Re: [CR] What do you ride?

(Example: Framebuilding)

From: "Benjamin Power" <bepoq1@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2011 17:25:20 -0800
In-Reply-To: <mailman.17340.1296685668.1396.classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
References:
Subject: Re: [CR] What do you ride?


Hi All,

Ought to have introduced myself when I joined, but never did\u2014terribly rude, sorry. Ex-pat English now in San Diego working on a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology (Irish and Scottish traditional music and also, separately, the singing of English football supporters) at UCSD. Great list\u2014thoroughly enjoy all the info/stories/pics and sales\u2014learning a fantastic amount.

I most often ride my Harry Quinn track frame (fastback stays etc.) from (if I'm remembering right) '73\u2014fixed with mostly campag stuff (though mostly Phil/mavic wheels). It is brilliant\u2014comfortable, stable, fast and responsive, and by the local bike builder from when I was growing up that I could never afford. Problem is, it makes me not like riding my:

Casati Perfecta from I think 81 (before they started specifying which Columbus tubing it was on the decals anyway) done up with Super Record (thanks Chuck at Pac Coast cycles)\u2014I bought it in hopes of it being like a Casati Goldline Tour (I think it was) that was about the most comfortable frame I'd ever tried and which I always regretted passing up. It isn't, I'm not mad about it and I think I'll probably pass it on. (not fishing Dale, honest, haven't fully decided to part with it or how I'll sell it if I do yet).

Bought it in place of my 53cm lugged Bianchi team issue EL (italian made\u2014reparto corsa, is it?) with various campag ergo bits that I got with insurance money after being hit by a boat while out riding on my Silk Hope, a really fabulous frame, which I then (with, you'll agree, monumental stupidity) sold. Never bonded with it Bianchi, stopped racing and moved to Dublin where I got an old Gios and built it up fixed (also very comfortable) . In the meantime, the chrome on the Bianchi's unifork (ugly thing) has shedded off completely, and now it just sits there, which is a pity, because it is a nice frame really. Between it and the Casati I've sort of gone off Italian frames (I know, I know, and sorry Chuck, Confente built frames are well beyond my means) and moved back to old English ones:

And thus: I'm hoping to solve it all by building up an old 54cm Harry Hall frame from '63, which is very nice and has a kind of cool patina, as my main rider. (a more modern Hall was my first really good racing bike that Dad bought me back in the day\u2014stolen at college over here\u2014so it is sort of a replacement for that). Trying to build it with English parts as much as possible and French when not, just as a change from solid campag which I've ridden all my life. Got a Williams cotterless from one of the lads on here (ta mate!) and some GB syncron brakes\u2014though looking for some Coureur 66 or 88 if anyone's got them. Going to try these new Lauterwasser bar repros on it too! English headset also required if anyone's got one, it'll be an A9 otherwise. Any advice on this most welcome\u2014particularly the issues of gears, which seem to be a bit tricky if one wishes to avoid the italians and japanese and still be able to afford to eat (bear in mind, I'm a 4th year graduate student in music\u2014ie, skint). I've some stuff for trade I'll put in another post if anyone's interested.

Cheers all,

Ben Power, San Diego, CA, ex New Brighton, Merseyside

bepoq1@gmail.com http://benpower.info http://myspace.com/woodenflute http://seannossouthwest.com

On 2 Feb 2011, at 14:27, classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org wrote:
> [CR] What do you ride?