Yes, I confess, it was my Carlton that blew a tire right outside the parking lot at the beginning of the ride. I reached into my pack for my mini-tool, necessary to remove the wheel nuts, and discovered that I'd forgotten it. So, I sheepishly told everyone else to go on, tucked my tail between my legs, and shuffled back to my car. I saw the whole crew glide across Fair Oaks Avenue as I waited for a traffic light on my way home, the humiliated Carlton hanging on my bike rack. Sigh. Maybe next month...
Today a remarkable thing happened. I drove south to Carlsbad to pick up yet another bike I bought on Ebay, an early 50's Olmo with the old, single-jockeywheel Campagnolo rear derailleur (I forget what it's called) and suicide shifter in front. Part of my search for a bike that's almost as old as I am. It was at Pacific Coast Cycles on Roosevelt St. in Carlsbad, and, wow, is that a great shop! The owner, Chuck Hoefer, is extraordinarily friendly and helpful, and the shop is full of wonderful old bikes and parts. The kind of place that has a whole wall of tiny, mismatched plastic drawers, each loaded with small parts. Exactly the opposite of the squeaky-clean, modern shop filled with clothes and mountain bikes. One of his bikes was a mid-70s Cinelli, all Super Record, and I came soooo close to asking the price. Only the image of my wife waiting at home with a new cast-iron skillet stopped me.
Anyway, I mentioned that my current project in a late 50s Allegro, and Chuck started to tell me the story of a local person who had one. Hmmm, interesting; the original owner of my bike lived in Carlsbad or Oceanside, the next town north along the coast. The bike was stolen once, and he just happened to see someone riding it as he was test-riding a new tandem. He followed the culprit, got his address, and reported it to the owner. The owner called the police, and the bike was recovered. We started comparing notes, and it became obvious that it was my bike (unless there were two red 59-cm Allegros without decals and a thick, gunky paint job in Carlsbad, California at the same time.)
On the way out with my "new" Olmo, I noticed that Chuck had quite a nice selection of 27" tires, so I bought a new pair of Continentals to replace the cheapo tires on the Carlton. The old rims on the Carlton do not hook the bead, like modern ones, so the tire can slip off the rim, causing a blowout. Perhaps the better tires, with stronger bead wires, will help. (Anyone have another suggestion?)
Afterward, I took a pleasant ride south along the coast, turning around just north of La Jolla. Not on the Carlton though; it's sulking in the garage with its wheels off.
Steve Maas
Long Beach, California, USA