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 ...
So, I come to you, my most fanatical of Merckxian devotees with the question that has burned in my brain all winter.
Do I but Silver or Black accouterments on my Merckx MXL Molteni Replica?
I plan to go with a Thomson Masterpiece Post and a Thomson ELITE X2 : 31.8 Road Stem.
The bars. Well I have a set of Control Tech Formidable Anatomic Bars that are currently not residing on a bike. I am not sure they are right for a Merckx. They are comfortable to me though.(big hands) Maybe a set of Rotundo Pros? I could always put the Formidables on another bike.
Silver Chris King Headset and a full DA 9 Speed group with Open Pros round out the build.
Black tape, black saddle, black tires.
Arrgghh. This shouldn’t be that hard.
So what do you think my fellow Flahutes to be? Silver or Black?
@grumbledook
Now that is some serious Pdx hand built cross bling! Frame, wheels, and assorted ck bits I’m sure. Wow.
@tomb
Shiny bits all the way.
@Nate
I think you are right. Just wonder if shiny with black bars is right?
Need a place to vent…
Remember that time you installed new chainring bolts, but you installed the inner chainring on backwards, and then used loctite superglue instead of threadlocker because it said loctite on it and was in a blue container, and now you cant remove the bolts and stripped one or two of the backs of them?
Incredibly pissed off right now. Should I dremell tool these things off? Or am I in new crankset land…
@tomb
Preferably you’d do shiny bars, but recent research I conducted suggests new classic bend silver bars (which you should of course run if possible on that rig) in 31.8mm are hard to find. Depending on your steer tube setup, Ritchey has a shiny stem for contemporary setups, but their only shiny bar is a compact bend.
@King Clydesdale
At the shop I worked at many moons ago, we would put them on a drill press and drill them out. The problem with a dremel is controlling the bit to prevent gouging the crank.
Whatever you do, be sure to work from the back of the crank. I have seen many a newbie make that mistake and rip a BIG old nasty right on the front of a pretty new crank. (NOT IMPLYING YOU ARE A NEWBIE!) Repeat the rule before rather than curse it after as my dad says.
@Nate
Yeah. I am going to make a deep dig through the ‘Parts Bin O’Doom’ and see if can hunt up a silver 26.0 clamp stem. (Got a black Thomson.) If not, black bars it is.
Or I could pull my old Cinelli 64-44’s and fab up a shim!
@tomb
I just went through this same dilemma as I decided to change out the 15-year old Ultegra on my Caloi by Merckx MX Leader. I wanted Campy and to go with a classic look, so I went with Athena. For the cockpit, I went with a Ritchey Classic bar and stem since I was starting to doubt the integrity of the old 3T that was on there. I know it is an ergo bend, but I don’t mind that too much. I did have to go with a quill adapter, as the fork is 1″ threaded.
I think you absolutely have to go with a shiny gruppo, since the bike probably has the same chromed chainstay and dropouts mine does. Carbon or black just looks out of place to me. (For that matter so does the soft grey of Shimano, ATMO.)
I started the project in December and just finished the build tonight. I had planned to take pics this weekend and post it on here. But after your question I couldn’t wait to talk about it.
Go with the shiny bits, as @Nate says. Maybe pics of mine later this weekend will inspire you.
@Skip
My MXL is one of the replica 2004 frames. So it has painted stays and such. Plus a 1″ threadless steer tube. (Blessing and a curse. No good looking 1″ threadless stems. But I can easily use a shim.)
Yeah, shiny bits are the way to go. I will just stay on the look out for a silver bar in a classic bend. Maybe we could ‘encourage’ 3T to do a Classic Silver Rotundo Pro?
I have too many 9 speed DA Spares to use anything else at the moment. I will likely break down and put a classic 8 speed Campy group on my Scapin someday. But I will use Shimano hubs and cassettes. (Blasphemous I know, but I have a few sets of spacers and it makes my life easier to have fewer sets of wheels for 3 bikes.)
@tomb
You can imply that I’m a newbie, because I certainly am when it comes to repairs.
@tomb
Shiny as much as possible and white tape. Merckx rode white. Ideally if it’s a replica you’d try as much Campag and cinelli as possible, but I guess that stuff’s hard to find. Use discretion and taste and I think you’ll be fine.
@King Clydesdale
Holy cannoli. This makes me grind my teeth just reading it & it’s not even my problem. Best of luck, best of luck. Just putting rings on the right crank arm can be a pain in the arse. You need a third hand to keep everything lined up so you can put the bolts in. And what about swapping or mounting saddles on posts? That can require two sets of hands sometimes. Upper clamp, lower clamp, two bolts AND I just put an FSA post on that also had threaded little cylindrical things that went onto the bolts that also moved around. Argh.
