campagnolo delta brakes

Drillium

2012-02-10T06:51:00.001+10:00

This one's going straight to the pool room...

Purchased from Drillium Revival: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54616231@N04/

Wanderings of an ebay troll

2012-02-04T18:00:00.000+10:00

The troll is on the hunt for a woman with whom he can settle down and make babies with. But internet dating, although similar in some ways, is not ebay. With the modern convenience of powerful search engines even the neophyte enthusiast can gather useful information about rare and not-quite-so-rare bicycles and bicycle bits. But, thanks to the subtle complexities of the human condition, people are not quite so easy to classify, quantify and pigeon-hole. Women, in particular, are notorious for not lending themselves to a rational assessment. Try to get an idea of a total stranger from a brief profile (with no means of cross-referencing), add a blurred picture, and the whole thing gets very slippery indeed. I guess this is what Donald Rumsfeld meant when he quipped about “known knowns” (bicycle bits on ebay), “known unknowns” (women you happen to meet), and “unknown unknowns” (women on internet dating sites). So the troll, with a heavy heart, has returned to the familiar hunting grounds of ebay.

Thankfully there was much to get excited about.

Where better to start than with this example. Early 1960s Cinelli Model B “fish mouth” in original condition. Sold 27 Jan for USD $5,600.

(http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/VINTAGE-60s-CINELLI-ROAD-BIKE-100-CAMPAGNOLO-COMPONENTS-ULTRA-RARE-/230733514472?pt=Road_Bikes&hash=item35b8ca06e8#ht_2487wt_1165)

Photo may not be sharp but the subject is clear. Rubber grommet for the Universal lever in suboptimal position. Tyres may need a bit of air.

Better pics of the same bike here: http://cinellionly.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/cinelli-model-b-pre-1960.html

Speedbicycles 1982 Eddy Merckx NOS show bike with fully chromed Super Record. Sold 31 Jan for USD $2,990.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/1982-NOS-Eddy-Merckx-Corsa-Extra-CHROME-SPECIAL-new-old-stock-Campagnolo-57cc-/360428732044?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53eb39fe8c#ht_20336wt_1398)

How many EM’s have you seen with chromed lugs?

Rohloff SLT99. The best 8-spd chain that ever existed. Period.

Pity they still crimped the stays at the dropout on this show bike.

Chrome plate on Campy’s lightweight aluminium freewheel? Well, ok.

When Speedbicycles says NOS he means NOS.

Gold plated 1979 Colnago Mexico Oro in NOS condition. Sold 24 Jan for USD $15,100.

(http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/N-O-S-COLNAGO-MEXICO-ORO-1979-/320829694323?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab2f0a173#ht_1154wt_1398)

If gold plating and shiny Campagnolo bits is your thing then you should probably also check this out.

Restored 1979 Benotto Modelo 3000 plated with 18 carat gold. Currently on the bay for USD $5,800.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120852824358#ht_19089wt_1398)

Gold Jagwire cables somehow doesn’t look out of place on this build.
But maybe someone should tell the seller that them calipers, although shiny and all, ain’t Super Record...

Nice profile on them chainstays.

Just a touch of drillium? Very nice.

But not all colourways seen on old bicycles will suit the modern palate. One example is this fluorescent gem:

Mint 1991 Team Z Greg Lemond wearing full C Record. Sold 28 Jan for GBP 2000.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1991-TEAM-Z-GREG-LEMOND-RACING-BIKE-CAMPAGNOLO-C-RECORD-DELTA-MINT-RARE-/260938507858?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item3cc125a652#ht_654wt_1398)

And not all fashion trends necessarily carry well in the future.

1986 Cinelli track helmet in VGC. Sold 22 Jan for USD $224.49. (the troll was the buyer of this particular item - but more on that in a later post)

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cinelli-Track-Helmet-NOS-1986-vintage-icon-fixed-pista-campagnolo-colnago-/170765237771?_trksid=p4340.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D5%26pmod%3D150723638662%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5741075450341465107#ht_500wt_1413)

... a steal but only when you compare it to what some Cinelli items of the same period are selling for...

Cinelli 700cc carbon front disc wheel. Sold 2 Jan for USD $1,700. That's just for one wheel folks. Now to find a rear one...

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200702349086#ht_17693wt_1398)

Yet there are some bicycles never seem to go out of fashion. Like Rene Herse.

Mint 1981 Rene Herse. Sold 23 Jan for USD $6,355.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/R-Herse-1981-MINT-/360426775953?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53eb1c2591#ht_22528wt_1398)

1969 Rene Herse. Sold 9 Jan for USD $8,200.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-Rene-Herse-57-cm-Beautiful-Condition-/150732530830?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23185be48e#ht_6807wt_1141)

The troll is always looking out for a bargain. And all the better if the seller has no idea what he is selling (the troll is a closet opportunist - ie the most sneaky kind of ebay troll). But there’s a tinge of sadness, whatever the reason may be, when a knowledgeable collector sells off a sizeable chunk of his collection. Some of 24x7’s collection that has hit the bay include:

1950-52 restored Gloria Garibaldina with Campagnolo Cambio Corsa. Sold within 48hrs on 20 Jan for BIN price of USD $2200.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/1950-52-Gloria-Garibaldina-/150740455316?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2318d4cf94#ht_8059wt_1398)

A quick aside: Campagnolo’s Cambio Corsa gear changers (or Paris-Roubaix for that matter) doesn’t make any sense to the many collectors that view their stable of relics through the prism of the modern derailleur bicycle (the ebay troll included). But, apparently, there was once a time when cyclists thought that the friction caused by jockey/ pulley wheels scrubbed off some of their precious power. It wasn't long before these doubters noticed that those little spinning wheels didn’t seem to slow riders using Simplex pushrod derailleurs. In 1951 Campagnolo came out with its single-cable Gran Sport parallelogram RD which went on to set the standard for the next 3 decades.

Collectors of early Campagnolo & Simplex derailleurs have very, very, very deep pockets.

Simplex Record 60 pushrod RD in used VGC. Sold 17 Jan for USD $1,725.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIMPLEX-RECORD-60-REAR-DERAILLEUR-LATEST-VERSION-NR-/250968544230?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a6ee413e6#ht_12082wt_1398)

Back to 24x7’s wonderful collection.

1950s Gloria Garibaldina touring model. Sold 31 Jan for USD $860.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ca-1950-Gloria-Garibaldina-Frame-/150743572728?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23190460f8#ht_9121wt_1398)

1973-74 Galmozzi in with original paint in mint condition. Sold 27 Jan for USD $2,800.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/1973-74-Galmozzi-/150743515402?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231903810a#ht_11085wt_1398)

1968 “no logo” Campagnolo Record brakeset. Sold 29 Jan for USD $1,010

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150745285547#ht_6633wt_1398)

Check out his current auctions - the collection is excellent and the valuations thus far appear very reasonable...

