[CR]Re: Now: Retro Cool

(Example: Framebuilders:Richard Moon)

From: <BobHoveyGa@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 11:16:20 EST
Subject: [CR]Re: Now: Retro Cool
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org


I'm with Nick. I went to high school and later attended college in very rural areas. My dad and I drove nearly an hour to find a Peugeot dealer where I bought a PX-10 that was too big for me but the dealer said was just right. Most of the time I had no riding partners let alone access to a decent bike shop, so even with subscriptions to Bicycling and Bike World it was difficult to know what was truly cool or where to get it.

Most of the time I headed out on short rides in gym shorts, a tank top, and sneakers. If it was a longer ride I left the sneakers and went in bowling shoes (a fairly light, readily available and inexpensive substitute for bike shoes). Slung across my shoulder was a grey Navy gas mask bag containing a Nikon FTn, a small sketchbook and a baggie or two of dried fruit and nuts and homemade bread.

My bike had a Zefal pump to replace the Silca that I blew out (I had no floor pump, so one pump did it all), an adapter screwed on the front brake pivot bolt (hey... remember how gas stations didn't charge for air?), and many little touches that came from staring at my bike between rides and figuring where I could save a gram or two (such as hanging the brake from a hole drilled thru the stem and getting rid of the Mafac hanger... and don't worry, it was a nice thick Pivo stem, not the AVA crap that came on the bike). Or cutting the webs out of the chainrings... (sort of a Stronglight version of SR). And some touches that just came from wanting the bike to work better (first thing to go was that damned push-rod front derailleur... LJ Super, front and rear was what the bike ended up with). And some changes were just to appease the artist in me. I spend hours filing and sanding the casting marks (and logos) off of the Mafac centerpulls and polishing them with rouge... when I was done they gleamed like jewelry. I seriously doubt any serious rider would have considered me cool. In fact, I experienced a distinct sense of un-coolness every time I ran into someone with a really niice bike... for years the only item I owned with the Campy trademark on it was a tiny tub of grease. But most of the time I was delighted to have a bike that felt like a best friend, that would get me where I wanted to go and never let me down.

Bob Hovey Colubms, GA

In a message dated 1/3/05 9:04:37 AM, classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org writes:


>
> In the mid to late 60s cool to me was having a ten speed racer that I used
> to
> outrace the farm dogs nipping at my heels. I wore cut-offs,tennis shoes, and
> a golf shirt.
>
> In the bike-boom 70s, I was working for Beacon Cycle and got me a new
> Mercier
> ten speed. Still wore the same clothes as before and rode the bike paths of
> Phoenix
> early every morning and did sprints every evening.
>
> The only thing that was cool to me; was being on the bike and riding
> thousands of
> miles with just me and the bicycle. Didn't need much else.
>
> Nick Zatezalo
> Atlanta,Ga