[CR]Random blathering regarding old friends and new

(Example: History:Norris Lockley)

From: <PBridge130@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 03:24:23 EDT
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Random blathering regarding old friends and new

Since moving to SoCal in Fed, I've been distracted with a major home remodel. Gutted kitchen, gutted dining room, one gutted bath, etc. Living in a cons truction jobsite. The result is that there are a lot of bikes (relatively speaking -- I don't own thirty or forty, or even twenty, sorry) in boxes in the garage, untouched.

In preparation for the San Diego vintage gathering tomorrow, I pulled out the first box my hands touched, and even though I was sort of hoping to find my pimped-out Motobecane Grand Record, the contents turned out to be my oldest cycling friend, my Eisentraut. That's been the one bike I bought new, and the one I've kept, through the passing of many, many others. I've got tens of thousands of miles on that bike, and I've always loved it. It's a mid 70's B, in A clothing, with a long top tube, a very short rear end, with short drops (you've got to slap a wheel into place smartly, if the tire is inflated, because even 23c's hit the seat tube on the way in), and a steep front end.

Although I did commute on it occasionally last summer, I haven't been on the Traut in over a year, having spend my few recent rides on my Merlin Extralight road bike, and my 84 Ritchey mtn bike. I put it together this afternoon, took it out for a test drive, and I was truly astonished. My Merlin is a Lexus. Utterly comfortable, utterly relaxed, subtle and unassuming. Smooth and damp, very relaxed steering. The Traut is none of those things, even though my body fell into that old riding position as if it were coming home. The Traut is demanding -- it demands focus, and it asks to be tossed hard into corners. It asks to be jammed on coming out of corners. It's a lean, mean, nasty race machine, built for speed, not comfort. It was eye-opening to be on it. It does not have the "lively" quality that I've always liked in the rear ends of traditional Italian SL bikes, and which my Merlin does have -- it's stiffer than that. It demands to be kicked hard, used hard, sweated on, and paid attention to. What a fine bike.

The Traut has never been "correct". It was born a race bike, and it's lived most of its life a race bike. Parts came, parts were used up, parts went, and what hung on it was whatever was available that gave performance... or simply whatever was available. It is now showing its age -- its third paint job, done by Zinn in about '87, has crackling and oxidation bubbles. It's time for it to go to the spa for freshening.

Current parts:

HS -- SR, ancient, smooth, astonishly durable and long-lived BB -- NR, recent. Overhauled today, dead smooth. Ders -- late SR, clamp front. Shifters -- Simplex retro. Crank -- Mavic starfish, 175mm (thanks, James), and, damn, do I like 175's. After snapping an SR crank on this bike in 1988, at an estimated 40 mph, vintage Campy cranks have made me very nervous. (My Specialized helmet cracked dramatically upon impact, but my skull did not; I have a keloid on my elbow, and a faint pink sunburst on my left cheek, to remember that day, 17 years back.) Don't write me and tell me that Mavics are just as bad -- I don't want to know it. Ignorance is bliss (the US national motto in 2005). Brakes -- late SR, Aztec pads on the front. Brake levers -- Aero Gran Compe. What wonderful levers those are. Comfortable, smooth, feel great, and the hoods last forever. Post -- SR. Saddle -- Turbo. Stem -- Cinelli 1-R (I have never had a single problem with it). Bars -- Late Cinelli 64-44 (like 175 cranks, I sure prefer 44 bars). Tape -- cork Pedals -- early Time Racing, well worn, but entirely serviceable. Chain -- Shimano HG-91 (Shifts a bit vaguely, but still smoothly -- odd, but works just fine. Needs a bit more overshift than traditional chains. Smooth riding.) Hubs -- NR, 126, 28* Freewheel -- DuraAce 7, 13-19 (hey, a guy can dream) Rims -- Mavic Open 4 Silver (what great rims, fairly light, very tough -- to me, rims are like chains, or tubes -- consumable, and I don't generally try to find vintage) Spokes -- DT butted, brass nipples Tires -- Gommitalia "Calypso" (gitabike.com -- these tires are highly recommended) Grease -- Lubriplate

If my Merlin is a Lexus, my Traut is a Cobra. Unforgiving, but very rewarding. Loud, snarling, high maintenance, but pulls over a g in corners. Honest, in your face. I sure do respect it.

Cheers,

Peter Bridge
sdcausa