Chuck said:
Mid-70s, when I started: No crank dust caps, no valve caps (no valve lock nut either if you're riding clinchers), soldered cable ends (no crimped cable ends), fresh white cotton tape, all cable housing cut _just_ the right length (no huge loops above brake levers), stainless steel rear derailleur housing replaced with brake cable housing (also short), cut all the cables short (none of that 3" of cable hanging out), toe clip ends bent up into curve to be more comfortable against shoe tops, fold and rivet end of toe straps, twist toe strap one complete turn where it enters and exits the pedal plate supports so the strap stays in place (clockwise on right pedal, counterclockwise on left pedal), cross the left hand brake cable under the right hand brake cable so they cross just above the stem, front QR lever horizontal (less frontal area), rear QR lever either 45° angle to back or to front (less likely to be loosened by some rider riding into the back of bike), _properly_ folded sewup wrapped in cycling newspaper and held under the saddle with a toe strap, Schrader to Presta adapter screwed to front derailleur clamp bolt or screwed to one of the pedal toe clip bolts...
Then there were the equipment, Super Record Reduced (no ti BB), Cinelli 66 bars 42cm wide, Cinelli #3 Buffalo saddle, Clement Criterium Setas or Strada 66s, 32° wheels, 172.5mm cranks, 53/42 rings (41 if you're really cool), OMAS hubs, Nisi Sludi hard anodized rims, no gloves, no glasses, hat just barely perched on top of head (looking like it would get blown off at any moment!)...
What do the rest of you guys remember???
Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California
Thanks Chuck for that blast from the past. The nostalgia brought a smile to my face. Yep, did most of that. Still have the presta schrader adapter on a set of my old pedals, but nowadays I leave the decorative chrome sleeve on my silca pumps.
Don't forget the wool shorts with the uncomfortable leather chamois and tied and soldered spokes.
I used the Reg toe strap end buttons instead of the fold and rivet method.
The group I rode with wanted to be like the Europeans so we switched our brakes. I didn't last very long with that one. First emergency stop and I grabbed a handful of what I thought was the rear brake. Endo...ouch....and the end of that. In fact, this happened in Ted Ernst's neck of the woods about 1974.
Jay Sexton
Sebastopol, CA