I was mildly surprised to find that Google's web crawler
doesn't crawl Google Photos. That means if I Google my Monti
Special, it can't be found. Ditto for any other bike in my
stable. What's up with that? So, I've put together this page
to describe my various bikes and provide links to their albums
in Google Photos.
Arrived March 7 2020 (nice timing...) s/n 75T005. Was
built upon with mostly Dura-Ace components (rescued from
my former Schwinn Volare). As of Spring 2025 it is back to
a bare frame.
Jim Redcay was a custom framebuilder in New Jersey. He
only wielded a torch under his own name for a few years,
then took over the Ross Signature project when Tom Kellogg
left to start Spectrum Cycles. My frame was built in 1979.
Probably 1970-75 Galaxy. eBay find for $45. I
originally thought I would just flip it, but never got
around to pulling the trigger. After knocking around the
garage for a long time, I used it as a stationary trainer
during rehab after femur surgery in 2017. At that point,
it found a soft spot in my heart. It has now become my
beboppin' around town bike, displacing my Schwinn
Speedster. In addition to being a whole lot lighter, it's
got six (count 'em!) gears. What an improvement in spacing
over the old wide range S-A three-speed hub.
This was my attempt to put lipstick on a pig. I
switched from ISO597 to ISO590 wheels to get a bit more
quality tire availability (which, alas, is now
disappearing). Using one of those BMX bottom bracket
adapters, I converted to a Sugino (I think) crank of some
sort. Most recently, I tore it down to derust the frame,
only to realize it really needs a repaint. As of this
writing it sits, waiting for me to finish prepping the
frame and getting some paint.
This is a rummage sale find, meant to be
catch-and-release. It appears to be mostly original. It
came with 27-inch clincher wheels with lower end Shimano
hubs, but now at least has a wheelset with early Dura-Ace
hubs.
Already having an Italvega Super Speciale, this seemed
like a nice complement. :-) Built the frame up with a
Regina America '92 group, essentially a by-then-obsolete
Shimano SIS-compatible six-speed drivetrain.
A CL pickup in Portland, it languished in my son's
basement for a couple years before I got it home and got
it rolling. It's now back in Portland waiting for me to
visit and ride it.
My brother-in-law found this bike on a contracting job
and dropped it off to see if I might be interested in it
(saved from an almost inevitable trip to the dump). Heck
yeah! A touch small for me perhaps, but I think I can
probably squeeze onto it. :-) I originally thought this
dated from the late 1950s, but looking at the Frejus
serial number list on the Classic Rendezvous website, I
think it might have been produced in the early 1960s.
Local CL pickup. This was my commuter for quite some
time until it met with an ignominous demise in a crash
with a car. I have the titanium rod in my leg to prove it.
A "Japanese Paramount." This was an excellent rider,
but the Eisentraut filled the same niche, so I moved the
frame along. Most of the parts on the Volare wound up on
the Eisentraut. The wheels are now on the Vent Noir.
Picked up on Chicago Craigslist, road it for a bit,
stripped it, let the frame hang for several years, then
built it back up, eventually selling it to a Bikeforums
acquaintance.
Pretty early example. It had been in a front-end
collision so the fork was compromised and there was a
little downtube ripple. I had the fork fixed and
eventually rechromed.
I've got a couple of these, neither in perfect
condition. One came on a bike but was missing the little
thumbwheel hi/lo limit adjusters. The other is more
complete, but lacks the barrel adjuster used to fine tune
the shift cable. I think they are cool, Simplex's last
hurrah before Lucien Juy
went over to the dark (Delrin) side.