1982/83 Guerciotti

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/1982-83-Guerciotti-/150749162151?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231959aaa7#ht_10369wt_1398)
ADDIT: sold 7 Feb for USD $1,525

1969-70 Masi Special pista

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/69-70-Chrome-Masi-Special-Pista-/150750766009?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23197223b9#ht_11463wt_1398)
ADDIT: sold 9 Feb for USD $5,049

1948 Umberto Dei pista

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/1948-Umberto-Dei-Chrome-Pista-RARE-/160726191510?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item256c070d96)
ADDIT: sold 11 Feb for USD $3,650

1991 Somec

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Somec-55-cm-Pantographed-Parts-/150749941808?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2319659030#ht_10071wt_1398)
ADDIT: sold 8 Feb for USD $1,128

The troll’s fascination with Campagnolo’s delta brakes (and the founding reason for this blog) arises because it embodies an elegant principle, it is beautifully (and expensively) executed, and it simply doesn’t work. For better or worse these same virtues also make them unlikely to ever return to production.

1984 1st generation C Record calipers in excellent condition. The ‘prototype’ of the caliper that even Campagnolo admitted “modulates your speed” rather than stopping your bike. Currently on the bay for BIN of USD $5,000.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/FIRST-GENERATION-Campagnolo-C-RECORD-DELTA-brake-calipers-Engraved-prototype-/320835671776?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ab34bd6e0#ht_500wt_1413)

A flush of 1st gens. Only one set is for sale.

Indeed there is not one but two 1st generation delta's on the bay at the moment.

Used 1st gens starting at EURO 1,999

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-1984-Campagnolo-Delta-Prototype-brakes-1st-generation-/190631962524?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_186&hash=item2c628ce79c#ht_8834wt_1165)

But, should you want brakeset from the C Record group that actually did the job it was made to do, then this was up for sale a few days back.

Campagnolo Cobalto brakeset. Lightly used and complete in box. Sold 28 Jan for USD $370.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Campagnolo-Cobalto-Brakeset-Complete-Box-/190630402949?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c62751b85#ht_6452wt_1398)

Should that not satisfy you, then how about this:

1992 NIB C Record groupset with delta brakes. Sold for USD $3,295.

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/new-boxes-1992-Campagnolo-Record-8-Group-complete-175-mm-Delta-Brakes-/320795943362?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab0eda1c2#ht_927wt_1398)

Wow.

Maybe the troll should go back and check out some of them unknown, unknowns.

1988 Klein Quantum & Team Super

2012-01-22T06:45:00.000+10:00

Bicycle Guide April 1988

Bicycle technology is driven to make bicycles faster, lighter, more efficient, or more affordable. It is not (specifically) to make them any more fun.

Fun is about circumstance, context and a frame of mind.

Joe Breeze Repack via http://fingerprintdistribution.blogspot.com/2011/01/joe-breeze-interview.html

1977 lineup via Charlie Kelly's website http://sonic.net/~ckelly/Seekay/mtbwelcome.htm

1988 Kestrel Nitro

2012-01-22T06:40:00.000+10:00

Bicycle Guide April 1988

This morning on Rocket Frog, Mt Cootha

2012-01-07T09:23:00.001+10:00

The beat of the drum

2012-01-05T15:00:00.000+10:00

Metropolis. via http://www.fanpop.com/spots/metropolis/images/15539876/title/metropolis-photo

Adult life in a structured society requires us to do at least one thing well. The rest is padding. Or fluff. Never mind that you consider your work enjoyable or rewarding, or that you are driven by passion and enthusiasm (just count yourself amongst the lucky ones), a job by which you make a living (and thereby provide for family and dependents - some of which dispense essential but unpaid work) remains one of the most universal conventions of a structured society.

Outside of that requirement, and assuming that one lives in a “free and healthy” society (free and healthy being purposefully vague and relative terms), one is left at liberty to express oneself. Preferably doing so within the constraints of the social-legal-political-religious mores of the day. And providing (at least as far as ones dependents are concerned) one does not lose ones job over it.

Then again, you may choose to march to the beat of a different drum.

(or otherwise to the toot of a different wind instrument) via http://www.mindlessmirth.com

Even in the somewhat more predictable and contained world of bicycles (assuming here that we are talking about a form of transportation that has two wheels and reliant, at least in part, on human power - UCI regulations notwithstanding) there remains a broad range of options available for the inquisitive consumer. However, as any bicycle retailer will inform you, the vast majority of bicycles are built with a certain purpose in mind. A job, if you will, for which it is ideally suited.

This one is made to go fast. via http://www.bikerevuk.com/bikepics/rob/robtt.htm

website http://www.englishcycles.com/

And, in the name of advancing bicycling as a worthwhile activity, one will find numerous examples of bicycles and assorted componentry specifically targeting the challenges of a particular task at hand. Under the layers of rhetoric it is still the task defines the build. Some concepts reach a production stage (often by incremental improvements of previous designs). Some go no further than an idle thought or a fancy render simply because of shortcomings in resources and/or available technology.

A commuter concept that, to use the modern parlance, totally rocks. via http://bicycledesign.net/2009/01/we-have-a-winner/

This, of course, should come as no surprise. Humans dominate the planet because they have a large brain and are adept at making tools. Ever since the first ape-man used a stick and poked it into someone else’s eye (probably his sister’s) and discovered that it hurt and that he got his way thereafter, he’s been in the game of making things for a purpose. Flint stones can be made sharp to cut or stab; two sticks can be rubbed together to make a fire; a pig’s bladder can be pressed into service as a flotation device or watertight container; and baked beans can be hermetically sealed in a tin thereby allowing this totally awesome (near) complete meal to last (virtually) forever.

Tools are defined by the tasks that they perform. They are made with a purpose in mind. Building on the results of appropriately applied tools is something that most people would refer to as progress. Conversely, modern man may well be born without a sense of purpose but over time he attains a set of skills that then defines him. The maker of tools himself becomes a tool within a structured society. Sure, some traditional cultures still segregate what duties certain pre-ordained classes may deliver but all structured societies have their labourers, their warriors, their academics, and their politicians.

So adult life in a structured society requires us to do at least one thing well. The rest may well be regarded as padding or fluff. But it’s fun. And it is why we bother to get out of bed in the morning. For a lucky few it is also their job. For everyone, it is their inner song. The beat of the drum.

Mondraker Podium Carbon. Made to go fast offroad. A team wakes up to the same beat of the drum.
via http://www.bobmarleyrider.com/mondarker-podium-carbon-2012/

Variety is the lubricant of life. And some people are just different. They choose follow the beat of a different drum. But in a connected world through social networking, internet forums, blogospheres, and collated image/ video galleries it is easy find others that beat to the same rhythm.

Some bicycles too are different. They are specially made to be, well, special.

