Hello CR Friends:
This is probably a nutty post, and one that could have a million possible answers. But nonetheless, I seek your collective and individual wisdom here.
The deal is that I got into cycling in 1982. I'm thankful for that, tremendously, for if I'd gotten into the sport much later than that, I would have missed out on much of the "classic era technology." I am 100% sure that I am a better cyclist, perhaps a better human being, and definitely much wiser and insightful and appreciative of cycling history because I had the good fortune to become a cyclist when certain things were still in use, such as the following (of course this list is obvious to all of you, since 1982 is the year before the CR timeline ends, when all or most of what I'm about to mention went "out of style" soon after I got into cycling):
- toe clips and straps; friction shifting mounted on the frame, steel, lugged frames, sew-ups, 36 hole wheels, "non-aero" brake levers, leather saddles, six cogs on the back wheel, and much more.
OK, so I'm thrilled that I got into cycling when those things were still commonplace. And, many of those things I still use or plan to get back into using.
But here's the "problem" - because of when I got into cycling and because I was sponsored from 1984 through 1994 (and received one to three free bikes each of those years, rather than just buying what might have turned me on, which of course, I couldn't have afforded to do), I don't own any "true classic" bicycles from before my time. More specifically, I don't own any Italian bicycles or anything "just like the pros rode" back in the golden era, however one wants to define it, but I'll call it the 40s through the 70s.
So, my life feels a little bit incomplete because of this "missing link" in my garage (actually, most of my bikes are in my living room). Also, I fantasize about riding L'Eroica next year and I really want an "appropriate" bicycle for that and other purposes. (More on that in a second post.)
So, help me out here, all you experts! What "should" I own and ride at least a few times a month? Here's a little guidance:
I want something with racing "pedigree." I think those Paris- Roubaix / Cambio Corsa shifting systems are really neat. I want something unique. I idolize, more or less, Fausto Coppi. I have numerous American, British, and Japanese bikes (and one non-CR era Italian), so I'm assuming I "need" something Italian. (No offense intended towards the Francophiles, but I think of randonneur bikes when I think of classic French, and that's not what I'm after here.) That said, I just absolutely love that "anonymous yellow bike" provided by the TdF organizers, such as the 1953 model on P.18 of Vintage Bicycle Quarterly 4.3 - if somebody can find one of those in my size and in good condition, I'd buy that in a second.
Finally, I don't want to spend a mint, ideally less than $2500. So, what should I do?
Note: I like my seat and top tubes about 57cm and I need a slack seat angle: 73 degrees or less.
Feel free to post to the list if you think it's appropriate, otherwise just to me. If I get a lot of input, I may paraphrase it and put it together in one comprehensive outline to share with all of you.
My mind is wide open!
Thanks for your time and guidance, Chris Kostman AdventureCORPS Oak Park, CA 91377 USA http://www.adventurecorps.com http://www.badwater.com http://www.the508.com
PS If you want to know the bikes I own and ride, here's a list, with slideshow links for some of them:
Alan Carbonio 1986
Bianchi Rekord 848-12V circa 1981-1986
Bridgestone RB-1 1994
Bridgestone XO-1 1992
Co-Motion Mocha Tandem 2004
Holdsworth 1982
Kestrel 4000 1990
Mike Melton Aero Custom for John Marino 1982
Moots Zerkel Mountain Bike 1989
Raleigh by Carlton 1983
Ritchey Breakaway 2004
Rivendell All-Rounder 1995
Ron Stout 1985
Woodrup Giro Touring 1983:
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