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 ...
@mouse
See there you go analysing it logically…if I could do that I’d probably be riding the Ultegra shod Fondriest already!!!
@Mikael Liddy
and then I saw this
Always loved a Pinarello! The LBS should be a reputable one to promote a classic name such as Pinarello.
Just have to watch out for the Chinarello’s getting out these days. Here’s one Mr Viggins uses?
They’re all Chinarellos, man. It’s Pinarello’s dirty little secret. I’m considering getting one myself.
As @mouse said, they’re both Asians of Italian origin, but having turned up more good user based stuff on the Fondriest, convenience/loyalty to the shop & a sweet deal on these puppies
I’ll be going with the TF3 running the Ultegra (getting the 2012 frame built up with Athena was going to blow my budget apart).
4 days & I’m bombing around on a tasty new carbone steed, as well as being slightly more in debt than the VMH really wants to be.
No wanting to be a tedious pratt but I’d expect Pinarellos to be made in Taiwan, not China. Very different ball game, although the Taiwanese manufacturers are setting up factories in China.
@minion
You would be correct in your prattishness, both the Fondriest & Pinarello are of Taiwanese origin.
@minion
Hey, I wouldn’t be on this site if I weren’t a tedious prat!
What I was trying to articulate previously but hopelessly inadequately is that both frames are subject to “copying” by the mainland Chinese manufacturers.
@Mikael would be likely be quite right in saying that the legit ones are made in Taiwan.
I’m sure RBR would have many threads dedicated to that very subject.
Har har, yusss! I can be as big a fuckwit as I like so long as I’m right, is the moral of this story.
@Calmante
A ‘Top-of-the-range’ Chinarello?
It’s a shame to see heritage brands being produced at a price. But they’re the times we’re living in.
Still love to get my hands on a 80’s Montello or Treviso.
@Mikael Liddy
Whatever you choose congrats on the new bike! I’m in a similar situation as you are, used bike from similar shaped previous owner, out grown old bike, say hello carbon fiber!
I pick mine up Saturday. Still haven’t decided “what” I’ll be picking up again. Is it customary to test ride twice if you’re unsure? I liked the Defy a lot, it’s just a big investment to make, you know?
@King Clydesdale
absolutely…I’m still tossing up between the two. Can probably go and get the Pinarello properly measured up tomorrow & possibly be ready by the weekend but the shop with the Fondriest is my local with one both near work & home plus they’re doing me an awesome deal, but I probably won’t have it for a couple of weeks.
Big picture thinking definitely says the TF3, but I want my new bike NOW!
@sthilzy
I actually have a 1986 Treviso in royal blue with Columbus SL. There is something magic about that frame.
@Mikael Liddy
I like it – but I can’t help but think that you’d need to be dressed like this guy to ride it:
@Mikael Liddy
FWIW, I like the lines of the Fondriest a bit mo better.
Looks faster.
Actually, I believe Campa stuff is made in Italy, with the lower end gruppos being made in Romania or something in Campa’s factory.
@DerHoggz
Used to be exclusively in Vicenza, but now much is simply “designed in Italy” — “made somewhere else”
I’m researching parts for my cross bike. It seems that low normal MTB rear derailleurs are way more popular in the UK than in the USA (when the cable is slack, the derailleur is in the cog with the most teeth).
I wonder why it’s more popular in the UK? I still want to try one (recommended by CX Magazine).
Good luck getting a low-normal derailleur to work with your STI lever!
@G’rilla
So that you can still pedal home if your cable gets buggered?
@Oli
That’s the surprising thing…it’s rumored to work just fine.
Except that the levers are backward. The whole lever shifts to a smaller cog and the little lever shifts to a bigger cog. It’s supposed to be faster for shifting and better when the cogs are covered in mud.
I have another cross race this weekend and it’s too soon to get the part, so I’ll reassemble with a regular derailleur and try out the low normal one in a month.
Trigger pulled, TF3 ordered. Will hopefully arrive next Tuesday to allow a full fit out session Wednesday morning before work & virgin ride Thursday.
To say I’m a little excited would be a fucking understatement…shall be walking around with Carbone for a week!
@Mikael Liddy
Excellent!
Be looking for lots of PR’s on Strava!
@Mikael Liddy
Sheesh I dunno mate – I would have gone for the Pinarello.
@Marcus
New record in bad manners towards someone’s #1. Pre-delivery? Have you no shame? Does your “best man” toast start with “back before I dumped the bride and was banging her…”?
@itburns
Just playing on ML’s pre-purchase equivocation between bikes.
