1989 Tour de Trump

Really, do you "purists" really want to go back to the Pre-Carbon Bike Age of neon accessories, supermullets and cheesy graphics? I definitely don't, not after seeing those so-called Space Age sunglasses Davis Phinney was sporting.

about 2 years ago Josenka 9 comments 0 recs |

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Whoa

threaded stems!

"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert

by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 16, 2009 10:32 AM EST reply actions

I took my bike to the LBS a couple months ago...

and when I was wheeling it out, the owner/my friend was schmoozing this little QT bike chick. When I stopped to talk to them, she looked at my bike, “is that steel?” And flicked my top tube! Of course it made a nice TINK sound.
Me: Wanna race? I sprint ya around the block right now, on your carbon whatever! Let’s do this! What I actually said was something like – “Yes, it’s an old Italian track bike, that’s how they made ’em. And see this right here (pointing to the seat tube cluster), this is a hand-crafted, silver-brazed lug as are the other two.”

Hmmph. mumble, mumble, mumble Flick my top tube? mumble, mumble…I flick your top tube.

"My facking goat didn’t wear Robes! Does he look Scottisch?!" Baron von Frinkenstein

by swells on Nov 16, 2009 10:55 AM EST up reply actions

Old steel

irresistible to the touch.

"Harder! Better! Faster! Stronger!" Philippe Gilbert

by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 16, 2009 11:06 AM EST up reply actions

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steel-is-real/

by tedvdw on Nov 16, 2009 1:17 PM EST up reply actions

/sigh/

That Suntour Superbe Pro Brake lever is featherlight! I have a set sans hoods (not so easy to come by).

"My facking goat didn’t wear Robes! Does he look Scottisch?!" Baron von Frinkenstein

by swells on Nov 16, 2009 1:50 PM EST up reply actions

but suntour superbe pro rear der's were crap

because of the alloy-alloy fixing bolt. A stripped out thread just waiting to happen.

by R Mc on Nov 18, 2009 7:42 PM EST up reply actions

That brings up another subject: "Breakaway" Derailleur Bolts.

Having been the victim of catching my rear der. in the spokes and seeing the dropout twisted grotesquely skyward, I employed an alloy “breakaway” version ever since on the theory that it would snap off prior to the expensive part. It never happened to me again, but I never heard stories of one of these "Breakaways’ saving the day.

Side note: although inconvenienced by it’s absence while being repaired, this is one of the several things I love about steel frames…I simply sent it back to the factory and they replaced the dropout for $100.00! (Then they charged me an additional $350.00 to repaint the whole thing…but that’s not the point).

"My facking goat didn’t wear Robes! Does he look Scottisch?!" Baron von Frinkenstein

by swells on Nov 19, 2009 7:19 AM EST up reply actions