Some are simply awesome.

There comes a time in a child’s life when your mother tells you “Oh honey, it’s ok to be different...” Although soothing and placating at the time, any child with the slightest bit of insight will, upon reflection, take to the comment with shock and dismay. Children want to be accepted, to have friends, to blend in with what they perceive as the accepted norm. Most adults continue their life living by this rule. But others don’t. “Ok to be different” is a phrase that liberates them from the shackles of accepted society. And some clearly take this freedom further than others.

Cherubim Cycles at the 2011 NAHBS. via http://www.flickr.com/photos/8772455@N05/ (http://www.tokyofixedgear.com)

website http://www.cherubim.jp

Some are ridiculous but totally awesome.

via http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread/t-278056.html

via http://cyclingwmd.blogspot.com

Some are a little impractical but still totally awesome.

Hey babe, check out check out my trail. via http://www.greenpacks.org/2009/05/19/maverick-bicycles-–-green-eye-candy-and-orange-tequila-sunrise/

designer is Jason Battersby at http://www.jbdesign.ca

Vertically compliant, laterally stiff and tracks true - so long as it doesn’t rain. via http://news.cnet.com/2300-1008_3-6202540.html

Some are gloriously lost in translation.

via http://ponybikes.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/gregs-roobaix-superbike/

And some make no sense whatsoever.

There are myriad of other examples out there on the net but I want to move on to my most recently acquired bicycle. And this place here (being my blog and all) is where I choose to beat my drum.

Way back in time, when I bounced with youth and vigour and the word “epic” actually meant something of a grand or heroic scale, a "funny bike" referred to something like this:

Franceso Moser 1984 on a “funny bike”. via http://oli-roadworks.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html

Moser 1988 in same tucked position on a different "more funny" bike. via http://zlogblog.com

(Moser fans should also check out http://www.flickriver.com/photos/cronobikes/tags/moser/ )

Or this:

Graeme Obree on “old faithful” 1993. via http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/523473/faithful-to-old-faithful-obree-s-bike-recreated.html

Obree 1995 same bike, different position. via http://www.owenphilipson.com/blog/2010/02/13/picture-of-the-day-obree-superman/

(both Obree images are by Graham Watson http://www.grahamwatson.com)

But I found them funny-looking then. And I find them funny-looking now.

I too rode a bike back in them days, and it sure didn’t look anything like them things (then again, I thought 30km/h was going kinda fast). Even now I find fitting a Brooks saddle on a race bike from the 1970s-1990s (a time when Brooks saddles were well and truly out of the game when it came to competitive racing) utterly inappropriate. It’s like Conan the Barbarian swinging a light sabre. It’s just not right.

A staid, sombre and predictable life for me, thank you very much.

... And yet I don’t mind just that little bit of spice...

So long as it stays subtle, simple, and understated.

For me at least this particular specimen hits all the right notes.

Elegant. Timeless.
One-off Schrade (Basel, Switzerland) single speed, circa 1985, frame number 18334. Short-slot Campagnolo dropouts with derailleur hanger removed.

All original including modified Campagnolo parts mix ranging from the mid 1950s to the mid 1980s. Concor Supercorsa saddle. Cinelli Giro d’Italia bars and 1R stem.

Just a little bit of spice? Oh yes please!

(more photos at http://www.speedbicycles.ch/showBike.php?enr=402&PHPSESSID=fe7991acc1bf6f7331b234a750df168d)

A fine example of fillet brazing (with little evidence of a fillet). No frills. No mucking around. No idea how it's been done.

More mitre than fillet.

...1950s Campagnolo Gran Sport high-flange hubs modified with Campy track axles. Brass washers on the spoke eyelets. Tied and soldered spokes...

...It’s the little details that count...

Beautiful and just that little bit special.

March, dance, skip, or waddle to the beat of the drum.

Sometimes that means one walks amongst others. Other times it means one walks alone.

Now that’s a good thing.

via http://cyclingwmd.blogspot.com

Diary

2012-01-04T15:00:00.000+10:00

via http://doucheblogcycling.blogspot.com/2011/11/relationships.html

le skippy

2011-12-07T21:06:00.001+10:00

Bicycling Australia Feb/Mar 1994

Sweeping leaves on a windy day

2011-12-05T21:30:00.000+10:00

I love the colour, the sound, the smell of India. It is an incredible place of immense diversity and depth. There is a part of my brain that comes alive when I am in India. My senses heighten, my mind races. I feel breathless. It is wonderful to be back.

Sunday. A day of travel. A flight from Singapore to Mumbai. Runway problems in Mumbai and a flight delayed. A quick lunch with Ramesh and his family. Hello. Goodbye. A flight from Mumbai to Nagpur. A flight delayed. I meet again with our driver, Ramsing. We do not understand each other but we smile and hug. A human bond re-established. We understand each other. We drive to Amravati. Deft handling: man and machine one and the same whilst hurtling through the cacophony of traffic that so typifies India. Ramsing is a magician. At Amravati I meet up with Dilip and the Australian contingent of the team regroups. Dinner at 11pm. We sleep in the house of Avinash.

Monday. Up at 0430 and we gather the three young interns that will join us on the camp. This is India yet I am still amazed how much stuff can fit in one vehicle. Avinash, Dilip, myself, those three interns, driver and assistant. Plus bags and gear. For now, I feel thankful that the team is only half that of last year. A small team where no-one is superfluous and we will have to work hard to get through the cases. This is India. Where things are done at the last minute. And plans often change. Where making do and compromise is a way of life. We drive to to the Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital in the Melghat region of central India. We are greeted by Ashish and Kavita. We unpack, have lunch, then start the clinic. We identify what we can do within the constraints of this small hospital. We finish later than expected. The villagers wait a long time.

Tuesday. The anaesthetic team had arrived overnight from Nagpur. By India’s frenetic timetable I had gone to bed too early. No doubt there was much for them to catch up on. These are Dilip’s friends and colleagues and they join the camp because Dilip is here. I remember Bapat from last year. Relaxed, experienced, capable and overweight. She radiates a comforting reassurance. She brings 3 junior anaesthetists with her. We start work at 8am. We have a lot to get through but the start is slow. The start is always slow. And frustrating. The oxygen cylinder is empty. The couplings for the replacement cylinders don’t fit. Things are not ready. I watch and wait for activity to show signs of effect. The first case gets underway just before 9am. By midday we have completed three cases. Then the calvary arrives from Nagpur. Dilip’s good friend and fellow plastic surgeon, Shailesh, who I know from the camp last year. And two orthopaedic surgeons, Makaranda Dhopavkar and Abhinav. The pods are coming for the first time. And they come with their equipment. The theatres hum with activity. And good work gets done.

