[CR] Steel or not Steel/ colin laing

(Example: Racing:Beryl Burton)

Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2009 18:04:20 -0800
From: "Colin Laing" <colin_laing@yahoo.com>
To: <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR] Steel or not Steel/ colin laing


Today, I would of raised the hackles of almost all the posters...I rode a steel bike, but it was a single speed fixed...was it a track bike? depends who you ask, it has track drop-outs, higher bottom bracket, 1/8" chain and tight clearences....but it is drilled for brakes and has them front and back..they were drilled on building because I can see the yellow paint inside the holes and besides which, I made it and remember drilling it...Oh yes! it also has an offset fork crown with straight blades...what is the reason behind all this nonsense, it is not as short as the track bike I rode on the indoor track racing at the Halle Munsterland in Germany, it is not as flexy as the track bike I rode on the grass tracks in Northern England....so, is it rally a Road bike then or a track bike. I could switch the handle-bars complete with brake levers and the braking stuff and easily ride it on any of the Velodromes over here in Stateside, then it would be a track-bike,,,,but today, it was a Road bike because I was riding it on the road and needed two brakes because of the hills we ride. It probably wouldn't qualify as a topic bike for this forum because it is only a month old ....but it is steel and built with lugs...

Must say though that the gearing today was a bit harsh for my old and crippled legs and took some effort on the climbs being 48x16 gearing.

Why on Earth would I even venture out on it if it causes so much aggro??..

Truth is Margaret doesn't like to clean my road bike if I ride it in the rain but doesn't mind the single-speed...take care evryone...Colin Laing Chandler AZ.USA.