Ultimate Bike Thread....

[greglepore]

Waiting to be built-DA di2 and 50mm carbon wheels

[porsche930dude]

[porsche930dude]

NEW CUSTOM BICYCLE COLNAGO MASTER OLYMPIC 55 CAMPAGNOLO C RECORD ORO GOLD

[look 171]

Somehow Colnago always manages to deliver a gold plated bike every few years. I have seen those in the mid 80s (curved fork) at our local bike shop but knowing that it is ugly gold plated, hairy chest, Corvette driving manly man's Colnago, I secretly wanted one. Eventually I got one, but not gold plated (thank goodness).

My daily rider is now the Time.

[Racerbvd]

Not mine, but wist it was..

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Bikes just fall from the sky....
Lookee at what I rode up to the other day sitting in a ditch by the side of the road. After looking around for the corpse of a dead rider, and looking at the dry rotted tires, I came to the conclusion that this bike had been stored 20+ years somewhere inside/barn/etc... put in a truck to be hauled off, and then fell off the back of someone's trailer or something and was left for dead. It has been there for a week or two. It is visible from the road, and no one has claimed it.

It is a Nishiki with sugino parts/mid 1980's, araya rims. It has not been outside for long, as all bearings work and the chain is not totally encrusted.The brake calipers are not rusted, they are a neat anodized shade of copper. The rims spin true. The only downside I see in "adopting" should the owner never claim it, is that the wheels are 27x1 inch, and I do not want to waste $$$ on even a new set of tires for this (all I got are 700c). But a shame to let it rot. Thoughts? What is one to do in such a situation?

[Jim Bremner]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

Bikes just fall from the sky....
Lookee at what I rode up to the other day sitting in a ditch by the side of the road. After looking around for the corpse of a dead rider, and looking at the dry rotted tires, I came to the conclusion that this bike had been stored 20+ years somewhere inside/barn/etc... put in a truck to be hauled off, and then fell off the back of someone's trailer or something and was left for dead. It has been there for a week or two. It is visible from the road, and no one has claimed it.

It is a Nishiki with sugino parts/mid 1980's, araya rims. It has not been outside for long, as all bearings work and the chain is not totally encrusted.The brake calipers are not rusted, they are a neat anodized shade of copper. The rims spin true. The only downside I see in "adopting" should the owner never claim it, is that the wheels are 27x1 inch, and I do not want to waste $$$ on even a new set of tires for this (all I got are 700c). But a shame to let it rot. Thoughts? What is one to do in such a situation?

It's a 1985 don't swap it to 700c I don't think that the brakes will reach.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Add bike thief to my resume!
We live in a very rural area. I'm going to post "bike found" signs at the ends of the road I found it on and if no one claims it, it's mine.

Interesting find. Nishiki Prestige. Never a great bike, but not total crap. What amazed me is that everything (sans tires) works. Chain even works. All cables work. All bearings. Everything is in adjustment. It reminds me of how well the pre SIS worked back in the day. One of my favorite parts is the rear rack, which says "Jim Blackburn", not just Blackburn. It also has neet hooks for attaching stuff on the dropouts.

I will probably just get some tires and be done with it. Funny how you can have 1000 more important projects around the house, and at least for me I concentrate on the least common denominator of a project (this one)- enjoyable though.

Bad news, I don't know what to do with it. 170mm cranks. 10 speed (I live in mtn's and like wider ranges), 38mm? bars. Wonky stuff... but oh well. A good day over all! I just couldn't let this thing rust any more on the side of the road!

[intakexhaust]

^^ha leaky, nice find! Can relate to the zillion other projects but somehow feel a little luv to resurrect a junked bike. Sometimes to keep and really use the bike, others just to pass along or donate. Especially kids bikes for the needy during this time of year. Spend maybe 20 minutes on a bike, use budget tubes, pads, good second hand tires. This is a big deal for some tykes.

Your Nishiki might have a few desirable pieces on it. Retro heads, collectors like the old Blackburn racks (30 buckaroo worth...). Is the fork bent? Looks like some tour cog, good enough for the hills. Perhaps some 27" Pasella's on sale would have you riding in style. Cheer's-

BTW: Recent found this '66 Schwinn 'Racer' 3 speed on the side of road along with other bikes and junked appliances. Left them all and just took this one. Was just about to pass on it but thought 'what the heck?!' Beastly, made in Chicago with electroforged frame. Porter basket. It'll be long time before I get around to servicing it.

