For reasons unbeknownst to me, I have an increasing interest in The Crite rium Bicycle. Perhaps it is because of the small build details that often differentiate a criterium racer from the average all-around road racing bic ycle. Much like the time trial bike, the crit bike seems to be purpose-b uilt, often with small bits of ingenuity and invention born from the need s of racers engaged in a very particular or specific practice. While I see plenty of "period" builds or restorations, race-specific rest orations seem a bit less common. But I am endlessly fascinated by creativity with things such as cable routi ng, lever placement, drillium, curved shift levers, etc. (Weigle's white '73 Time Trial machine is an all-time favorite of mine.) Just for fun, I have decided to build my current project as a period crit -specific bike...Partially because when I received the frame, it had been re-painted, braze-ons had been added and I have thus been (temporarily) liberated from the responsibility to build it as a "period correct" restora tion. My long term plan is to have the frame restored to it's early 70's g lory... but given my current financial status, I also created another cha llenge for myself: Build this bike with as many on-hand parts as possible. I just so happened to have a pair of Cinelli Criterium bars, NR levers w ith "shield logo" gum hoods, Campy bar-cons, a 7-speed wheelset with lo w flange NR hubs laced to gray annodized Nisi Mixers (which I will be re-sp acing to a 5-speed) and a bunch of other Nuovo Record bits... So I will attempt to build what I call a "late 70's/early 80's take on the refurbishment of an early 70's race bike." I am hoping The List can suggest some build details that might be worth con sidering as I set up my first criterium style bike. I have seen pics of bikes with a single ring in front and a bar-end shifter for the rear cluster (a corn cob, I'd imagine). I have seen bikes with two bar ends...Or a downtube shifter for the front and a bar-end for the re ar. What other sorts of details made a bike a quintessential "crit bike"? 165mm cranks to enable pedaling through corners? Where the bars typically shorte ned the same way track bars were? I'd imagine this would be the case, esp ecially if barcons were used... Any help or pics of similar builds is appreciated. As is a pair of nutted/ non-recessed Nuovo Record brake calipers.
Matthew Bowne Brooklyn, New York
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