The R3V Bicycle Thread

[LateFan]

Looks sharp. Downward Dawg stem! But then your drops aren't down on the tire - must be a good-sized frame?

Meanwhile, our wednesday night beer can cx races are going really well. 96 entries the first two weeks, 103 this week. This one was at a posh Scottish links golf course for the first time - really hilly, no trees. Grass is slow to ride on, then there were steep run-ups, hills, sand bunkers, paved sprints. It was brutal they said, but everyone loved it.

People sipping beers on the terrace as bikes went by, instead of pissing behind a tree and changing clothes out in the dust. There was a beer cart out on the course. They let the organizers use golf carts to set up the course - all very nice. Kind of great that a golf course owner would support cross-pollination with crazy bikers in striped socks.

It's a fun, community sport - hotshot fast guys, women, kids, masters, disabled people. It's really something to watch. It looks so hard - all out for an hour.







I'm told this woman is a national-caliber paralympian. She's there every week running up those hills.

[BlackbirdM3]

After a year of sitting in the corner after being beaten up by the refrigerator and some M3 wheels during an earthquake, my race bike is back with a new toptube and downtube. This thing is just stupid fast. I was making 20 mph into a 20 mph headwind after not riding it for a year (the geometry is steep so it works different muscles in the quads) and not riding for a month. Downwind I was doing high 30s spun out in the 53-11 (on level ground). I've never ridden the bike with fast wheels on it before. Holy crap, this thing moves. Its so much faster than my Litespeed Vortex.



Will

[LateFan]

recumbent wut?

[LateFan]

My old Gitane in Georgetown / DC when my son took it to school out there.



Still going strong - my wife's older brother bought it new in 1973 when he was a teenager. Been in the family every since. Original Stronglight crankset.

[LateFan]

Rolling Thunder - Missoula MT

[LateFan]

CX season starts tonight! Supposed to rain too - perfect!


I used to ride in Seattle with friction shifters on my steel Gitane. As they wore out and got sloppy, it was like an automatic transmission - as you accelerated from a light, the cable tension would pull on the shifter lever and would slowly rotate and shift one gear up, then another.... It would go up through about 4 gears by itself. I sort of liked it. Just couldn't crank those thumb screws tight enough.

But once I rode an ergo bike, I was never going to do that again - reaching down riding one-handed in the rain, next to a bus, with a sewer grate coming up fast....no way.

[leegf]

'99 or 2000 was the last year of polished Record. Nice stuff. I have a set of aluminum record cranks sitting in a box. The square taper bottom brackets are some of the best ever made. I still run them. The last of the aluminum Record is really really elegant and very well made. Better than the carbon stuff that followed it (Although, the later carbon Chorus parts are actually better than the Record stuff. A common upgrade is to put the Chorus G springs in the Record shifters after the Record ones break.) I really can't say enough good things about the last of the Record 9 speed stuff.

Will

Thanks! That's good feedback.

2 past builds that I regret getting rid of;specifically the '84 U.S Olympic Raleigh.

Damn, I would regret getting rid of this, too.

[BlackbirdM3]

Thanks. My next question: do you know when Record stopped being offered in silver? The bike is a classic steel frame, so even if I were to modernize the drivetrain, I'd still like to avoid black (or worse, carbon) components.

'99 or 2000 was the last year of polished Record. Nice stuff. I have a set of aluminum record cranks sitting in a box. The square taper bottom brackets are some of the best ever made. I still run them. The last of the aluminum Record is really really elegant and very well made. Better than the carbon stuff that followed it (Although, the later carbon Chorus parts are actually better than the Record stuff. A common upgrade is to put the Chorus G springs in the Record shifters after the Record ones break.) I really can't say enough good things about the last of the Record 9 speed stuff.

Will

[leegf]

Anyone who can master downtube friction shifters is the man! It might surprise you that converting from down tube shifters to Ergo/STI might not be as easy as you think. Its hard to find the cable stops that go where the shifters used to be these days. The '90s ergo stuff works well, but the shifter/brake hoods are uncomfortable (ironic since they are ergopower...) Getting parts for them is even harder. The hub cassette body is different from the 9/10/11 speed hubs. I'd say bite the bullet and upgrade to Record 9 speed. Its bombproof. I rode 9 spd Chorus for a decade. The stuff would not die. The group outlasted 5 frames, and was on its 6th when I sold the bike. I went to Record 10 when I got a new frame that was black, and wanted an all black bike.

Will

Thanks. My next question: do you know when Record stopped being offered in silver? The bike is a classic steel frame, so even if I were to modernize the drivetrain, I'd still like to avoid black (or worse, carbon) components.

