A thing of unparalleled beauty 

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove) 07/21/2018 at 15:13 • Filed to: Two wheels awesome.

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I’m visiting my parents. My sister asked me to look over her boys’ bikes. For that I needed my bike stand, which she excavated from the basement. My old racing bike was still in it.

This Colnago Mexico was out being painted when I had my accident. After I got out of the hospital, I finished installing the new gruppo, etc. That was 30 years ago. I never got to ride it in this configuration. I just now dusted it off and wiped it down to look at it. It’s so gorgeous, and I missed it.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 15:22

1

nice bike... i hate the pedals tho.... i had those

many a time i fell over like a pleb at the lights coz clicking out sideways didnt work

theres a trick to those i never quite mastered

damn thats a good looking bike tho

Jayvincent > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 15:22

5

You are correct! The best kind of correct...

PyramidHat > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 15:29

1

Steel lugged frames have a special place in my heart...

random001 > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 15:30

2

This is so pretty.  Also equipped with a turbo, so Oppo approved!

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 15:42

1

Nice bike! T ha t midnight  blue is just about the same color as my old Cannondale. It’s my favorite kind of blue. It looks black until the sun hits it, then BAM! Blue highlights everywhere. Love it!

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 16:03

3

Holy mother of god that is beautiful!

Tristan > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 16:21

1

So pretty... And obviously stored well to be so nicely preserved!

Also, I feel less bad for having barely ridden my touring bike for 12 years.

...b ut more bad because I don’t have any excuse.

DipodomysDeserti > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 16:25

2

Beautiful. Love the engravings on the calipers and frame.

facw > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 16:26

0

A gorgeous machine indeed!

facw > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 16:26

2

A gorgeous machine indeed!

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/21/2018 at 16:44

0

And it sparkles in the sun. I chose it specifically for that. 

Chariotoflove > Jayvincent 07/21/2018 at 16:45

2

I prefer the old geometries. 

Chariotoflove > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 07/21/2018 at 16:46

1

Those are Dura Ace PD7401 clipless. They were pretty much the best you could get in 1988. They were to be my first clipless pedals. 

Chariotoflove > Tristan 07/21/2018 at 16:48

4

We’ll get out there! In a couple of miles, you’ll wonder why you waited so long.

Yeah, I’ve instructed my family that this baby is to be buried with me, pharaoh style. 

Chariotoflove > random001 07/21/2018 at 16:48

0

Quite right!

Chariotoflove > PyramidHat 07/21/2018 at 16:51

3

And mine. I mourn the loss of lugs in high end bikes. I mean, welding gets the job done and all, but...

And carbon fiber is fine, but just not as beautiful. 

Chariotoflove > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle 07/21/2018 at 16:51

0

Amen. 

Chariotoflove > facw 07/21/2018 at 16:52

0

Indeed. 

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 16:52

2

i never got on with those pedals... im sure the fault lies with me and not the pedals.. but damn.. i was always stuck in those and falling over

Chariotoflove > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 07/21/2018 at 16:58

2

I had the trick of clips. I assumed I would have figured out these. At the time, nobody had adjustable play in the angle, some reported ankle problems. Now everything has lateral play built in. 

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 17:03

1

i moved away from clips n clipless...my riding style works best when my feet are free.. ill take the loss of efficiency in favour of being able to ride like a loon

(especially as 99% of the time i ride without gear... i need my safety feet)

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 17:04

1

Oooooh yeah. That’s the best. Below is the paint that was on my R600. Not my pic, but the same bike.

Sparkly, but not ‘70s sparkly. Subtle. Refined. Beautiful.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 17:10

1

Now that’s a proper bike. Sweet build too, you should never hang shimano on a Colnago. If you were ever to sell it i bet it would fetch >2,000 being vintage and in unused condition. Shit I’d buy it if it was a 60x60 but it looks more like a 56 or so.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 17:28

1

Such a pretty bike!

Though I’m not a fan of white seats. My current bike has a white seat which I’m thinking of ditching just to change the color. 

PyramidHat > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 17:31

1

When I have enough money to piss away $4K, I’m going to get a Rivendell.  In the meantime, I buy old bikes and refurbish them for a fraction of the cost...

arl > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 18:13

2

That’s art right there. Lightweight steel Italian race bike with all Campy is the best.

Any one watching the Tour this year? I admit I’ve only been catching up via daily reports from Velonews. Bu mmer Nibali is out.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 18:13

1

That’s preeeetty. Steel road bikes are coming back into fashion, and I get it I love forgiving flex of the frame on my fixie. Plus they are aestheticly pleasing that’s for sure 

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 19:09

1

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 20:24

1

As the owner/operator of a lugged steel framed Australian made criterion bike from 1989...and a few ot her steel framed beauties... I can vouch for your assertion.

Unfortunately for me...your example is both prettier, more desirable and in better condition.

