i guess this is following protocol, so here it goes:
have been a "cyclist" since '86...got started w/ my high school buddies, some of whom had been riding casually for a few years prior. my first "real" bike was a trek 510 with a "full campy gruppo"...i wasnt sure what that meant, but it had to be a good thing (even though it was the lowly triomphe groupset). these were glorious days of cycling...hinault, kelly, lemond, fignon, moser, roche...true giants and legends of the sport.
i raced with minimal success through my collegiate years and even after...took a few years away from the sporting side due to burnout...and have been making a "comeback" for the last few years.
to continue the equipment thread, since this list is focused on that, the trek was upgraded to include a mish-mosh of high-end campy and non-campy bits. then in '88 i made the move to a "real" italian frame: a circa '84 ciocc "mockba '80" frame/fork with a mix of super and c-record stuff. i dug it, but after riding it for only a season, it was burglarized from my home in '89. that was a sad day for me. using the insurance proceeds, i got a bottecchia "team ADR"...like lemond's from the '89 season. but it was built up with...GASP...a full dura-ace groupset. in my defense, i was a poor college student and didnt have enough plasma to afford a proper campy build. that was my main ride until '96. however, in the early '90s, through a strange twist of events, i was reunited with the stolen ciocc. i've since had the ciocc "restored" by a local builder to become my main bike, but, alas, it's built up w/ current campy stuff...so doesnt qualify as "classic" save the frame.
my plan is to build up a proper vintage italian frame to be ridden. i dont think i have the stomach/wallet for a full-on restoration project to get the paint/decals/components right down to the n-th degree. but as long as it's close and rides well, it'll make me sooo happy!
good riding to all!
walter "i like to ride" manning originally from central ohio but now in southeast michigan