Hello Gang,
I had the pleasure finally to take my recently refinished '73 Colnago super out for a ride with some vintage guys yesterday. I finally got the tubular wheels on her, built on a pair of 32 hole Nisi rims I bought from Matteo at VRII. Rides some much sweeter with the tubular as opposed to the clincers.
The weather was very nice for a ride yesterday here in San Diego. Yeah, it was a bit windy with a slight chill to it out on Point Loma, but it winter for crying out loud. Mark Petry laughed as us locals were happy to be riding on such a beautiful day but still complaining a bit on account of the "slight chill" to the air. Hey, it's what we SoCal types do best; whine if the weather isn't perfect.
There were only five of us total yesterday including myself, Sterling Peters, and Mark Petry. We really did have a blast. I struggled up the climbs; fortunately I fitted a 7 spd FW (13-26) to the Colnago so I could get over the bumps. The der. on this bike (NR) wouldn't take my original 42-55 chainring combo so I fitted a 52T ring. I figured I'd not have the "overdrive gear" for the downhills, but it turns out I can still decend like a boulder pushed off a cliff in 52 x 13. No one can suck my wheel as I build up a head of steam and then tuck in for a coasting posture no one else can duplicate. Being a dwarf DOES have its advantages; just not while trying to reach a can of soup in the cupboard. We stopped in for lunch at Point Loma Seafoods where a warm cup of clam chowder and some coffee really hit the spot. And thanks Mark, for lunch. We finished up the ride back to Balboa Park in SD. Nothing like a brisk bike ride on Sunday to inspire me to inspect my eyelids for holes and light leaks when I get home. No wonder lots of Euro-Pros come here for the winter to train. The terrain, the weather, and the framebuilders here are all so nice! ;-)
Hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday and a great vintage ride to cap it off.
Brian Baylis La Mesa, CA Waiting for the first snow in San Diego. Should happen within the next 25 years or so! It has, you know.