Wednesday. The cock crows as the dawn breaks. But India has already awakened. Today is more of the same. A hearty breakfast: Indian fare typical for this area, always a variety of dishes, all vegetarian. A gradual build up of activity. Either theatres are getting more organised or I have accommodated. Activity peaks by midday. Then things grind to a halt as the anaesthetists prepare to leave. As does Shailesh and the orthopods. By 2pm they are on their way back to Nagpur. We have lunch and use this time to visit Ravi in his home village. Dilip, Avinash and Ravi have all worked in this small village. They have a deep attachment to this area. Dilip went on to train as a general surgeon and then a plastic surgeon with further training in the UK and Australia. Avinash started his physician training but gave this up and started Prayas. Theirs is a complicated story. Ravi stayed in the village. He still lives in the house the villagers built for him a quarter century ago. I meet Ravi’s wife, Smita. She is more talkative this time. “I meet you last year. You were tien then” . “A team?” . “No” . “Teen?” . “No, no” . “Thin?” . “Yes, yes. You were tien then. You are now fat.” We have dinner with Ravi, Smita and their adopted daughter, Swati. They have two sons - one manages their farm nearby, another studies to enter medicine. Ramsing joins us. I sit listening to their conversion on a swing chair made of rough iron and wood, worn smooth over time. I feel at home in a house and country that is not mine. I do not eat much.

Thursday. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Vijay has arrived overnight from Nagpur. Confident and capable he juggles two patients, a revision parotidectomy under a general anaesthetic and a post-burn contracture under local anaesthetic and sedation. I had forgotten how much of the work is post-burn contractures. How often they require skin grafting. How menial I find the task. How my skill sets are woefully inadequate for this camp. How frustrating the language barrier can be when you have a job to do. How I hate disorganisation. How much I like things my way. How I am not, by nature, a team player. Before midday the anaesthetic team from Akola arrives: Niti and Sharayu. Vijay has played his part in keeping the theatres running. He returns to Nagpur. His father is unwell. Parikshit arrives as Vijay leaves. Like a younger Shailesh, he too is plastic surgeon hailing from Nagpur. He brings with him his reliable electrocautery machine and his assistant, Digambar. Unqualified but young, skilled and efficient like the pretty nurse assistant that had earlier arrived with Bapar. They are effective. The theatres hum with activity. And good work gets done. We finish late.

Friday. Our efforts for this year are at an end. Ashish tells me we have done 54 surgical cases. We did 56 last year. But the cases were bigger this year and Dilip is satisfied. For some people we have made a difference.

Laser dreaming

2011-11-25T12:30:00.000+10:00

via http://www.flickr.com/photos/cronobikes/

A date once told me: “You may want but you can’t have.” Recalling that these were the very same words my mother propelled at me some 30 years earlier I received the admonition with a mixture of bemusement and frustration. But accepting that there are certain limitations to what we want and what we can have is how a grown up negotiates the constraints of a civilised society (sure, the barriers may be a little more permeable if one travels in the upper echelons of the social structure and is in possession of particularly deep pockets and good connections - just ask Silvio Berlusconi).

via http://www.flickr.com/photos/51568262@N04/

The Cinelli team in the 1980s

via http://velospace.org/forums/discussion/2555/start-saving-your-pennies-kids-cinelli-to-re-release-the-cinelli-laser/

What’s under the paint via http://www.flickr.com/photos/cronobikes/

via http://velospace.org/forums/discussion/2555/start-saving-your-pennies-kids-cinelli-to-re-release-the-cinelli-laser/

As many collectors, enthusiasts, Cinelli groupies & other such purveyors and consumers of iconic bicyclonostalgiomania would be aware, Bondo’s making a comeback in 2012. Now the troll has resigned himself to the fact that he will never own a Cinelli Laser. Partly because he was never really that enamoured by them in his youth (see my previous post), and now that his interest has been piqued (and quite possibly because of this - the troll is really that shallow) the Lasers have become simply become too expensive and difficult to find. And a limited edition of 21 Laser Nostra’s at €7,500 for just the frame and fork ain’t gonna change anything.

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/eurobike-2011-cinelli-reintroduces-the-laser-31665

Aside from the fact that they have already all sold out.

Bondo’s back. There’s more here than fillet-brazed Columbus Spirit tubing.

Sure, the construction may leave some scratching their heads in an era of monocoque carbon fibre framesets but for many this is the epitome of Italian cycling elegance.

Elegant yes... um... a squared fork crown may harken back to them old days but what on earth is going on with that headset?

via http://www.milanofixed.com/cinelli-laser-nostra-gallery-e-dati-ufficiali/

But there are many ways to join steel tubes together, even if they don’t have quite the same aerodynamic flare. Under all that Bondo is probably something that probably looks a little like this:

Workmanship by Dave Kirk via http://www.framebuilderscollective.org/kirk-fillet-brazing/

Although when the finishing work gets to this level then you might as well paint straight over it like so:

Mark Nobilette’s fillet-brazed frame at the 2009 NAHMBS (from the troll’s collection of bicycle photos ripped from the internet - apologies to the rightful owner)

Of course one can also use lugs, work on them a little, and fillet braze them just for good measure.

Exemplary work from Peter Johnson

(the troll’s all-time favourite sequence of naked bicycle photos and very much in the "you may want but can't have" league)

via http://www.flickr.com/photos/10703870@N06/sets/

Any reader of this blog that has, by a keystroke of misfortune, ended back here would by now have realised that this here is a medium for reposting other people’s bicycle pictures, not to mention ideas, articles, and any girlie photos that are 1. free, 2. readily available, 3. passes censorship from the troll’s 70 year old mother. Leaving aside his constitutional (and thereby unimpeachable) laziness the troll does have an excuse on this occasion: he is in transit in Singapore whilst on his way back to India. If you want an original photo then this is all he’s got:

...As the troll sits comfortably cosseted in the sterile sameness of the Meritus Club Lounge scratching his nether regions, he reads with certain detachment about the insouciance of various governments to the planned damming of the Mekong River amongst other worldly problems all of which seem so distant from his immediate environment. A casual look out the window reveals a giant durian...Mmm, time for breakfast...

In the immediate environment sits outlets for Zegna, Hermes, Burberry, Bvlgari, Canali, Prada... all waiting patiently for the well-endowed (in every sense of the word) consumer to walk in. Unfortunately the troll is not well-endowed (in any sense of the word) but happily these names mean as much to a troll as monogrammed handbags and red soles on fashion shoes. Instead he ambles off to the Mustafa Centre (think of a cross between Harrods and Walmart with an Indian-Chinese flavour and you’ve just about got it) as this place, located in Little India no less, simply has everything.

But the troll is drawn to shiny objects. And the Mustafa Centre sells very many shiny things. Like wrist watches. And although the ebay troll already owns a watch, and the parting of troll and coin is an excruciating experience for all involved, on this occasion he simply could not help himself.

$16 Target watch - no shiny bling-bling happening here.

