Ultimate Bike Thread....

[greglepore]

Great post, Look...

Two things that will piss me off-a guy who pulls through after I pull and immediately jumps the pace 3 mph before I'm back on. If you're going to ramp it up, fine, but do so smoothly and gradually. The other is a guy who doesn't realize that he's smoking the dude on 2nd wheel with his monster pull-the aero benefit is 2-3 wheels back, second wheel is going pretty damn hard if the guy on the front is.

The thing to remember is that a paceline ride is not a race where the goal is to drop everyone.There are rides like that if you want, so go find one. A good paceline is like a team effort, everyone pretty much on the same page, and you need to communicate-ie a well placed comment-"short pull" or "don't surge" is appropriate. The pulls should be reasonable so as not to smoke wheel 2-the aforementioned 30-60 seconds, length shorter as speeds get higher. It is perfectly cool to skip rotations or even just sit in the smoking car, with one exception-if there's a sprint somewhere, don't contest it if you've been just sitting in.

Damn, I wish we had rides like that...most guys today either want to prove how strong they are without the risk of racing or are simply too inexperienced or arrogant to pull off a smooth group.

[look 171]

Greg,

How about the ones that take a pull and slows the pace down(or just don't know) but continue riding up front and wonder why everyone has pick up the pace going past him? What gets me is the rider sitting near the front, right off your wheel in a chase. You pull out after a hard turn but he sits up and not bridge the gap. Guys like that screw up the pace and kills you because now I have to do twice the work to latch back on. That guy will get a little crap from the others. Who knows, may be he's tired, that means he needs to be in mid pack.

What you described happens all the time. The inexperience riders get excited thinking he must shift or take a hard pull, but in reality, speed only needs to maintain. That's why I like the riders to just come on through without much drama and take their 10-15 pedal strokes and pull out smoothy. Problem is, everyone is looking at their damn heart rate, speed, cadence, output, and who knows what, and they don't even race. They should know if their speed has gone up even 1/2 mile just by the feel of their pedaling rotating.

The couple of groups here are pretty good and smooth but race pace fast. Oh yeah, they rip off the front when the opportunity comes up. There's always a sprint at the end. Its a long gradual hill that's about 1.5 mile long. I used to sit in all the time for the last 2-3 miles and let the hammer heads kill themselves and go after the sprint. No one really cares, its just for fun. Still, I managed to never win but one time in over 20 years of riding with them. Now, I am lucky if I finish.

[intakexhaust]

All things considered, I think the biggest challenge is just finding a group who share the idea of riding together in a spirited pace but with respects to all's capability and stick with it.

There's another group I tried maybe a half doz. times to hang with. Its a mid-week evening and a drop ride. Way out of my league and no fun. Eventually we'd all get back to the meet / start and it was usually just two or three guys flapping who's busting who. Its nice to be invited but I'm the old guy with the steel ride. I use that as an excuse usually busting their egos and about their CF rides. That the best they can do is beat on the old guys....LOL.

[CurtEgerer]

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

All things considered, I think the biggest challenge is just finding a group who share the idea of riding together in a spirited pace but with respects to all's capability and stick with it.

Agree 100%. I'm at a point where I just don't care about being the fast guy (or keeping pace with the fast guys) and a group of like-minded riders who are simply out for general fitness at 17-20MPH, no formal drafting/pacelines at all (unless it's windy), and a bit of enjoyment of the scenery is near impossible to find. I don't begrudge any group who goes out and puts the hammer down, it's just not what I'm interested in anymore.

And to wash away the horrid memories of those fixie images, here's 2 members of the Lithuanian World Cycling Team

[jyl]

Ah, fighting the wind on your own is better training for the body and soul anyway :-)

Pretend its a breakaway. Even if you're only breaking away from the old lady on a three speed doing her grocery shopping.

I remember at the end of one ride, during an experiment at no-carb eating, I bonked so bad that I was fighting to hang with a little girl riding her pink bike on the sidewalk. Who's say that wasn't as good toughening up for my soul as, say, trying to follow herroberst up a long climb?

