I remember one short, unpleasant ride on my first road bike, an orange 1970 Raleigh Record with Altenberger Synchron calipers, cotter cranks, Sturmey steel rims and Alvit derailers. I had come home from Jr high school and rebuilt the bb for the first time, even managed to re-use the original cotters! I failed to notice the exact lateral position of the right arm on the spindle, so the front derailer acted up early during my shake-down ride. In trying to get things adjusted again, I took to riding down the road while adjusting the screws atop the front Alvit derailer, then ran into a parked car. I buried my front teeth into the rear deck lid of the neighbor's Buick, prompting a dental appointment, but the bike survived unscathed. It was unusual for the neighbors to park in the road, but on this day they were having their driveway sealed for the NY winter. Not a good ride, but maybe taught me an important lesson!
I would win the first Yorktown Bicycle Race (1976, iir) that I entered years later on that very bike, prompting an upgrade to a larger, red, oh-so-nice Super Course with Jubilee derailers and alloy rims. I made the mistake of selling it in still-good condition to buy an orange '77 model, and that one got stolen from NCSU shortly after my arrival there in late '78. I found myself wheel-less (damn!) and had to work at a local shop to peice together a replacement, a good S12S-LTD with chrome, like my first Supercourse. I suffered knee tendonitis during much of the '80's, but resumed knee-pain-free riding and racing in 1992 and have been at it since. Looking foreward to the 'cross season again, another try at the B-class title on my trusty Cheltenham-Pedersen.
David Snyder
waxing nostalgic in very dark
Auburn, CA USA
> Well, the first half of my first century was pretty unpleasant. It was
> the inagural Northeast Ohio Century (NOEC), 1974 I believe. Organized by
> Arnie Nashbar, who was then still selling parts out of his garage, and the
> Outspokin Wheelmen of Youngstwon, OH, of which I was a member.
>
> Cold and raining at the start just north of Youngstown and rained all the
> way to Ashtabula, on Lake Erie to the north, the half-way point. Everyone
> stayed thoroughly soaked for 50 miles. I was riding my recently acquired
> 1973 LeJeune F-70, with a Brooks Pro saddle. The saddle got broken in
> very well on that one ride. I think maybe I had the presence of mind to
> tighten the nose bolt a bit to keep it from sagging, then lossen later
> after the ride as it dried. If so, it was amazing, as I was still new to
> this stuff. In any case, although getting an instant conditioning, the
> saddle survived and kept its shape and I ride it to this day.
>
> Wool kit was still the standard then, but as we all know, wool loses its
> charm when thoroughly wet, so we were all thoroughly miserable.
> Fortunately, the sun finally came out at the half-way lunch stop in
> Ashtabula. A few miles into the return, we passed a landromat. Everyone
> pulled in, stripped off everything we could without being arrested, and
> threw our wool kit in the dryers. The return to Youngstown was much more
> pleasant with clearing skies and try wool garments.
>
> I rode that same ride exactly 25 years later on the same LeJeune, which
> had been restored by CyclArt in the meantime. Much better weather that
> time.
>
> Enough classic references here, Dale?
>
> Regards,
>
> Jerry Moos
> Houston, TX