That Cielo is really darn nice. However, I’d never cross race that unless it was given to me or I had lots of money to burn. I’d be too nervous to crash it or heck get it muddy. Very nice though! That’s kind of how I feel about some project/full-on/insanely nice bikes. They look great. I guess I’d like to own one. But I don’t know if I’d ever ride them out of fear of beating them up.
@tomb
I wonder how many units we’d need to order to get 3T interested? They certainly get enough Reverence around here.
Havent seen this before:
And here is some Friday bike action. Another LOOK in the V-eloton. Been up here before, but some updates so I thought I’d share.
Finally cut the fork after a lot of moving the bars up & down. Just put on a new stem, since I wanted to ride in style like Gianni! And relatively new tape.
Details:
2009 LOOK frameset, Centaur gruppo, very modest Neuvation wheels that have held up well for the price, Deda stem, Ritchey post (Deda at some point when I can justify ditching a seat pillar because of the name on it) Fizik Microtex glossy tape, Deda Newton shallow bars, 1991 Flite saddle.
Enjoy the races this weekend & I hope everyone gets some good times KMs in their legs!
@Oli
I know that’s true!
@Ron
Nice Communing with Butterflies visual reference there.
And now the circle is complete!.. 2012 January build by Tim Wellborn — custom “Black” Eddy Merckx MX Leader 25th Anniversary (2005) originally purchased by Yves Coppens (France). Campagnolo Centaur 2012 Black/red drive-train. Not much more to add other than 2012 Black Open Pro rims on Black Record hubs with Black Wheelsmith spokes. Completely gone to the Dark side!
@UNPULL
Holy Moly, I am speechless. Just beautiful.
@Ron
Bike looks sweet, all the white looks nice!
@all Finally got the chainring bolts out. I tried soaking the bastards in acetone, got all but one. But damn was this last one a bitch. I ended up stripping the back of the bolt.
No drill press so i attacked it with the dremel at the expense of the inner chainring. Finally got it off, but need to replace the ring. I’m just going to replace both.
For what its worth the C-dale is going to be bike #2 very soon. I’m in the process of finding my new #1. $2000-3000 dollar range gives plenty of options.
One of them is a leftover Specialized Roubaix Expert. A demo model but since I ride 50 cm the bike has barely been ridden. They have it priced at 2000, original retail is 3700. I just have to decide if I like the ride style. Since the Caad 9 is so aggressive its a big swing. Of course I could use the caad for the fast group rides and any racing I do and ride the Roubaix the rest of the time.
Otherwise I’m thinking Cervelo RS with rival, a Specialized Tarmac, or a Cannondale SuperSix 105.
Test rides soon to come…
@King Clydesdale
I sure like my SuperSix. a major plus is that it would have the same geo as the CAAD.
@UNPULL
Fuck me runnin’ that’s a hot bike.
@Ron
Yes.
@UNPULL
And Yesser.
Hey, no fair UNPULL…that Merckx is too nice, overshadows my bike. I guess we can be friends though, since we both have black Centaur gruppos.
Thanks, Brett!
And actually, in terms of sexiness, drool factor, awesomeness, and causes-me-to-stare a level top tubed steel bike trumps wacky tubed carbon compact frameset bikes any day o’ the week.
I like to ride mine, but it’s far more a tool for churning away the KMs than a Bike of Awesomeness, which that Merckx and many of the other nice steel bikes around here are.
So I bought a new #1 (not near as nice as any of those posted)and not only were the hoods WAY out of Rule #46 compliance and bar tape that was a crime against nature. So I buried my irrational fear and re-wrapped my bars myself. Wasn’t nearly as difficult as I was worried it would be. Baby-stepping to self-sufficient wrenching.
@UNPULL
Sweet ride!
@Skip
I’ve got a fetish for shiny components on steel frames too. Also running Athena on bike number 1 and I particularly like the alloy crank. The frame is a special edition Condor painted to celebrate the 2011 Giro. Planning a ride over the Gavia and Mortirolo passes in June to do it justice.
Have been running pink Fizik tape, but back to white today in preparation for the Shropshire Cogal in a few weeks!
@acciaio
Very nice, always loved Condors.
@UNPULL
Damn UNPULL. Like Buck Rogers, I am without speech.
@acciaio
I’ve got a fetish for shiny components on steel frames too. Also running Athena on bike number 1 and I particularly like the alloy crank. The frame is a special edition Condor painted to celebrate the 2011 Giro. Planning a ride over the Gavia and Mortirolo passes in June to do it justice.