[jyl]

Thought I would share the plans for my next bike project.

I've long been interested in the "randonneur" bicycles - you know, the spiritual descendants of Rene Herse and Alex Singer's constructeur machines, as proselytized by Bicycle Quarterly and others. As interpreted around here, these are steel lugged frames, 650B rims with wide low-pressure tires, wide range gearing, generator hubs and lights, cute little front racks and authoritative handlebar bags, Brooks saddles, shiny metal fenders, long mudflaps, etc.

My experience riding a rando bike is just a quick half mile test ride of a shop bike, but it was quite eye opening. I rode on a few blocks of very bad road surface, the sort of decomposed concrete with exposed aggregate and patched holes that a city gets when it neglects street maintenance, and on my daily ride road bike with its 25 mm 120 psi tires, I usually have to lift my delicate heine off the saddle. On the rando bike, pedaling seated, I was more comfortable than pedaling standing on the road bike, and the bike felt quicker than I would have guessed from the fat tires.

It so happens that I pulled a bike out of the basement that looks suitable for a randonneur project. Here it is:



This is a 1961 Bianchi Specialissima that I bought from a farmer in Central Oregon for $175. The bike has led a hard life, is very cosmetically challenged with quite a lot of rust, including on the chrome head lugs and on every component that is steel. It has repaired damage on the downtube, missing paint, barely legible decals. But it is complete.

The components are Gran Sport rear derailleur, Record front derailleur, Gran Sport shifters, Universal brakes and levers, Record Strada crankset, and Campagnolo hubs with oilports (Record?), and a two bolt Campagnolo seatpost that might be an old Record post. The stem is engraved "Bianchi" and I can't recall who made the bars. Rigida alloy rims, Regina freewheel, unmentionable saddle.

I have been cleaning up the rust, and will eventually clear coat the frame - so it will be heavily patina'd, but not further deteriorating. The components are cleaning up as well as can be expected. The frame has quite a bit of clearance, and I will fit 650B rims and 38 mm or maybe even 42 mm Grand Bois tires. The Universal Mod 61 brakes won't reach 650B rims, so I'll use some Mafac Raids or similar long-reach Diacompe or Weimann centerpulls.

On the drivetrain. I want to keep the existing derailleur drivetrain, because I like the way it looks. However, I'd like to be able to climb bill hills, carrying stuff in the handlebar bag, with the tired legs that one gets after 100 miles.

That is a problem. The crank is 151 BCD so the current 50/45 is about as climb friendly as it can get. The rear derailleur won't take much more than 26T and has very limited wrap capacity. A low of 45 x 26 isn't really low enough. I thought about having the crank drilled for a granny chainring, fitting a long cage to the rear derailleur, and hunting down a longer spindle for the 70 mm wide bottom bracket, but that sounds like a PITA and I lose the current "look".

So my plan is to use a Sturmey Archer CS-RF3, which is a three speed internal gear hub that accepts a Shimano 8 speed cassette. The OLD is spec'd at 135 mm, but I think I can reduce that to 120-123 mm by omitting spacers and thinning nuts. No frame modifications necessary. The hub's offset will get worse, but nothing that an asymmetrical rim like the Velocity Synergy OC won't fix. The hub accepts a standard shifter, which will be a Nuovo Record downtube shifter mounted somewhere silly, like by the seat tube water bottle. I plan to use a 13-24T 8-speed cassette, possibly with thinner (9 speed) spacers, and hope to be able to get 7 cogs within the swing of the derailleur, which I've eyeballed at 30 mm with limit screws backed all the way out. The combination of 45 x 24 with the hub's low gear should give me around 38-40 gear inches, depending on tire diameter. 50 x 13 with the hub's high gear will give me something like 130 GI top gear. I'll have single-cog steps between gears. The shifting complexity of a old 4x4 truck. And to the casual observer, I'll look like I'm skimming effortlessly up 8% grades in 45 x 21, which should be good for a few laughs.

