Steel, seen at Interbike '07

This Ritchey Breakaway singlespeed/fixed gear frame is a new model for 2008.
Geometry is similar to the Breakaway road frame but with a higher bottom bracket for fixed gear pedal clearance.
I think there will be one of these in my fleet before too long.

Something similar from Kirk Pacenti. This was used as a showcase for Cane Creek's range of fixed gear wheels.
A demountable fixie could be the ideal non-touring travel bike, but these deep section carbon wheels might not be ideal for urban pothole dodging.

Rawlands Cycles 650b bikes with Pacenti's new fork crown, and (right) the Pacenti 650b aka 27.5" Neo Moto MTB tyre.

Makino road fixed gear on the Euro-Asia stand.

Eura-Asia always has some high-end Japanese steel goodness on display.
They also had some new leather saddles from Gilles Berthoud.




The Tom Ritchey designed Coffee Bike for Project Rwanda. You can see it in action in this video.




This Pegoretti Luigino was on the Brooks stand. I have never seen a Luigino with these Prugnat lugs before.











For 2008 Brooks is introducing a messenger bag, plus a more affordable, steel railed version of my favourite saddle, the Swallow.

This stunning town bike from Northern Californian geniuses Sycip was on the Shimano stand promoting their Alfine group.

Rigi bicycle stolen from Invercargill $500 reward offered.

Some bad news from Wayne Davidson in Invercargill:

"My much loved Rigi has been stolen from Invercargill NZ on the 29/30September 2007. Sometime between 5pm and 5am my car was broken into and the bicycle was stolen. "

If you have any information, email Wayne, or phone him, at home

03 2172918 or mobile 027 3695222

RIGI SS 57cm road bicycle.

FRAME - 57cm SS painted white.

HEADSET - Campagnolo SR.

SEATPOST - Campagnolo NR with SR Black anno side supports & OMAS black alloynut/bolt. BINDER BOLT - OMAS black alloy.

SEAT - Concor black seude.

STEM - 3ttt silver 120mm 2002.

BARS - 3ttt

BRAKES - Modolo Masterpro ti black with sintered shoes.

BOTTOM BRACKET - O.M.A.S Ti. Alloy lockrings.

CRANKSET - Galli 52x42 with OMAS alloy chainring bolts.

PEDALS - Galli SC Road.

TOECLIPS - Black alloy Galli.

STRAPS - Alfredo Binda Super EXTRA.

REAR DERAILEUR - Campagnolo SR.

CLUSTER - Everest alloy 6 speed 13-21.

CHAIN - Regina America Superleggera.

HUBS - O.M.A.S Ti small flange - 36H.

RIMS - Nisi Stretto Corsa tubular - 36.

SPOKES - SS Semi Aero, radial front and x3 rear.

DRINKBOTTLE - ALE blue.

DRINKBOTTLE CAGE - Ale black alloy.

Velo Rendezvous 7

Though I went to Interbike in Las Vegas, I could not make it to Velo Rendezvous in Pasadena last weekend.
Fortunately, some highlights are already on YouTube:
For those of you whose corporate servers won't permit YouTube, here are photos from Christine O'Callahan and Tam Pham.
Tam has also posted a video that might slide through some corporate moral filters.

Delving into Flickr

For years I have stored photos on a couple Yahoo albums, but recently Yahoo have migrated all my photos over to Flickr, which turns out to be no bad thing. While Yahoo albums were discrete entities, Flickr is more of an interconnected community. Users can 'pool' photos into groups, like the Steel Bike Gallery, the 650b Bicycles pool, or the Classic Lightweight Bicycles pool. And one for Dan Rosser, the Mercian owners pool.

Flickr is also searcheable. After only a few minutes of rainy day delving, I present a cornucopia of links for your websurfing pleasure:

A stunning 1979 W.B. Hurlow racing frame
Bob Freitas' Hurlow seen at the 2007 Marin Century
A series of photos showing legendary English framebuilder Ron Cooper at work.
For baggage fetishists, there's the Carradice Club
The Bicycle Head Badge pool

Monte Paschi Eroica Pro race

From Cycling News last Tuesday:

"Le strade bianche of Siena that have become popular amongst cycling enthusiasts will now play host to the top pros. The Monte Paschi Eroica, presented yesterday in Milano by RCS Sport, will be the first time for professionals to race over the white gravel roads. The 180 kilometre race it is held on October 9.
The race, starting in Gaiole in Chianti and ending in Siena, will include seven sectors, 70 kilometres of 'sterrati' ('gravel roads') inspired by races like Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde van Vlaanderen."

The full article, with a map and course profile, is here.

The race will finish in Sienna's town square, more famous as the venue of the crazy Il Palio horse race. The organisers must be betting that there will be no bunch finish, because the cobbled streets of Sienna are too narrow and winding for a peleton at full speed.

CBAD

That's Compulsive Bicycle Acquisition Disorder, and I've got it.
So has Matt Seaton who wrote in 'Two Wheels' of an addiction that requires 'a degree of subterfuge in hiding one's compulsive bike acquisition habit from one's family that only alcoholics and serial adulterers would recognise.'

I'm lucky that my Spousal Unit prefers an ever increasing inventory of old bikes to finding whiskey bottles or teenage mistresses in the wardrobe, but some CBAD sufferers are not so lucky. On occasion I have provided discreet storage and other laundering facilities to friends who have added to their collections without spousal sanction.

Yesterday I was uncharacteristically restrained, deciding not to bid on this 1972 Frejus frame, although I have wanted one ever since I sold my first one in 1979. I don't think this indicates that I am getting my problem under control- there were too many potential logistical hurdles extracting it from the United States.

More on Mr Gami's Toei

It looks like I posted only a few hours before Mr Gami updated his website regarding his new Toei Sportif- steel frame from Kaisei 8630 tubing, a carbon-free Campagnolo Centaur drivetrain, mudguards over fast clincher tyres, even an alternative steel fork with a rack to support a handlebar bag.
It's spookily close to my dream road bike, though I would not last long on that razor blade of a saddle.

Tantalising Toei

Sifting through Mr Gami's website, I find this photo of a modern Toei Sportif bike with a caption which Babelfish renders as:
'スポルティーフ which order has been done almost got near to completion. The fact that it goes to receiving is the pleasure.'
Some more Babelisms about the bike here.

Leather fetish

This week I had a small ebay splurge, stocking up on TA bottom brackets & crankarms, but the item I really wanted eluded me. Despite already owning 4 Ideale leather saddles, I'm still hankering for a cutaway, aluminium rail Model 90, but lack the financial recklessness necessary to acquire one.
This beauty sold for US$311.69, which is nothing like top dollar- in 2005 this Ideale Model 57 went for US$2175, according to the Classic Rendezvous Market Highs page.

The buyer, ebayer tdan4th, must have the world's largest collection of Brooks and Ideale saddles. Check out his ebay feedback- 21 saddles since 14th June, which makes my recent acquisition of only two non-cutaway Model 90s seem almost rational.