At Mustafa’s, you may want and you shall have.

And looking at ebay (the giant Mustafa Centre in the sky), reveals a bewildering variety of wrist watches available for consumption. At the top end of the game sits this little wonder:

Patek Philippe ref 5339 with minute repeater & tourbillon (don’t even ask how much)

Sure there are watches with a greater number of complications (a tourbillon, although a remarkable feat of engineering, is technically not a complication) and are more elaborate to boot. But this watch has just enough to say it all:

Class - refinement - money - status.

And, like the humble quartz watch, it even does a good job of telling the time.

Mechanical wrist watches have everything that would appeal to an ebay troll: a massive collector/ enthusiast base, an obscene proliferation of educational if opinionated forums, plenty of glam labels that appeal to the masses yet scorned by the knowledgeable enthusiast, jaw-dropping prices paid by aforementioned enthusiast for outdated/ superceded/ obsolete items that don’t work half as well as the newer stuff, and, of course, lots of moving bits that by necessity have to work together synchronously. Not to mention, plenty of shiny bling-bling.

And to mark the passage of time by means of circuitous motion has an certain undeniable resonance.

IWC Ingenieur 3227-01. Not quite as obvious as a Rolex, Patek Philippe, or an A.Lange & Sohne

via http://home.watchprosite.com/?show=nblog.post&ti=475986

Limited production estimated at 8,000 pieces (2005-2009) - not by choice, but by virtue of a unrealistic price tag and subsequent lack of consumer interest via http://www.iwc.com/forum/en/discussion/31185/

The controversial calibre 80110 - a heavily modified ETA 7750 or a true in-house movement?

Obligatory photo with bike via http://www.iwc.com/forum/en/discussion/29229/

Now should you be able to find an IWC Ingenieur 32217-01 then expect to pay upwards of $5,000 for a used piece. That’s an awful lot of coin for a watch with one basic complication. Not to mention service costs of upwards of $500 every 5 years. And then there’s the heft of carrying a 200g watch and bracelet. Not good for a small-wristed, stodgy and scrooge-like troll.

Hmmm...

Cinelli Lasers, obsolete bicycle technology, fancy wrist watches (and for others, possibly monogrammed handbags and red soles on fashion shoes). At a certain level there appear to be many plausible reasons why you may want, but you simply can’t have.

Thank goodness we do not always respond to reason.

Tiramisu in the land of Sashimi

2011-11-01T04:00:00.000+10:00

Nihon Jitensha Shinkōkai stamp of approval

1989 Campagnolo meets NJS standardization

No better. No worse. Just right.

1980s Cinelli Cinetica

2011-10-29T05:45:00.000+10:00

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Cinelli-Cinetica-frame-Campagnolo-and-Ferrari-Cinelli-Laser-/180742730194?pt=Road_Bikes&hash=item2a151b31d2#ht_21931wt_1398

Ride report

2011-10-16T14:00:00.000+10:00

If only Life were this simple

Age, apathy and the single speed.

Now that’s a unfortunate cluster of terms to come to grips with. Take one away and the other two issues become somewhat bearable. Combine all three and a perfectly good single speed bicycle gets decommissioned into the spare room.

A reappraisal of the situation was in order.

The faithful 16T freewheel (32T chainring up front)

Salvation

Dicta 18T freewheel installed with new KMC Kool chain

Ready to roll

The troll would now like to present a ride report. But this isn’t a ride report about a Dicta freewheel or a KMC Kool chain (the troll discloses that has no affiliation with either KMC or Dicta - the seller had to pry the full $25 out of the troll’s determined but miserably weak grip) only because the troll has nothing to compare them to. This ride report is about the experience of changing the gear ratio on an off-road single speed: something the troll has done just once. Sure, single-speeders have being doing this for many years, in fact, since the advent of the safety bicycle 120 years ago. But one perk of having a blog site (as opposed to a respectable and validated resource webpage) is the privilege of passing off as “vital knowledge” ideas and information that could easily have been sourced elsewhere (ie from books, magazine articles, bantering with family and friends, the post-ride coffee shop hero talk, the occasional toilet graffiti)

(via http://bathroomstalling.wordpress.com)

Before beginning a ride report some background is in order as so many variables come into play when trying to assess these things. Why most ride reports don’t include this is completely beyond me.

Background on the ride: a 3 hour loop that starts with a half hour of road riding including a 2.3km climb with an average gradient of 9.4%. When the pain and tarmac ends the ride enters typical Australian bush: ie predominantly dry hardpack, rock and scrub. About 90% is well-maintained, somewhat technical, undulating single track. And the weather was perfect (goes without saying - the troll doesn’t venture out in anything but perfect weather).

Background on the troll: 173cm, 68kg, with a VO2 Max not much better than a hibernating toad. A frat boy by education yet not one of them - not by choice, but by exclusion. He would like to go the other direction and be a hipster but his bigoted ways, middle age and total un-awesomeness preclude this. Instead, he wanders the vast abyss of social oblivion bouncing off rejections from every mainstream group.

Background on the bicycle: 2002 On-One Inbred SS that I posted in Feb 2009.

You looking at me? Wazzup?

Trading a 16T freewheel for an 18T on a single speed should have obvious consequences. The hills should be a tad easier and riding on the flats a tad more frustrating. (The downhills don’t really count simply because off-road SS gearing is simply too low to be meaningful on anything but the slightest and smoothest of negative gradients - *insert contemptuous snorts* directed at the occasional fixie rider that has blundered onto this blog site). And it proved to be so.

One would also expect that a gain of two teeth out the back would allow one to motor through some obstacles that one might otherwise step over. And indeed, as it turns out, it proved to be so. So much so that the Inbred’s low-slung bottom bracket becomes the limiting factor for grinding over logs & trail debris. The Inbred has always worn a chainring guard. It’s been a revelation to remember why it’s there.

And that brings us to a discussion to the On-One Inbred SS frame itself. All Inbred’s (whether they be Reynolds 853/ DN6/ or titanium tubed with slotted/ sliding/ swapout/ or derailleur-ready dropouts) appear to have the same Brant Richards’ inspired geometry. A stretched out top tube (allowing for a shorter stem) with a relatively slack head tube and a steep seat tube gives the bike absolutely cracker handling. And Inbred’s have a deserved reputation as no nonsense trail bikes. Well-balanced for climbing and predictable on descents the rider has a lot of room to maneuver his body and finesse or otherwise muscle his way out of technical sections. This early version has the no compromise (that’s the schmuck’s way of saying “no option”) non-suspended geometry with slotted dropouts and cantilever mounts. The long, low top tube provides ample clearance and the low BB adds stability and confidence when the going gets tough.

Well at least that’s how the story goes. And makes the assumption that the troll ain’t involved in the setup of the bike. Not least attempting to manage the cockpit and engine room.