Hammered aluminum fenders, a gererator hub, dual headlights on a front rack, and one of those canvas and leather handlebar bags that look like they belong on a horse. It will be an ugly bike but I'll get to try the randonneur experience for not a lot of investment. And if I just love the heck out of it, maybe someday I will tackle the frame's cosmetics. Which won't be easy at all - strip, fill, rechrome, respray, redecal, $$$, ouch.

P.S. Anyone know where to get hoods for Universal levers?

[intakexhaust]

John- WOW! That is so cool.

Now for the irony. Just yesterday participated in a large group ride with fellow vintage cyclist. Lots of stunning machinery but I was affixed an identical bike to yours. Same color too. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

[intakexhaust]

Another quick pic but hiding behind the Trek-
Owner confirmed its a 1961.

[CurtEgerer]

Originally Posted by jyl

.... I bonked so bad that I was fighting to hang with a little girl riding her pink bike on the sidewalk ....

LMFAO Mainly because all good humor has a bit of truth in it. And I've been there.

Nice Bianchi.

[CurtEgerer]

OK, I'll bite ... what in the HELL is on the end of the handlebar on that Trek

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

OK, I'll bite ... what in the HELL is on the end of the handlebar on that Trek

I'll field this one. That's a cheap chinese mirror. I tried one on my commute bike, but took it off after struggling with it for a week. You can have it if you want, mine is black.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

OK, I'll bite ... what in the HELL is on the end of the handlebar on that Trek

I think it is a device for self-pleasuring while on the ride.

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by look 171

...... Their goal is to keep it between 25-30 mph for the entire 55 mile ride.....

Boy, that is really hiking.

I avoid riding in groups. I know that its possible to get a harder ride, but I find the pace variations, the concentration required, unknown quantities riding all around you- and mostly the stupid hand signals - detract from the whole thing. I don't enjoy it.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

Another quick pic but hiding behind the Trek-
Owner confirmed its a 1961.

That looks like a beauty. I wish mine were so clean!

These bikes have some quirks. The biggest is the headset. Proprietary Bianchi integrated headset using 1/8" balls. The parts are unobtanium and no other headset fits. Servicing requires a special pin wrench, I had to spend >$60 for a vintage VAR tool. The headset on my bike was bone dry, and rough. Crossed my fingers and rebuilt it with new balls and lots of grease. Result - it is serviceable, not too bad.

The bottom bracket is 70 mm Campagnolo, I can't tell if anything else about it is weird, but I'm re-using it anyway. Nice and smooth after repacking and new balls.

If I even do re-finish the frame, I will probably sacrifice originality and do it in Celeste. The early 1960's Specialissimas were not imported to the US in Celeste, but they could be had in Italy with that color.

The bike has an interesting history. Under the pump, there is a Dymo tape label with a name and a Berkeley address that is in the hills, a few blocks from where I used to live. But the bike was found in Central Oregon, with evidence of repaired collision damage (which is okay to ride, per an inspection I had done). I located someone of that name who lived elsewhere in Berkeley, and wrote the wife a letter, real pen and ink because I didn't have an email address. She emailed me back and gave me the history of the bike. Her husband had a long and distinguished academic career the UC Berkeley (I found lots of papers published by him). He bought the bike for cash plus the trade of a used car, and rode it from their home in the Berkeley Hills to a field station in Richmond where he did his research, every day for many decades. That would be about 10 miles of hills up to 10%, or more depending on route. Then he suffered a brain injury, and could no longer cycle, but he kept trying to ride his bike, so she gave it away to a thrift store in Oregon where they had a second home. The husband was very angry that his beloved bike had been disposed of, and was very happy to hear news of it. He wrote me a letter, quite garbled, explaining how he bought the bike and that it had been ridden down a hill too fast, crashed into a telephone pole, and never worked right after that. The time sequence of his narrative was confused, but I think the crash was in fact how he sustained his brain injury. From the dates the wife gave me, he would have been 79 y/o at the time of the crash.