I am sorry that you can’t ride it as I would normally take the view that an unridden collectors bicycle is no longer actually a bicycle...but you get a special exemption in this case.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 21:38

1

Perfection. I would love to have an old Colnago someday. I’m assuming that group set is new enough for indexing? I just love the way older Campagnolo looks. 

Chariotoflove > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 07/21/2018 at 23:21

2

As long as you use a helmet. If not, get one and wear it. I’m fanatical about it. It saved my life. 

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 23:25

0

sorry..only wear a helmet when i take part in events that make me

i have several....i just dont use em unless i have too

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/21/2018 at 23:27

1

That’s really pretty. 

Chariotoflove > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 07/21/2018 at 23:31

2

My thought as well. It’s full Chorus. And it is 56.

Not selling though. I’ve left instructions to have it buried with me. 

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 07/21/2018 at 23:33

0

White is tough, but I just had to. It looks perfect with the white paint in the lug cutouts. 

Chariotoflove > PyramidHat 07/21/2018 at 23:34

1

That’s what I did with this one. I paid $325 for it. It had Suntour 6 speed on it and peeling chrome. It was perfectly rideable. But I had a vision. 

Chariotoflove > arl 07/21/2018 at 23:37

1

Velonews for me too. I posted about the tour, but no one seemed interested. I’m glad BMC got some time in yellow to help their chances with a new sponsor.

Also, Sagan is winning with disk brakes. That’s gonna be a revelation in the market. 

Chariotoflove > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 07/21/2018 at 23:40

1

I would argue they never went out of style. But I’m old fashioned. The new tech has its own beauty, but a hand built SL frame is timeless. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > PyramidHat 07/21/2018 at 23:41

0

I, too, dream of a custom touring bike. Rivendells are really nice, but I’m not sure that’s the route I’d go.

TheRealBicycleBuck > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 07/21/2018 at 23:43

2

I’m with Chariot - always ride wearing a helmet. I’ve had a couple of nasty crashes where my helmet took the hit  instead of my cranium.

Chariotoflove > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 07/21/2018 at 23:45

0

Thanks. That’s really cool.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 23:45

0

Wait! UCI finally allowed discs?!?

TheRealBicycleBuck > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 07/21/2018 at 23:46

0

Just exactly which direction is your bike flexing?

Chariotoflove > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 07/21/2018 at 23:46

1

Well, at least I did put a bunch of miles on it before the refurbishment. 

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/21/2018 at 23:49

0

you ar e both right

i still dont do it unless im forced to tho

Chariotoflove > cmill189 - sans Volvo 07/21/2018 at 23:52

1

The old polished aluminum is gone these days. It’s carbon now. Just not the same. That set was the first edition of Chorus with indexing. You can see the D-ring on the right shift lever that you could turn to choose indexed or regular friction shifting.

 Before painting, the fork and stays were chrome. If I had it to do over, I think I’d have them re-chromed. 

Chariotoflove > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 07/21/2018 at 23:55

2

Brother, I implore you to please start. It only takes once to save your life, or keep you from brain damage with a closed head injury. 

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 23:56

1

Nice. I built a touring bike with a Surly Disc Trucker frame about six years ago. I used some old Shimano 7 speed index shifters because I just love the simplicity and look of downtube shifters. I have them in friction mode and run a 9 speed mountain cassette.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Chariotoflove 07/21/2018 at 23:57

1

apreciate the concern

thank you

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/22/2018 at 00:01

1

Yup. But the peloton was worried about getting cut up by the rotors in a crash. A couple of people like Sagan pointed out that better braking keeps you from crashing in the first place.

Chariotoflove > cmill189 - sans Volvo 07/22/2018 at 00:05

0

That’s nice. I didn’t realize you could run those shifters with a nine speed cassette, but it makes sense.

You know what I’d really like?  A set of Croce d’Aune. I know they were heavy as sin, and over priced, but I do not care. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 07/22/2018 at 00:10

1

As long as it’s in friction mode, it’s fine. My cyclocross bike has barcons, although they are new enough to support indexing with the spacing on late-model cassettes, but they won’t do 10-speed.

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/22/2018 at 00:18

0

Yeah, that’s not really negotiable. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 07/22/2018 at 00:23

1

Who doesn’t love a nice set of lugs? Especially if they are custom.

One day, I’ll have some serious rolling art.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 07/22/2018 at 00:26

1

The latest Dura-Ace barcons will do 10-speed. Mine are old enough that they won’t.

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/22/2018 at 00:29

1

Oh, that’s just porn to a guy like me. TIG welding just doesn’t give me the same fizz. 

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/22/2018 at 00:33

1

Oh yeah, the older shifters have a different spacing that won’t accommodate more cogs. When I stopped riding, it was 6 speed or ultra 7. Now we have 10. Crazy. 