But this bike does belong to the aforementioned troll and somewhere down the the track the chain has stretched leading to a gradual lengthening of the effective chainstay (ie the rear wheel sliding further back in the slotted dropouts to keep the chain under tension). When the chain was changed it was replaced with one that “kinda matched” the length of the previous chain but in doing so the troll appears to have added a couple of extra links. A long rear-centre has benefits such as increased stability and greater comfort but only up to a certain point. Beyond that handling becomes compromised. A wheelbase that is too long (in particular a long rear-centre) makes for heavy handling and, in this case, difficulty with unloading the front (and to a lesser degree the rear) wheel. Over the past few years the troll has steadily reduced the tire pressures (down to <25 PSI up front and <30 PSI at the back) in an attempt to manage the jarring ride from an increasingly ponderous bike and ascribing the lack of finesse to his age, his apathy and his lack of fitness to crunch a single gear. These factors are still relevant but you can now add another: the troll is a mechanical moron.

A 18T freewheel and a new chain have improved things. But, in this particular case, so much more than expected. By tucking the rear wheel closer to the BB (ie by keeping the same number of links on the chain and adding two extra teeth to the rear cog the chainstays are effectively shortened) and brings the geometry back to where Brant Richards always intended it to be. And with that the welcome return of the simple pleasures of riding a rigid single speed - an experience (wrt sensation, exertion and feedback) that the troll enjoys so very much. Back to 28-32 PSI up front and 35-40PSI out the back, add a little bit of speed and chuckability, and the troll is once again caught squealing with the unbridled excitement of a preteen girl unwrapping her first barbie doll.

It would be nice to end this “ride report” by saying that riding a bicycle is not about acquiring new stuff, rather one should reflect on the importance of a well set-up bike, or even, more nebulously, the concept that, once in a while, we need to re-evaluate any established idea/ formula/ routine that is starting to run dry. But this blog has the moral grounding and introspection of your average internet porn site.

And the Dicta freewheel crapped itself after eight or so rides.

So porn and material gratification it is.

Inbred now fitted with Mavic Crossmax SLR's (ahem, note the ceramic rims) and Maxxis tubeless tires

Keeping porn subtle

A Surly 18T cog, QR wheels and a chaintug with the capacity to open beer bottles

On ebay, cycling's equivalent of a "special cuddle" with a "happy ending" can be bought for just under $500.

Moser TT

2011-10-11T20:45:00.000+10:00

1984 Francesco Moser TT currently on ebay via Speedbicycles. No longer road legal for UCI-sanctioned races but who cares?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1984-FRANCESCO-MOSER-TT-51-151-HOUR-RECORD-ROAD-vintage-tt-bike-Campagnolo-gc-/360400301516?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e9882dcc#ht_17018wt_1398

ADDIT: sold $3,850 17 Oct

Revisiting the RMIT BT Superbike

2011-10-02T15:00:00.000+10:00

It is a sad fact of life that Campagnolo Ghibli disc wheels are perversely expensive. Even when they are 20 years old...

Kevlar goodness takes the form of a Campagnolo Ghibli M23 track wheelset

But once found and confirmed to be in good condition then the troll must pay for the privilege. If only to fulfill an obligation.

http://campagnolodelta.blogspot.com/2010/04/bt-superbike.html

Apologies for the unbecoming (not to mention period and discipline incorrect) Chorus crankset. The troll will fit the appropriate C Record track crank once he locates the crank-puller on his Topeak Alien multitool.

A dinosaur once UCI ruling 1.3.021 came into effect in September 1999 http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/ucirules.html. If the Superbike had mounts to fit brakes, fenders, and maybe even a basket (or two) then it may possibly have survived as a commuter. Alas it was not so.

The money spent on these wheels was what Ben Benenke had in mind to help lift the American economy or what Angela Merkel needs to pledge to save the Euro (ie equivalent to 120 takeaway meals in Australia, or about a trillion American dollars/ 750 billion Euro). I guess it will have to be yet another round of “quantitive easing” for America and the junking of Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Ireland from the Euro zone.

But, like the non-competitive cyclist who palps the super-light carbon tubular race wheels on the Sunday group ride, I have this to say to those that think the money is better spent elsewhere:

“Non, je ne regrette rien.”

French for “AYHSMB” ( http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=AYHSMB)

Deda meets the Master

2011-09-17T11:10:00.000+10:00

Here’s a quick personality test. Let’s say you had to wait for someone - what do you do? Do you stare nonchalantly into the distance? Do you become irritable? Do you fidget? Do you play with your iphone/ multimedia device, clothing or body part? Or pick up a book or magazine that you have just for occasions like this? Do you take a nap? Do you conspire with your bowels to conjure up flatulence so that you may test the fortitude and forbearance of those around you? Or do you just say “fcuk this!” and leave?

Or, should you happen to be at home and with a little more time on your hands, do you grab your camera and shoot photos of your bicycle?

If you possess a set of chromed Deda Alanera bars (...and, well, you don’t...) and perchance have them already mounted on your studly, steel steed then the choice is obvious.

Ah yes. Like tusks on a walrus or antlers on a moose, this here is bicycling’s appendage of male bravado. With this one shall swagger and smirk condescendingly at the unfortunate masses who are lesser equipped (ie everyone else). Come rucking season who knows what fair maiden will be blinded, quite literally, by such amazing bling. And she will do naught but surrender to such a supreme display of manhood.

Chrome-painted carbon fiber. Big, bright, modern yet retro, and amenable to all forms of impractical applications/ situations.

It should be the next big thing at the NAHMBS.

1st gens on the bay

2011-09-12T07:08:00.002+10:00

Another set of 1st generation delta calipers currently for sale on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1984-Campagnolo-Delta-Prototype-1st-version-brakeset-/200651203703?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb7be6477#ht_26336wt_1398
(ADDIT - sold outside of ebay)

They may be a little rough but this here is evidence that at least some 1st generation calipers served their time in action.

Blue eyes

2011-09-10T17:30:00.000+10:00

If you are wondering what makes the Campagnolo Cobalto caliper so fascinating to bicycle collectors then allow me to introduce to you the illegitimate offspring of a Cobalto and Victory hybridization (as seen on ebay).

She has her sister's striking blue eyes.

Never underestimate the power of sex appeal. Nor the seductive allure of two little pieces of translucent blue plastic.

Deda Alanera chromed carbon fiber integrated handlebar

2011-09-02T05:00:00.000+10:00

Hello.

I don’t believe we’ve met.

Deda Alanera?

Well then, I’m sure I have seen you before.

It must have been Italy. May be Milan? Florence?

Yes, always elegant, but never in that stunning coat...

So, tell me. What brings you to Budapest?

Really? He did that?!

He put you on ebay?

Incomprehensible!

I mean you! You of all things!

Impossible!

Unbelievable.

I want you.

