Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Bicycles

The gorgeous old Legnano, my first great road bike, bought in 1970 from Bob Stout at Transition Sports in Salt Lake City, UT. I handed him three $100 bills for it, full Campagnolo equipped, 57cm. In spite of current trends, I tossed the old leather "Italia" seat and have a more comfortable Terry on it. It has hand painted aluminum fenders, the chrome is spalling off the front fork because I ride it in the rain so much. It still performs beautifully.





The 54cm French Stella is very light...possibly the lightest steel bike I've ridden. It has poor workmanship, crummy looking lugs, the paint is a little old, components are all bolt on with actual hex-bolts, Stronglight crank, Weinemann brakes, Huret derailleurs...all English/French threads, so it's impossible to get new parts for it. I love to ride it on errands.







I got the 54cm Ciocc at a garage sale for $25; it had never been ridden, still had the original tape, and not a speck of dust. Even though I have newer and faster bikes, it is a fantastic ride!! The lug work is amazing, but the pink and white paint job is tough for an Alaska guy.








The 54cm Cervelo is the epitome of a road bike, way too much for a geezer like myself, but riding it is a joy. It's so light it responds instantly. Whenever I ride, I can't make myself go slowly, so it's always a workout!!







When I got the Bianchi "Pista" track bike, with a fixed gear, everyone thought I was crazy, until they gave it a spin. I ride it every day. It just flies, and my legs get a super workout. The geometry is very different from a road bike, and it has a totally different feel from the others.






A great light-weight 29er, single speed: the Gary Fisher "Rig", my newest bike, and the only one with a shock. Never knew mountain biking could be so fun!





The old Novara mountain bike. No shocks, no frills, no clips, just a great bike to leave at a trailhead or bridge for the return trip on a hike or river run. Only weighs 50 pounds or so...not a one handed lift, for sure. It's seen a lot of miles over the past 20 years.



2 comments:

Johnny said...

Ralph. Erica just forwarded me this post. What a classic! I actually remember riding that Novara when I stayed w/ you years ago. Those are some beautiful bikes...
I'm attaching a link to the Cervelo website about a fork recall. You may already be aware, but just in case...
http://www.cervelo.com/wolfslrecall/default.aspx?lang=en
Hope to see you in October.

Ralph said...

Hi John,
Yes, I remember you and Stacey at the cabin, and the two old mountain bikes were brand new then. Tony sent me a link to a brand new, in the box Legnano from the 70's which I could buy from Poland! I'm thinking....