So when I look at the bike, I think of a man who bought a bike was strong enough to ride the Berkeley Hills in 45 x 26 for most of his life and was still riding when almost eighty. I've preserved that Dymo tape strip, and it will stay with the bike.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by jyl

..... Who's say that wasn't as good toughening up for my soul as, say, trying to follow herroberst up a long climb?

Hey, I'm not the animal who decided to take on the Diablo sufferfest!

[jyl]

We're spending holidays in CA again so I might go back to Mt Diablo, but I'll fit a bigger freewheel. Or lose 10 lb.

[jyl]

See eBay 111505012168

Another quick pic but hiding behind the Trek-

Owner confirmed its a 1961.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

All things considered, I think the biggest challenge is just finding a group who share the idea of riding together in a spirited pace but with respects to all's capability and stick with it.

There's another group I tried maybe a half doz. times to hang with. Its a mid-week evening and a drop ride. Way out of my league and no fun. Eventually we'd all get back to the meet / start and it was usually just two or three guys flapping who's busting who. Its nice to be invited but I'm the old guy with the steel ride. I use that as an excuse usually busting their egos and about their CF rides. That the best they can do is beat on the old guys....LOL.

I understand how you feel about the ciht talking afterwards. I don't get into those and save it for the young guys. Most of the guys on our ride are seasoned from the old days and the new guys are trained, so they keep that crap away. But they will turn on the gas because it is a training ride and most of them race. A few of the older farts were on the olympic back up roster or were national riders, so their attitude is pretty mellow. There are many occasions where they are pushing me back into the group on the hilly sections because I am just dead. Its not about who cross the finish first but out for a great time.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by stuartj

Boy, that is really hiking.

I avoid riding in groups. I know that its possible to get a harder ride, but I find the pace variations, the concentration required, unknown quantities riding all around you- and mostly the stupid hand signals - detract from the whole thing. I don't enjoy it.

Yeah, Its not for everyone. That's like getting me on the track, drive with others that are inches from me turning at 70 miles with the gas pedal pressed onto the floor. I would pee in my pants. But for some, its a walk in the park because others know exactly what to do in a certain situation keeping it safe. I agree about the stupid hand signals. Its gotten really dump over the years, but if you look at a bunch of very experience riders in a group, there are very little of that extreme signaling going on. Its there to communicate with others all the time, but usually a simple pointing of a finger or a flick of an elbow. Watch the pros when you have a chance, there's not much signals going on that most people will notice.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by jyl

The bike has an interesting history. Under the pump, there is a Dymo tape label with a name and a Berkeley address that is in the hills, a few blocks from where I used to live. But the bike was found in Central Oregon, with evidence of repaired collision damage (which is okay to ride, per an inspection I had done). I located someone of that name who lived elsewhere in Berkeley, and wrote the wife a letter, real pen and ink because I didn't have an email address. She emailed me back and gave me the history of the bike. Her husband had a long and distinguished academic career the UC Berkeley (I found lots of papers published by him). He bought the bike for cash plus the trade of a used car, and rode it from their home in the Berkeley Hills to a field station in Richmond where he did his research, every day for many decades. That would be about 10 miles of hills up to 10%, or more depending on route. Then he suffered a brain injury, and could no longer cycle, but he kept trying to ride his bike, so she gave it away to a thrift store in Oregon where they had a second home. The husband was very angry that his beloved bike had been disposed of, and was very happy to hear news of it. He wrote me a letter, quite garbled, explaining how he bought the bike and that it had been ridden down a hill too fast, crashed into a telephone pole, and never worked right after that. The time sequence of his narrative was confused, but I think the crash was in fact how he sustained his brain injury. From the dates the wife gave me, he would have been 79 y/o at the time of the crash.

So when I look at the bike, I think of a man who bought a bike was strong enough to ride the Berkeley Hills in 45 x 26 for most of his life and was still riding when almost eighty. I've preserved that Dymo tape strip, and it will stay with the bike.

Very cool that you were able to track down the story on the old bike John!