So bad.
.
.

I am so dead.

The problem of asylum seekers

2011-08-20T15:41:00.027+10:00

Australia has a problem with asylum seekers. Now the troll has a great aversion to people that don’t think or behave the way he does. He likes his life simple, predictable and unchanging. And if these people look any different to what he is accustomed to, well all the more reason to prevent them coming across the seas and affecting his life (but at least, should they make landfall, it will easier to point out who they are).

There is a plan in place to curb the tide of asylum seekers (currently contested in our courts as to its legality*). And that is to send them back overseas for processing outside of Australian jurisdiction.

There appear to be four problems with asylum seekers. They come from a torn land or a land with torn ideologies. They cost taxpayers money. They can take our jobs. And they can cause even greater pressures on the already ridiculous cost of housing in Australia.

On the first point, those people that come from areas of conflict can bring that conflict to a relatively placid community like Australia. However, there’s already a measure in place to curb community conflict. It’s called the law. And we have a bunch of guys with big sticks to go chasing those that openly violate it. They’re called the police. If asylum seekers break the law, they go to jail or, even better, they get sent back to where they came.

The second point is that they cost taxpayers money. But once a person enters Australian territorial waters (or airspace for that matter) they are under Australian law and governance. For better or worse that means they can or will cost the Australian taxpayer (regardless of how unsavoury one finds the trade of people smuggling). Sending them off for processing in a distant country to remove Australia’s obligations does not remove the costs (I’m not sure if it is even any cheaper) but it does take away the one benefit of immigration (if one can flip the coin, ignore the illegality, and call it that) - that is: the immigrant. That’s not to say that an asylum seeker, on the Australian mainland, would not place an additional burden on the Australian taxpayer (and he will - teaching and integrating him into the community costs money). But should he be fortunate enough to stay then he and his children could become productive workers and Australian taxpayers to boot. Paying now for a future return is called an investment. There are risks but it is a game worth playing.

That brings us to the next point. They will take our jobs. There’s another way of looking at that. It’s called competition. The last time I looked, that was regarded as a good thing. Nobody really wants to be at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. So if you feel strongly enough about it then get educated, get skilled, look for opportunities, and get out there.

The last point is that they will place pressures on housing and resources. Well, the prices of Australian property, insane as it is, is currently flat and predicted to fall in most capital cities. Property prices in any case is a governance and taxation issue and not directly an immigration problem (although it does play a big role). A big country with limited resources (albeit with decent infrastructure) is, arguably, the real issue. There are proponents for a "Big Australia" (a big vibrant population with the encouragement of skilled immigrants as proposed by our previous prime minister, Kevin Rudd) and there are those that are against this (Julia Gillard, our current prime minister). The argument revolves around the concept of a “sustainable” Australia. How one determines with confidence the population size that is “sustainable” at any particular time given that we live in “a land of drought and flooding rains” is far beyond me and thankfully one we can leave to the Australian government (and just as thankfully they will never always be right so we will have some margin to complain about their policies).

The problem with asylum seekers then comes down to immigration policy and our views on this. Skilled workers are really what Australia wants for growth and competitiveness. This is tempered by the current vogue for a sustainable, or if you will, a “little” Australia. Whether we should be allowing an illegal immigrant who faces persecution in their home country to take the spot of a legal immigrant who flies in with the appropriate papers (and probably more likely to possess the appropriate skills Australia wants) is an argument that has no correct answer. I accept that Australia has an immigration quota and certainly those immigrants that don’t qualify will have to wait their turn or be returned to their home country. But, leaving aside the argument of whether it is "right" or "wrong", sending asylum seekers back overseas for processing just does not make any sense.

Australians, as a rule, are notoriously egalitarian. Except, it seems, when it comes to the problem of asylum seekers.

*ADDIT:
On the 31 August, Australia's High Court ruled the policy of overseas processing as illegal (albeit only in countries where laws are not in place to ensure the protection of asylum seekers).
The looming question is what now for Australia's border protection policy? How can a prosperous, democratic country discourage the unpleasant trade of people smuggling? Bring back temporary protection visas? Continue with mandatory detention and overseas processing albeit in a more "agreeable" setting? Or change the legislation so that we can send asylum seekers/ unauthorised immigrants anywhere we choose (a theoretical proposition as it will be impossible to pass through the current senate)?
My opinion:
Democracy and prosperity has its price. Despite its shortcomings, the temporary protection visa (or some version of it) should be resurrected. And the bleeding hearts out there should harden up and face reality.

Delta brakes with Colnago pantographing

2011-08-17T09:00:00.008+10:00

These are 2nd/ 3rd generation delta’s with what appears to be a stamped winged-wheel logo. The slightly rolled edge suggests that the logo has not been etched into the surface (as occasionally seen in the rare version of the 2nd/ 3rd generation delta - see my previous post for an example), rather an impression was left by a stamp or a mold which typifies first generation C Record componentry.

The 2nd generation bodies are wider than the first generation and enclose the standard 3-pivot mechanism (ok 4-pivot if you include the cable-locking bolt). There is no retaining clip on the underside and the faceplate is released by lifting the spring-loaded cable tensioner at the top.

The ebay troll hasn’t stumbled across an example like this before and any further information is appreciated. In the meantime the troll will investigate the identity of the Mr “Colnago” brazen enough to pantograph his name onto such a rare faceplate.

Sold on ebay 16 Aug for USD $635

http://cgi.ebay.com/CAMPAGNOLO-Delta-Brakes-Colnago-panto-rare-/180708212967?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a130c80e7#ht_500wt_1413

Cinelli Laser Pista

2011-08-15T06:48:00.008+10:00

Well this didn't last long on ebay...

1984 Cinelli Laser Evolution

Sold for BIN USD $15,000 on 14 Aug

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cinelli-Laser-Pista-/260835161821?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cbafcb6dd#ht_1623wt_1141

Crikey...

The Lotus and the Lone Wolf

2011-08-13T08:30:00.010+10:00

The general populous will probably never understand it but the Lone Wolf (as identified by BSNYC) has many fans within the cycling community.

The Lone Wolf and the road-going Lotus 110 (check out the delta’s with nonstandard-issue levers). He’s pointing to a signature...

...from an American cyclist

Another American star adds her name

“Hammer time” Sarah Hammer - possibly the best sports surname after Usain Bolt

Mike Burrows’ original Windcheetah

Lotus Sport 108...

...and a cyclist from Great Britain

Report of a track race at the Barcelona Olympics (Cycling World Sept/Oct 1992)

Admire me and my exclusive awesomeness

Lotus Sport 108 written up in Popular Mechanics Feb 1993 (via http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashae/4545468087/)

Lotus Sport 110

Gonzo the Great

2011-08-12T19:00:00.002+10:00

Of all the iconic saddles that have come to pass the San Marco Supercorsa has to be one of the most stately shapes to ever grace the humble bicycle.