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Chariotoflove 07/22/2018 at 01:03

1

I think it has something to do with Shimano hub spacing only changing slightly from 7-10 speed. The actual cable pull is the same. All I did was set derailleur stops like normal and switch it to friction mode. Learning how little movement it takes to drop one gear was a lot of fun.

I like to get really any set of old Campy stuff. It’s just nice. 

CarFanatic > Chariotoflove 07/22/2018 at 02:26

1

Nice post...brings back memories.  I had a red Campy- equipped Colnago I built up back in 1989. I miss it. Had to sell it to get married cuz her parents didn’t have any money to put toward the wedding. Wish I could locate it because I’d buy it back in a heartbeat.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/22/2018 at 07:07

0

Steel frames have an inherent flex to them. Not to a visible degree but you can definitely feel it. Hitting bumps, or bi g cracks in the road is much smoother

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Chariotoflove 07/22/2018 at 08:30

1

Small wins are big wins when the time comes...

TheRealBicycleBuck > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 07/22/2018 at 09:20

0

This has all been discussed before. Unfortunately, the marketing wonks at the bike companies have been feeding cyclists a line of B.S. as long as bikes have been manufactured. Vertical compliance in a diamond frame is practically non-existent. It is a pair of triangles, after all. Lateral stiffness is a different matter and I’ll point to some interesting reading a little later. Also, there are some non-diamond designs which are made to flex vertically and those are not addressed here. Any discussion about vertical compliance is about the frame moving up and down in response to bumps in the road. Very rough road surfaces have a lot of very small vertical movement and this comes through as vibration and sound.

For now, let’s look at the results of a vertical compliance test performed on four bikes by Bob Bundy. The test was performed in a jig with 80 lbs of weight applied to the frame and def le ction measured with a dial caliper. To verify that the response was linear, Bob tested weights from 20 lbs to 270 lbs. The results are seen in the table below.

As you can see, vertical compliance in all of the frames is less than 2/1000 of an inch. Both the forks and the tires have an order of magnitude greater compliance than the frame. That is a clear indication that the fork and the tires matter a lot more than the frame.

This makes sense because f orks are a tunable component which are designed to flex under load . Tire response v aries by the material and air pressure. W e should see differences between bikes; however, for this test , t he same wheels and tires were used on all four bikes (not just the same brand, literally, the same wheelset was moved between all four bikes).

So, w hen people say bikes are “harsh” or “rough ”, they are probably taking into account other factors without even realizing it - the tire pressure, the sound it makes, or maybe even differences in the seat and bar tape. This becomes fairly obvious to me when I ride one of the more popular local training routes. A portion of the road on this route is chip-seal and causes a lot of vibration. Another portion is poorly maintained black top and is very rough. When I ride through these sections with a group of “roadies”, all of them start complaining and many will even stand on the pedals. I remain seated the whole time. Why? I have 35s and keep them at fairly low pressures. The tires soak up the bumps and vibration.

Lateral compliance is a real problem. Laterally, a bicycle is essentially a planar object and is subject to flex, especially under a powerful rider. I’m fairly big and I’ve experienced brake rubbing under hard acceleration due to lateral flex in the frame. Damond Rinard bench tested a number of frames for lateral flex and his results make for interesting reading.

I believe every cyclist should spend some time reading Sheldon Brown and Jobst Brandt’s writings. Sheldon was a long-time mechanic with fantastic insight. Jobst is a mechanical engineer who literally wrote the book on bicycle wheels. Jobst penned one of my favorite quotes in response to someone asking about frames “going soft.” He’s well known for his bristly personality and this is a fantastic example of his lack of patience when it comes to unsubstantiated claims.

“ The objection is that you present something for which there is no iota of scientific evidence, nor any even slightly credible explanation, as though it were fact. It is as though bicyclists have a different natural world, where the technical laws are entirely different from all other machinery, and the most perceptive technical insights come from the strongest bicycle racers. “After all who knows more about bicycles, you or the world champion?” is a common retort. “

Chariotoflove > cmill189 - sans Volvo 07/22/2018 at 13:02

0

And making adjustments for chain rub. It becomes second nature pretty quickly.

Thumb shifting in my hand cycle is totally different. There is no feel, just a click. 

arl > Chariotoflove 07/23/2018 at 08:17

1

Seems like every new bike these days is going disk brakes. And wireless shifting. And tubeless tires. Man, tech is really changing bikes.

And new bikes are God-Awful expensive. I can’t even read the reviews in Velonews or Cycling any more - “This bike is a bargain of new technology at only $5,000!”. 5K used to to be top of the line race bike, now it’s just a good, mid line carbon road bike with a decent group.

OK, I’ll get off my old man soapbox now, LOL.

Chariotoflove > arl 07/23/2018 at 09:42

1

No, I’m right there with you. The costs are obscene. Fortunately, if you go to a good local shop, they can still fit you with something affordable from one of the big names’ down market lineup.

Also, always support your local bike shop, I say.