23 cassette and some Fizik bar tape. Went with white, didn’t like it at first but then I did this, to make it pop a little.
It’s a 2010 TCR Advanced. I actually got a new stem 110mm yesterday 1cm shorter and flipped -6 degrees and still slammed (except for 1 5mm spacer). So another ride to make sure and then the steerer tube gets cut. The new stem is a 3T black with white graphics so it looks really good on there.
@Welderton – it does look a bit forward. However, I think the seat tube angle is only 72 degrees.
Ultegra cranks and mechs on the way. Will post new pics once it’s all finished.
I, uhm… I don’t know what to say about this. I would have expected the USMC to be a bit more, you know, compliant.
http://io9.com/great-moments-in-bicycle-powered-warfare-1559730694
@Tugman I think it looks great. I like the white tape. I was thinking about it on my Giant in the pictures above. Your photos may push me to it. The black bike with the white logos and white tape really pops.
@Tugman tricolour finishing tape is definitely a nice touch.
@Weldertron
Nice bike but why can’t people put steel forks on steel frames?
@Weldertron That saddle! What brand and where from?
@Rom
Modern meets old school. Its all butted steel tubing, tigged together. The day I build a lugged frame I’ll consider a steel fork, but for the first frame I ever built, the carbon ec90 sitting on the shelf was more than adequate.
Its a road going fixed gear, so when I’m pushing the 48/14 up a hill, every ounce counts.
@VeloJello
Its a highlighter series arione vs.
@Tugman
Nice. I thought I had the only one. Never seen another one than mine.
My #2. All D-A 7700, except the wheels. They are a later add on.
Had it since the previous Millenium and it recently got replaced as #1 with a never LOOK.
Frame science have moved on, the old one feels like a butter frame compared to new.
Since this is my first post I’ve probably broken many Rules, but then what are Rules for if nobody breaks them?
@Tugman
I saw one of those in Seattle last weekend during the Cogal. Almost forced the whole group to stop and admire it.
Rule #25 compliance – all good for me
Are Specialized trying a different tactic in it’s attempt to control the Roubaix name? Will their collaboration with FMB result in a buy out?
@Barracuda That’s looking like a close call on the value question. Sure you don’t need to pop your N2 up there also?
There was an interesting radio piece on the BBC in the UK this morning (the Radio 4 Today programme at 07:45 if anyone wants to download the online version), discussing the good health of the British bespoke frame industry…rising from the ashes of the mass production industry we lost some years ago. Rule #12 was quoted. World domination will be ours!
@Barracuda
Does failing to comply with one rule cancel out any benefits of complying with another? (Unless of course that is a spare tubular)
@Chris I suspect it’s just Pass / Fail – no trading or majority vote allowed.
@Chris Good lord, have you got your magnifying glass out??
@Mike_P Best not mention the skewers then.
@Chris not to mention his efforts in saving the bike from dealing with those vicious South Australian cobbles by keeping atop the car…for shame @Barracuda, for shame!
@Mikael Liddy Cobbles? You Aussies are soft shites.
@Chris shit, are you telling me the sarcasm font didn’t come through again? Fucking IPAs…
@Mikael Liddy
It’s an septic site so I suspect there’s a whacking great sarcasm filter coded in to protect the locals. It appears to be operating in both directions.
Here’s my #1, just brought out of hibernation ready for spring
As promised finally some pics of my steed;first off there may be a couple of minor errors namely the chain is not on the small cog in all pics and the stem still needs it’s final cut.Otherwise I think all else is ok so hope you like it(and if you don’t you can bugger off!).
@fenlander
Well, I like it! Looks great. For a second there I thought you nhad two bikes then I realized two pix were B&W . . . Duh. I have 105 on two of my bikes and it’s good, solid stuff.
@chrismurphy92
Thanks! I had all black fizik tape with white under black logo finishing tape and I was pretty happy with it, but my LBS didn’t have anymore black so I went with white. It was a little too much white for my taste but I think matching the LOOK logo colors in the finishing tape really set it off. Now for some Cufflinks, the big question is, white cufflinks or black?
@Mikael Liddy
Thanks Mikael, I was a little unsure about how it would turn out at first, but I’m pretty happy with it so far.
@frank
A lesser group of riders would have been stopped dead in their tracks. A true example of the V-locus obtained by all members of the Cogal.
@WindDrifter
Wow! My VMH and I thought that was my machine when we saw your picture! Good to see they are still out there, but not too much info on the interwebs or much help from LOOK Cycles when I asked about it’s pedigree . It seems that our Kg181’s are the few that are floating around out there.( I believe Marko’s Pedalwan is the other known 181, and Frank had a sighting the other day.) To date, I’ve only seen two on the ‘net- one in Japan and the other for sale by a fellow living near the French/Spanish border. Beautiful machine- You’ve got me in the wheel/hub department, my frame is on Ultegra hubs and Open Pros. Chapeau!
@Tugman
@tugman LOOK KG 181 was made in 1998. The LLOK seatpost comes with the frame, so don’t loose it! Post is 25 mm so it’s difficult to find replacement. I got a USE post which is very light, 121 gr, but I think I’ll put back the original again, makes it look(pun intended) right.
some other info: original post weighs 209 gr(mine is slightly cut off, original maybe 2015 gr. ). My 56″ fram weigh 14965 gr. With todays standards not very light, but a very nice ride anyway. Built mine new in 98 and it’s been my #1 since then. Just got replaced a year ago with a new LOOK 595Ultra. The new fram is much more stiff, particulary in the bottom bracket area, not unpleasant but different. I will never sell the old LOOK though.
(btw. your DA crank looks like a older model and not a 7700)
Great find for $300!!(I invested much more in mine…)
@WindDrifter
bah, slippery fingers an no edit function… bad combination.
That should read 215 gr and 1495 gr for post and frame
@Mike_P
Nope, I can guarantee you my car is worth less than the bike. And its not an expensive bike.
@Chris three Monkeys and all, hear no evil etc. Bloody big monitor your looking at or im blind, or both.
@Mikael Liddy
Font came though fine my end ! Filter must be turned off.