[Jim Bremner]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

Add bike thief to my resume!
We live in a very rural area. I'm going to post "bike found" signs at the ends of the road I found it on and if no one claims it, it's mine.

Interesting find. Nishiki Prestige. Never a great bike, but not total crap. What amazed me is that everything (sans tires) works. Chain even works. All cables work. All bearings. Everything is in adjustment. It reminds me of how well the pre SIS worked back in the day. One of my favorite parts is the rear rack, which says "Jim Blackburn", not just Blackburn. It also has neet hooks for attaching stuff on the dropouts.

I will probably just get some tires and be done with it. Funny how you can have 1000 more important projects around the house, and at least for me I concentrate on the least common denominator of a project (this one)- enjoyable though.

Bad news, I don't know what to do with it. 170mm cranks. 10 speed (I live in mtn's and like wider ranges), 38mm? bars. Wonky stuff... but oh well. A good day over all! I just couldn't let this thing rust any more on the side of the road!

I worked at a Bicycle Shop on Main Street in Seal Beach California when this bike was brand new. We sold a ton of these. I wish that life could be as simple as it was in summer of '85 at age 19. The only worries of the day was would lunch come from Nick's Deli or the Taco Shop next door. Listening to KNAC back when it was a New Wave Station prior to it turning Heavy Metal and later to a Spanish Station.

I worked with my best friends who I still keep in contact with. Bikes were our lives and two of us are still in the biz. I still live close to Seal Beach and I would love to retire in that town that we refer to as "Mulberry" in Southern California.

Every now and then I spot a bike from that era and I'll see the shop's decal on the frame. When I placed our shops sticker on bikes that we sold or serviced I would use my pointer finger as a gauge under the front derailleur My finger is a little fatter than it was back in the late 1980's but I still find bikes that had been wrenched on by a younger me.

[intakexhaust]

While on topic of Colnago's, recently acquired this 1977 Super equipped with Cinelli criterium bars, stem, Campy Super Record shift group, hubs, pista pedals, Zeus crank with the ti bottom bracket, Zeus freewheel. On tubulars.

Another project to preserve and little change. Its straight, ding free, minor scratch's given its original condition, stored dry and no rust.

I'd like to replace the early Dura Ace 27.2 mm diam. post and the Suntour Superbe brakeset with perhaps period Campagnolo Nuovo or Super Record. The Ritchey saddle certainly is going.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

I worked at a Bicycle Shop on Main Street in Seal Beach California when this bike was brand new. We sold a ton of these. I wish that life could be as simple as it was in summer of '85 at age 19. The only worries of the day was would lunch come from Nick's Deli or the Taco Shop next door. Listening to KNAC back when it was a New Wave Station prior to it turning Heavy Metal and later to a Spanish Station.

I worked with my best friends who I still keep in contact with. Bikes were our lives and two of us are still in the biz. I still live close to Seal Beach and I would love to retire in that town that we refer to as "Mulberry" in Southern California.

Every now and then I spot a bike from that era and I'll see the shop's decal on the frame. When I placed our shops sticker on bikes that we sold or serviced I would use my pointer finger as a gauge under the front derailleur My finger is a little fatter than it was back in the late 1980's but I still find bikes that had been wrenched on by a younger me.

My first job was in a bike shop too in 1985! We didn't sell Nishiki, but sold Bridgestone and whatnot. I later worked in several other bike shops as a teenager. It was odd, that working there, I felt the same way you did, and nostalgically, it was the best of times, but at the time, it reminded me of "the industrial smell" thread, which made me think of how as much as I love the smell of a bike shop (and smelling like one)- doing it for a living made me want to go ahead and go back to school. I went to college, and during a recession in 92, went back to working in a bike shop I worked in in 87'- at 1987 prices.

Since then, I have had the privilege of owning/riding a good number of fine bikes-from free to $10,000- but when I think of the MOST fun I have had- especially most fun per $- the three bikes I pulled out of trash cans, or was given- were tops!

Here's a silly gratuitous pic I made of a Trek 930 frame I pulled from a trash can around 1995:

Here's a pic of my wife riding a warranty bike frame (Chigaco- Schwinn Cimarron) I was given from the owner of Rowlett's bikes in Richmond va after a summer of hard work in his shop 1987:

The other bike I pulled from a garbage can was a schwinn continental, which I bolted a rear cog to the front crankarm to make a poor man's MTB. Intake's Schwinn reminds me of it a little. It was before the cimarron, and in the name of Chevy Chase's Vacation, I named the "family truckster" and was as fun as anything!