It’s funny you mention best man speeches. I certainly wouldn’t fuck up the tenses like you did. I find your jumbled syntax far more upsetting than the content.
Now I would have said, “back when I was banging the bride before I dumped her…”
See?
A syntax rebuttal about the spoken word? From the Land of Oz? I’m honored. Good on ya mate. No need to send a Toecutter.
@itburns
While I appreciate the defence, I would expect nothing less from our resident shit stirrer @Marcus
@G’rilla
I didn’t know that – I have an old low-normal XTR mech so I might try it on my rig, so thanks for the info!
@Mikael Liddy
Nice one, Mikael! Enjoy it when it arrives.
@Mikael Liddy
As sexy a marque as Pinarello is, I think you made the same choice I would have. Congrats!
@Tartan1749
He could rock one of these:
Over the past two weeks I’ve been learning about bike repair in my favorite way: by doing it wrong first.
I installed a set of used 9-speed Ultegra shifters, rear derailleur, and cog on the cross bike. Totally mangled the cables while reinstalling them (a proper cable cutter tool is on order). I didn’t pre-shift before inserting the shifter cable, so the rear derailleur didn’t pull at all.
Fortunately, now I’m learning the right way to do it. It’s thrilling to know how to pull most parts off the bike and put them back on again.
The thing that kickstarted my learning was buying the tools. It was hard to leave a bottom bracket tool or shiny chainwhip sitting on the shelf.
@G’rilla
Nice. It’s one of the most gratifying things I can think of, working on a bike. A heads up, if you didn’t know already: Make sure you have your set screws on the derailleur perfect before you hook up the cable. It’ll make adjusting the shifting easier, and lessen the chance of over shifting into frame or spokes.
@G’rilla
I think you’ll really like the Ult-9 on your g and t. It works sooooooo wonderfully smooth. I’ve been riding the crap out of mine lately on shitty, sandy, salty, mucky roads. Always works seamlessly. A little power washing and some new lube and just like new.
@marko
That’s good to hear! I trashed my rear wheel bearings in only three months. This stuff needs to be able to take a beating.
Or I need to dry stuff off more frequently. And not spray water into it.
@Vin’cenza
http://www.bicycling.com/news/featured-stories/italian-job?page=0,5
@DerHoggz
I’ve seen old fashioned “Take 15 Paces and Aim” duels fought over whether Campagnolo is a superior gruppo to Shimano. For those curious, the Campagnolo man won, while more expensive, his dueling pistol was far more beautiful and constructed with more passion delivering a crisper firing action and more sensual results. (blog) ritteracing.com
@Vin’cenza@DerHoggz
It’s this argument that is the reason I’m not already on my new bike, the vacillations caused by not being able to get Campa on the frame I wanted in my size delayed me ordering the Ultegra shod version by 3 or 4 days.
Annoyed at myself now…
@Mikael Liddy
Shimano enticed me so that I built my front GP4 with an XTR just to have it somewhere. My only issue is that I must obey the Campa DNA in my soul — meaning other racers and mechanics started me on Campagnolo (they got to me first). Although I am open-minded and will search online for articles: campagnolo vs shimano vs sram
@Oli
Holy Fuck @G’rilla. That post should be framed and go straight to the pool room.
Unequivocal proof that @Oli is not, in fact, omniscient!
@mouse
Wow, I didn’t realize…I mean, I can’t…the…wow. Just wow.
@G’rilla
I believe one of you must be named Job in real life. The only explanation that makes sense.
@G’rilla @itburns
No no no… what this needs is a Star Wars analogy.
I believe this about sums it up:
@mcsqueak
So I’m about to get vaporized? Or am I Vader?
@G’rilla
Yes, you’re about to get vaporized, sorry mate. But you get to come back as an all-knowing ghost! More powerful than Oli can ever imagine!
But, but I’m Oli-Wan Kenobi!
@Oli
Ok, OK!
You’re Obi, G’rilla is Luke, and Vader is whoever your cycling sensei was. That killed you at some point. With a sword made of light.
… And I’m done.
@mouse
I agree with DerHoggz, most Campagnolo is made by them in Italy. Hence the higher cost for much of it. They want to keep all these skilled workers in their factory and these people actually deserve a good wage for making all that sweet Campa goodness. And yes, I have a Campagnolo bias.
@Mikael Liddy
Bel mezzo
@Gianni
Ah, no @Gianni.
I was referring to the carbon frames.
I used to be an avowed Campaphile, with Super Record on all of my bikes.
Sadly the reality of life has me on SRAM. Not that I’m neccessarily unhappy with that mind…
@Oli
@mcsqueak
Wow. A total geek out moment here at Velominati.com.