Farewell Cannondale.

Still hurting from the news of months ago. Cannondale to end frame production in Pennsylvania. Sad and unfortunate. I will never ever buy a C-dale without "HANDMADE IN USA" on it. Say goodbye to my future $$.

Still tinkering, and thinking.

About old Steel and future projects. Picked up a Peugeot PR-10 to build as close a copy of a PX as I can from an affordable bike, changed my '71 Raleigh Super Course to Campagnolo and generally tinkered away.

Out on the old steel.

Of all my old bikes I have one I never really wanted to ride, it is my size, there is nothing explicitly wrong with it other than it's age, and the components it's built with.

Bottecchia's are not common here in the states, for every Bott sold there must have been a thousand Peugeot's. My Deluxe is the realitive equal of a Peugeot UO-8, just with a lot more Italian panache.

When the plastic Simplex gear self destructed, I took it upon myself to replace it all with period Campagnolo Valentino gear. I repacked the bottom bracket, and eventually put the factory wheels and hubs back on. It's pretty much period perfect to 1969/70, and gives the feel of a machine from the mid 50's. The white cotton tape and leather saddle lend to the vintage feel.

Last night, faced with the sobering prospect that I was now moving into older, and even more eccentric bicycles, I had the notion to go down stairs, pull the Bottecchia off it's hook and go for a ride. So I pulled on my shoes, slid into the stirrups and away I went, my mind obsessing over every creak from the aged Campag gear. All was good until about a half a mile outside of town, where the chain (new) parted ways with its self , and I and the Bott came skidding to a rather abrupt halt. I walked back to town, bike in one hand, chain in the other.

Thirty minutes later, chain repaired, and liberally lubed I rolled south again towards the farm. Carefully increasing my cadence to see how well the ancient machine would hold up. Happily it preformed rather well. And I reached my destination without incident.

I'm not sure the Bottecchia will have a fixed spot in my rotation, but it's no longer mentally off limits.

My first trip to a Velodrome.

Can not tell you how much I admire the pure skill these folks have to ride the banked boards.

And no, I did not try it.

My trip into Michigan,

Was a blast!

The Ann Arbor gang live in a true hotbed of interesting classic steel. A second Bobet touring model followed me home, thanks to my Buddies John and Matt, John also happened to score for me one of my "Grail machines, a '62 Raleigh Gran Sport!

Headed north.

For a little fun next weekend.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=d72djhw_0hcjz4dhs&hl=en

Louison resurgent.

I have a wealth in interesting friends, many of them are, like myself, unstoppable scroungers. Last year, one of them in Michigan, which seems to be a hotbed for vintage lightweights, found this 60's Louison Bobet touring model, (well, his wife found it) in a dumpster! I was a pretty good timecapsule of it's era, right down to the Rigida dimpled rims laced to high flange Normandy hubs, and the cottered Nervar crankset. Even the early Huret Alviet derailleurs were intact! With a soft spot for old French steel, we came to an agreement and Louison followed me home.

It's not up to the quality that the three time TDF winner rode, but it's as good as any moderate Mercier, (which it is). And it seems that Bobet's were only imported through a shop called Cyclopedia in Michigan in the 60's and 70's.

http://www.cyclinghalloffame.com/riders/rider_bio.asp?rider_id=32

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/France/Bobet_bicycles.htm

http://www.bianchiusa.com/09-bicycles/09-c2c/via-nirone-7-alu/09-c2c-nirone-alu-sora-comp.html

Yeah, I'm a sucker for a pretty face. We, (The shop I work for) became an official Bianchi dealer last week. I've been busy bolting together beautiful

Taiwaneese Bikes that speak with an Italian accent. Got to admit, though I was raised a steel purist, and my only venture into Alloy has been my pair

of welded in Bedford Cannondales, I truly want a Via Nirone, yeah it's asain, it's alloy, and it's only Sora, but still!

Visions of a low buck build dance in my head like a spinning Veloche crankset, and I'm digging for the $600 I need to buy it with my employee discount.

will it happen?? I hope so, do I need it?? No way, my '93 C-Dale R300 is a quite capable machine.

Another day, a few more sad wrecks.

And the most destroyed wallyworld cruiser I have ever seen, the owner gave up when the potential repair bill passed the cost of a new bike. But sadly not until after I tore away at it for two hours trying to change a headset that had never seen grease, topped by an immoveable stem, in a fork worn through by said headset.

Ugggh .

Some days you wish for a hipster, be a nice change from BMX's and battered cruisers...

Another day, a few more hybrids.

And thats what consumed my day, unboxing and slapping together Sun Kruisers and Cykle Origins, the one refreshing point was that the Origins are lugged steel, with a rough copy of a San Marco Regal as a seat, and some of the worst clones of old campy pedals I have ever seen, all of them required rebuilding.

Off to bed.

Spokes and Saddles is about what I'd like to make my living doing. I love vintage racing bicycles from the 50's to the early 90's. And I love the much more pedestrian "10 Speeds" of the era. Plain Raleigh Records and Grand Prix's, ornate Peugeot UO-8's, Bottecchia's with their horibly flaking paint, I love them all. History, legend, and a time when racing bikes were the "New Thing" from Europe.

I plan on trying to open my own shop, putting all my cards on the table and taking a chance. Lining the celing with my collection of vintage steel and the walls with posters of the giants of the sport, they always say, "you don't sell the steak, you sell the sizzle". If thats the case, it's sizzle we will sell.

To be Realistic, no shop gets by on new bike sale, or the rarefied air of vintage steel. Sadly, I'll be forced to pollute the floor with generic MTB's and Hybrids, all the while patching up damaged and disfigured rides for the local populace.

Off and on for the last couple of years, I took the time to read everything I could on bicycle repair, and go the extra step of working with a master mechanic with over 30 years of wrenching behind him. A teacher and mentor is irreplaceable when it comes to some of this stuff.

More soon, next up is LBS vs the Chain stores.

Coming soon