Have been running pink fi’zi:k tape, but back to white today in preparation for the Shropshire Cogal in a few weeks!
That is one sweet ride!!! *drools*
@King Clydesdale
Supersix, ESP w the less expensive groups, hard to beat ( for feel and price) until you go way up in price- the assymetric designed frame and its feel is just the business for climbing! Woulda bought one but got a screaming deal on a wilier at the time. Everytime I see one used on local list I try to rationalize, but already beyond s-1…
@acciaio
beautiful! Love the shiny bits.
Just cleaned and polished my #2, so here it is for your consideration. Out of interest, anyone know anything about this bikes. I’ve had it nearly 6 years but it has ’05 on the seat stay.
@MJ Moquin
Good on ya! I think once you start doing your own bike work and sort of “break the seal” you get more excited, less nervous, and more motivated to do it. Wasn’t long ago I too was nervous about the smallest jobs, while now I do most of my own stuff. Keep that momentum going! We might overcritique the small stuff here, but you’ll also get plenty of help/advice if you just ask. And, nobody will fault you for giving it a go!
@JC Belgium
When I first read your post I also thought that the expanding foam was a good idea. I use it all the time as a self-employed carpenter/joiner.
If there is an outer cable that takes an inner sleeve and then the cable then you could always replace the inner sleeve and leave the outer in for all eternity (unless it goes from the shifter to the mech or brake).
I’m not sure how your cable routes through your frame but if you normally feed the whole cable through the frame then you could try the following.
1 Feed something through the frame to pull a cable through.
2 Get an old outer cable to be sacrificed and spray it with some sort of teflon lube.
3 Spray some expanding foam into the frame from both ends (Clean off any foam that gets on your frame with acetone or white spirit).
4 Pull the lubricated sacrificial outer cable through and into position.
5 Leave the foam to dry (a few hours)
6 Pull out the sacrificial outer cable, you’ll need to leave some excess cable to get a hold of and it might require some twisting and pulling but you could do a run through first by just spraying some foam on to the lubed sacrificial cable to see how easily it releases (this should leave a cable route but I’d still want to have something to pull the new cable through with).
7 Fit new cable.
I’m out of town right now but when I get back tomorrow I’ll test this for you and let you know how I get on.
It occurs to me that some folks might wonder if the expanding foam might eat the carbon but I reckon once cured it’d be inert. I’ll see if I can find anything on that too.
@UNPULL
That is a very impressive Merckx! Wow…
@acciaio
Nice one! Polished seatpost + stem and some nice cotton tyres would make
me even more jealous.
Here are some pics of my IF CX with its new wheelset.
@marko
Thanx! I am quickly becoming a part of this killing bike. I only regret — THAT I FUCKED UP mounting the front tire markings and left the chain on the 39!
@UNPULL
That bike is so awesome I didn’t even notice.
3T setup — the most satisfying part — I like it. 3T, Tecnologia del Tubo Torinese or Turin Tube Technology!
@UNPULL
Damn. Damn damn. You can see how low the BB is from even the picture. Wow, that is just unbelieveably rad. Really liking the detail on the red hardware and cables. Nice work.
@Marko
Although in truth, I wanted to remount the front tire markings before the next ride today and I did. I was truly weak before (admittedly) and gave little effort to these details, until I began to search deeper into this site — the depth — the Velominati tribe — their cycling whuaays. For me it all began after picking up “Obey The Rules” (hardcopy) from the Cycle Center shop counter (Cola, SC). And then I questioned myself — had I been upholding the “Rules” (?) And without any regard to any prior teaching, I realised that yes I had — I had nonetheless. And so the F#!!* tire is now centered !!
@UNPULL
A hard copy?
@snoov
My thoughts on using acetone to clean the overfill of the foam inside the tubes;
a. Carcon and acetone?
b. Acetone and paint?
I know I guy who does carbon work for aircraft. Would it be worthwhile to experiment with carbon resins, expanding foam and acetone and post results?
@RedRanger
What he said. Hard Copy?
@marko
Suppose it was deemed necessary to printout the “Rules” for reading material in the shop. I picked it up to read. Rather a 8.5 by 11 “office” copy.
@RedRanger
An (un)circulated-not-for-sale-we-love-this “singular” printout to keep locals focused on what cycling truly is about — and how to go about it. They reference the Rules often and whenever they can.
@King Clydesdale
As you asked, are you in “new crankset land yet?” Ask yourself what crankset do you have, and are you ready for an upgrade? If it the stock FSA or Truvativ that came on you bike you may be ready for a decent up grade into an Ultegra, or similar grupo. I have seen some 105’s on flea bay for really good prices too.