[BlackbirdM3]

Will, I'm considering going from friction shifting (i.e., downtube shifters) to index shifting and brake lever shifters on one of my bikes, which would be a first for me (I've only ever used DT shifters). Currently running '80s vintage Campagnolo first-generation C-Record (7-speed) and thinking of trying '90s vintage 8-speed Campagnolo Record with Ergopower shifters. Thoughts?

Anyone who can master downtube friction shifters is the man! It might surprise you that converting from down tube shifters to Ergo/STI might not be as easy as you think. Its hard to find the cable stops that go where the shifters used to be these days. The '90s ergo stuff works well, but the shifter/brake hoods are uncomfortable (ironic since they are ergopower...) Getting parts for them is even harder. The hub cassette body is different from the 9/10/11 speed hubs. I'd say bite the bullet and upgrade to Record 9 speed. Its bombproof. I rode 9 spd Chorus for a decade. The stuff would not die. The group outlasted 5 frames, and was on its 6th when I sold the bike. I went to Record 10 when I got a new frame that was black, and wanted an all black bike.

Will

[leegf]

I won't deny it. I run 8 spd XTR on all but the new Klein (I might convert it to 8 spd, because 8 spd is far better than 9,10 or 11 spd) and 10 speed Campy Record on the road bikes. I like stuff that is built to last, not be thrown out after 6 months of racing. Its also fun to go kick peoples asses on a 22 year old bike. Heck, I almost took my '96 Voodoo racing this weekend. Had the entry fee been resonable (sorry $82 for an entry fee is insane.) I would have.

Honestly, there are almost no parts on the market for road or mtn that I want to own. Sure, some of the new aero wheels are nice, (I'd love a set of HED Stinger 6s) but aside from those, there is nothing I want to own. (Okay, I'll admit, I'd love a new custom titanium aero road frame. Or perhaps a custom Lynskey Helix.) For the most part, I see a lot of expensive crap designed to wear out quickly so you are forced to buy new parts.

Will

Will, I'm considering going from friction shifting (i.e., downtube shifters) to index shifting and brake lever shifters on one of my bikes, which would be a first for me (I've only ever used DT shifters). Currently running '80s vintage Campagnolo first-generation C-Record (7-speed) and thinking of trying '90s vintage 8-speed Campagnolo Record with Ergopower shifters. Thoughts?

[BlackbirdM3]

BlackbirdM3 = staunch retro grouch

I won't deny it. I run 8 spd XTR on all but the new Klein (I might convert it to 8 spd, because 8 spd is far better than 9,10 or 11 spd) and 10 speed Campy Record on the road bikes. I like stuff that is built to last, not be thrown out after 6 months of racing. Its also fun to go kick peoples asses on a 22 year old bike. Heck, I almost took my '96 Voodoo racing this weekend. Had the entry fee been resonable (sorry $82 for an entry fee is insane.) I would have.

Honestly, there are almost no parts on the market for road or mtn that I want to own. Sure, some of the new aero wheels are nice, (I'd love a set of HED Stinger 6s) but aside from those, there is nothing I want to own. (Okay, I'll admit, I'd love a new custom titanium aero road frame. Or perhaps a custom Lynskey Helix.) For the most part, I see a lot of expensive crap designed to wear out quickly so you are forced to buy new parts.

Will

[trapical]

My current babies. I've gone through 13 other track builds in the past 6 years, but now I'm just down to these. Street shark tarck, and food/beer-grabbing tarck.



That clearance thouuuuugh. Custom fork.




2 past builds that I regret getting rid of;specifically the '84 U.S Olympic Raleigh. The Ps1 I miss because of how well the geometry handled.





meah.

[155///MPH]

BlackbirdM3 = staunch retro grouch

[BlackbirdM3]

My son just found this nice Salsa ala Carte (sp?) with decent components for $350! Local bike shop mechanic selling it. He already loves it. Looks like we're sticking with 26" for a few more years.

[ATTACH]100685[/ATTACH]

We just realized, now every road, CX, and mtn bike in our house is steel.

That is a cool frame, but not a true Salsa. When QBP bought Salsa 15 ish years ago the frames stopped being made in Petaluma and were being produced by a mass builder for QBP. The original Salsa guys went on to become Soulcraft.

There is no reason to change from a 26 inch wheel. Every combo under the sun was tried in the 80s and there is a reason they settled with the 26. Its the best compromise of all. I will never ride dirt on anything else.

On a side note, I'm thinking about doing a XC race tomorrow on my 19 year old Voodoo D-jab. I haven't done a mtb race in 15 years, but I think it would be fun to show up on the Voodoo and destroy a lot of people on newer bikes. I could also show up on my '92 S-Works steel frame with Mag 21s and Suntour XC-Pro and do pretty well also.

Will