Good times!

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

I worked at a Bicycle Shop on Main Street in Seal Beach California when this bike was brand new. We sold a ton of these. I wish that life could be as simple as it was in summer of '85 at age 19. The only worries of the day was would lunch come from Nick's Deli or the Taco Shop next door. Listening to KNAC back when it was a New Wave Station prior to it turning Heavy Metal and later to a Spanish Station.

I worked with my best friends who I still keep in contact with. Bikes were our lives and two of us are still in the biz. I still live close to Seal Beach and I would love to retire in that town that we refer to as "Mulberry" in Southern California.

Every now and then I spot a bike from that era and I'll see the shop's decal on the frame. When I placed our shops sticker on bikes that we sold or serviced I would use my pointer finger as a gauge under the front derailleur My finger is a little fatter than it was back in the late 1980's but I still find bikes that had been wrenched on by a younger me.

That shop must be Two Wheel Deal (something like it?) near PCH at the end of Main? By 85, we rode down there from LA. Didn't have a car, just started driving. I know what you mean, all my friend and I did was ride and train daily. Nothing was more important to us then riding and the little racing (that was available) on the weekends. Good times. I wish I can go back.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

While on topic of Colnago's, recently acquired this 1977 Super equipped with Cinelli criterium bars, stem, Campy Super Record shift group, hubs, pista pedals, Zeus crank with the ti bottom bracket, Zeus freewheel. On tubulars.

Another project to preserve and little change. Its straight, ding free, minor scratch's given its original condition, stored dry and no rust.

I'd like to replace the early Dura Ace 27.2 mm diam. post and the Suntour Superbe brakeset with perhaps period Campagnolo Nuovo or Super Record. The Ritchey saddle certainly is going.

That's one pretty bike but such little stem. I wish Colnago or bikes today would go back to single color. I have all the graphics on the new bikes or wheels for that matter. My Masterlight has too much graphics on it for my taste.

[look 171]

My job was Woody's bike on Los Feliz blvd just outside Griffith Park. Think you might know the place, Jim? It was 83. I walked in there asking for a job one day because I missed the bus home second week of high school. I told the owner I can build wheels front scratch and can work on many high end bikes. He hired me on the spot for 8 bucks a day from 3:30-7pm. Did it for three days a week and Saturday all day for 20 bucks a day. I never got to build any high end bikes but a bunch of junk made of plumbing pipes. Most of the time, I was pitting these lower end bikes together out of the boxes. Cleaning the place was the other part of my job. It took my all of 4 weeks to get rid of the trash and organize their work area. By then, I just realized I was their mechanic. You talk about smell, there's a certain smell to a bike shop. Not Performance type, but a bike shop. I am not sure if its the oil, I just can't put my finger on it. I can't say I like it, but I was in the "industry" with some discounts on parts.

[Jim Bremner]

The pic that I posted say's "me" next to it. It's not me! that's the chief designer for Eddy Merckx

Two wheel Transit was on Main in Huntington Beach. I worked at Seal Beach Cycle Shop.

[look 171]

What do you think about those new Merckx frames compare to the Time. Tell you this, you are absolutely correct about the Time frame. This this is the best frame I have ever ridden. I have owned a few carbon frames over the years. Its like a Cadillac over bumps but no give on the BB off the saddle. If those Merckx, Chipollini or other higher end frames ride better then that, then they must be amazing.

[greglepore]

Leakyseals-if you actually won Devil's Backbone, you must be quite a stud... . That's one hell of a course, rode some of it while I was down in Va for worlds.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by greglepore

Leakyseals-if you actually won Devil's Backbone, you must be quite a stud... . That's one hell of a course, rode some of it while I was down in Va for worlds.

Oooooooh no! That was a joke I put up on FB several years ago. I was coming out of an injury and don't remember where I ended up, but it wasn't first! It was more along the lines of all my friends with their carbon cx bikes with carbon aero rims and such, and here I am on a trash can.
That's a wonderful course btw... one of my favorites. Right down the street. We ride portions of it in fall/winter as a night ride.

The uphills are brutal

Here's some dude downhill grinning

[look 171]

Why do people ride like that? they aren't in a race, one bump is all it takes to loosen all his front teeth. I see this on my group ride on this long down hill. Just pedal 3-4 easy pedal strokes on the top gear and you will pass them up all day long. I just wish they get that fat ass back on that saddle and put some weight where it is stable. They must watch too much TV?