Re: [CR] What do you ride? - Bill's Ron Cooper

Hi Bill I am glad too see that someone on the CR list got that chromed Cooper frame. I mined the photos off ebay, as well as many others, in the name of research while I tracked down my own Cooper. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bensondoc/collections/72157622946880551/

I suspect that yours is a few years later than '76- I think that the 'C' set into the bottom headlug and short 1010 dropouts make it closer to 1980.

Every second CR member seems to have a Ron Cooper, but they are not often a topic of conversation on the list.

There is a semi-active Ron Cooper thread at Bike Forums that may be of interest:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/569529-The-Ron-Cooper-Thread Over there, I am 'masispecial', not that I own one.

David Benson Auckland New Zealand

http://retroride.blogspot.com

________________________________ From: Bill Kloos <billkloos@landuseoregon.com> To: "classicrendezvous@bikelist.org" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Cc: Bill Kloos <billkloos@landuseoregon.com> Sent: Thu, 3 February, 2011 7:53:29 PM Subject: [CR] What do you ride?

Dick:

Thanks for your question, which invites mini-introductions, which some of us, like me, never gave the List. Maybe one of the best questions on CR.

In the wet I ride a 1973 Legnano Roma Olympiade, which I restored, including with a new odd seat bolt courtesy of Art Link. In good weather (dry), for the long rides with the old guys on Saturdays, I ride my 1980ish Ouellette (SN 0622044 -- still have not decoded), which my LBS spread to 130mm and I fitted with modern Campy Record index stuff. Everything else I own/ride is vintage friction 1970s -- 20 something bikes, some in buckets.

My current favorite projects are small shop frames: 1979 "Standard" Picchio Special, now on the road (not as fancy as Dale's "Special" Picchio Special); a 1975 Eisentraut A, with a lovely frame restoration and refinish by Ed Litton in Molteni orange, to get a period black First Gen Dura Ace group courtesy of CR Lister Matt Ballman; a 1976ish Ron Cooper (SN 459), recently stripped of a bad aftermarket chrome finish with help from my LCS (local chrome shop), awaiting repaint, looking for decals; a 1982 McLean, refinished by Franklin Frames, with original decal from Dale Brown, still a stunning bare frame; a 1972 Italian Masi GC, being restored by Brian Baylis; a 1975 Witcomb USA show frame, still untouched. My wife has a stunning 1978 Merz (SN SW163); I still need my own Merz in 60cm, so we can have the cycling equivalent of matching aloha shirt and muumuu. Anyone with a Merz want to trade for a pristine original 1972 chrome Paramount P-15?

So, I am leaving the high end factory frames, gravitating to the boutique frame shops, rescuing my frames from eBay, getting parts and advice from CR members. This hobby keeps me busy, thus my parole officer happy. My informal rules from several years experience include: (1) There is a great synergy between eBay hardware and CR knowledge; (2) I now get every frame aligned and head and BB faced before having at it; they ride better; and there seems to be little correlation between quality of the frame and the alignment; (3) If I spend as much time riding these things as I do building them, I will be able to ride them a lot longer; (4) I will get to L'Eroica soon.

Thanks to all you generous members who have helped me in recent years; gotta love the List.

Bill Kloos
Eugene, Oregon