And yet there are some undeniable similarities to the Great Gonzo.

The One

2011-08-01T19:00:00.065+10:00

Ask me five years ago what my perfect bike would be and I would have shown you this:

1980s Colnago Master with full C Record ensemble

Great 1980s colourway yet subtle enough to soothe a modern palate

A time when the Colnago Master came with lugs similar in design to the Supers and Mexicos that preceded it

(and a personal favourite amongst the various Colnago lug styles that have come to pass)

The 1980s sublimated. Sublime, my dear, sublime

Simple elegant lugs and that Gilco-designed tubing. Well!!

Nice set of delta’s Mr R Heeren

The glorious C Record drivetrain

Sold for “buy it now” price of USD $2680 on the 27 July

(http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150637307129#ht_2957wt_1398)

I wasn’t the buyer but not because I didn’t want it (I did) nor was it because I thought it was too expensive (ok, it’s not exactly a bargain either). It’s because I managed to rein in a slavering troll and made a rational decision based on the available options. For a start, beautiful as it is, the bicycle and the goodies decorating it ain't that uncommon. And that sack of coin could help pay for some house renovations, or buy me 150 delicious meals at my local takeaway, or even get me a fancy take-a-look-at-my-enormous: wealth watch (like the bicycles I collect, an unnecessary indulgence in an era where the mobile phone can do what phones are supposed to do in addition to messaging/emailing/twittering your contacts, taking pictures, accessing the internet, organising your life, holding the world’s entire music collection, as well as tell you the time).

I should probably also wait for the Americans to decide on what they are going to do with their debt limit and see what ramifications this will have on the world economy (I’ll put this quirk of democratic governance next to “filibuster” in my list of why the US political system makes less sense than Australia’s even as our policies are currently held to ransom by the whims of a minority).

And, yes, I already palp a couple of Colnago Masters of my own.

The troll’s contribution to Blue Steel. So wrong yet so right

Not to mention that the troll has managed to squirrel away about 80kg of seductively shiny, if pompously portly C Record parts (yes, that’s almost enough kit to fit out one bike). The fact of the matter is that I seem to have moved on from the wide-eyed, open-mouthed naivety of five years ago: ie I now have affectations of bicycle snobbery. (Actually, "bicycle snob" is a term used by the 2% of the general population with a modicum of interest in bicycles to reflect people like us. The remaining 98% would probably use the more appropriate term of "bicycle dweeb". Unfortunately those that know me in particular seem to prefer the simpler and perhaps less charitable term of "dork")

If I am to buy C Record again it has to be either the 1985 first generation ensemble (the one with the stamped winged-wheel logo's and the closed-cage RD - a time when C Record was arguably at it’s aesthetic peak so much so that it didn’t matter whether or how it worked) or the 1994 last generation (when the groupset reached its functional peak whilst still retaining most of C Record’s aesthetics).

Speedbicycles 1985 Bianchi Specialissima (complete with the most impractical bidon to ever grace a bicycle), now under the troll’s stewardship

This is concerning. NOS NIB 1994 Record groupset purchased in a 1995 clearance sale with spares carefully organised in my dad’s old Echolac bag (cheap Campy 50th anniversary bag eat your heart out)

And the internet now avails us to a mind-boggling array of opportunities. A paradise of choices through which the troll gleefully floats buoyed by a river of his own mucous.

Leaving C Record aside we have the following available for sale:

1980s Agordina in immaculate blue cromovelato with SR - apparently a production Willier Triestina at a time when Willier produced frames for other brands (for sale via ebay with “buy it now” of USD $1900) - ADDIT sold 2 Aug

Willieresque lug cutouts

Not sure whether I can cope with crimping of seat and/or chain stays at the dropout on any bicycle that hasn’t got

C O L N A G O emblazoned on the downtube...

Good God. They really made fork crowns with that shape?

1976 Condor Team Issue with refined Italia lugset and NR ensemble (for sale via Hilary Stone GBP £495) - ADDIT sold sometime in Aug

1984 Raleigh Road Ace with Shimano 600AX groupset (Hilary Stone GBP £495) - ADDIT sold sometime in Aug

Quite possibly the world’s largest Masi Gran Criterium - 64cm seat tube ctt! (ebay “buy it now” USD $3000)

So many choices available yet so little to differentiate those of us with bicycle pretensions. And no single bicycle seems capable of realising all our lusts and desires. I, for one, have now chosen to embark on a state of play that will no doubt leave my hopes and aspirations utterly unfulfilled. I shall look for a bicycle or part that is so rare that I simply cannot afford it. Or a bicycle or part so rare that I simply cannot find it (or rather, find someone willing to part with it).

Moser Time Trial Frame - the same design as used in 1984 when Francesco Moser broke Eddy Merckx’s 1972 hour record (sold USD $9,100)

1986 Cinelli Laser time trial bicycle with full first generation C Record gruppo and factory Cinelli discs (ebay auction still active) - ADDIT sold 7 Aug for USD $16,600

Ibis BowTi - the most beautiful titanium structure (and concept) to ever grace a production bicycle - forgive the flexy ride and the the laws of physics which dictate that pulling the brakes will pogo you over the bars (ebay “buy it now” USD $5500) - ADDIT listing ended early on 15 Aug - presumed sold outside of ebay

I often wonder what would have happened if, five years ago, I had gone out and purchased a Colnago Master with a full C Record ensemble. Whether this would have quelled some inner yearning before things got out of hand. Happiness (well, at least bicycle nirvana) would have been found. And that would have been that. Or whether this would have been just one more piece of wood for a smouldering, greedy, insatiable fire.

I’m too old and too cynical to be sentimental about most things. But a fragment of trivia caught my attention as I was skipping through the news channels. Now I’m not sure of the context nor how a piece like this becomes newsworthy. But the story, as I understand it, is about a couple who met when the chap was just 14 years old. Many years later the lady passed away leaving her life-long partner with some wonderful memories of the time they shared together. Some time later their son took a photo juxtaposing a fragment of the past with the present situation where this chap is once again on his own. When the chap was asked how he knew that she was “the one” (a valid question in our modern world with seemingly endless choices) the chap simply states “She had a skirt!”.

This is the photograph (from http://dearphotograph.com):

Dear Photograph,

Thank you for everything we had.

Maybe they were lucky.

Maybe it’s not just the choice they made but their ability to stick by it.

Pushies Galore

2011-07-17T19:16:00.012+10:00

A Llewellyn track bike in Columbus MS, a 1932 Minerva, a couple of Hetchins, a couple of awesome frankenbikes and a C Record-equipped Ken Evans and Colnago Master. Glad I brought my iphone. Shame I had only 40 minutes.

Next time I bring the troll.

More pics at:

http://bikingbrisbane.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gbannerman/collections/72157627219396632/