GORGEous Italian Beauties

   If you were expecting photos of Monica Bellucci and Caterina Murino, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but the title refers to bicycles and the last of the Cycle Tech Sojourns, which took place in the beautiful Pocono Mountains up along the Lehigh River Gorge. The timing couldn’t have been much better, as we were just a few days from the forecasted peak color, and the steep hillsides were bursting with oranges, reds and yellows, mixed in with the occasional (ever)green.
   Sue and I met our crew at the lower end of the state park grounds, right near the steel truss bridge that carries the tracks of the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad, as well as a parallel section of the gorge trail, over the Lehigh River into the borough of Jim Thorpe.

   I always forget how chilly it can get riding up here, as there is very little warmth hitting the trail, not only due to the abundance of shade trees, but also because the low angle of the sun at this time of the year combines with the surrounding mountains to allow only brief periods of sunlight to reach the ground. We were well-prepared with our attire and it took just a short time to warm up while pedaling the (very slightly) uphill leg north towards Penn Haven Junction, where another branch of the railroad heads to the west.
   However, it wasn’t too long after I had taken off my outer shell and rolled it up neatly to stuff into my back jersey pocket that I started to get chilly again and thought about putting it back on. The river winds all over the place, and luckily we were in another sunny section of the trail, so I held off from putting the shell back on.

   My friend Ed was along for ride, and we joked that after spending a few hours together last weekend riding the Paulinskill and Sussex Trails, we might be “all talked out”, but we always find some fun subject matter to draw upon. His wife Kelly came along, and since it had been about a year since I had seen her, during the last Turkey Trek, we had a great time catching up.
   We took a break at Rockport, as some of us have back issues and need to stretch out. Mind you, my back situation isn’t perfect, but for the most part it feels better when cycling, so I just have to be patient. Everyone knows how antsy I am just waiting around, and really, no one wanted to cool off too much, so the stops were brief.
   As mentioned, the northern leg is uphill, but the trail is built on the Lehigh Valley Railroad grade, so it is very gradual. The incline is more noticeable as you near Tannery, but not particularly challenging. We were disappointed that the trail was closed the remaining two miles up to White Haven, due to construction near the Interstate 80 bridge over the trail.
   Because of Ed’s rough summer dealing with some health issues, he often mentioned how much more fit Kelly is, particularly because she regularly uses an indoor trainer. She “tore it up” for a few miles on the return leg, and I sprinted up to catch her. We slowed considerably after a few miles, but had to look back a few times to make sure we weren’t completely losing our companions.

   On the way back we encountered a passing RBMN tourist train, which was packed with railroad enthusiasts, as well as folks wanting a convenient way to experience the autumn colors. Sue and I reminisced about the last time we were up here riding (oh my god, TEN summers ago!), when the temperatures were nearing 100 degrees!
   Despite having the company of loved/missed family members during that ride, there was no doubt the scenery and weather this time around was preferred by us both!

   I was extremely excited to have my Pinarello Prince frame returned to me, beautifully repaired and ready to reassemble. A small crack in the head tube had appeared, not because of any type of impact, but nevertheless, I did not want to ride the bike and make the damage worse. Because the crack was perfectly straight, I was hoping it was a flaw in the joint between the two sides of the mold when the frame was manufactured.

   Thankfully, Pat at Cleveland Carbon confirmed what was suspected and did a wonderful job with the repair, in addition to matching the paint. This bike means a lot to me, not only because of the history behind it, but because the 2011 trip to Rome with my late mother inspired its purchase.

   I was able to (almost completely) wrap up assembly/conversion of my Bianchi Camaleonte (C-Sport 3) to a drop-bar gravel bike. I had previously mentioned that my friend Chad had supplied some Shimano 105 levers and rear derailleur, but he also hooked me up with a set of cable-activated hydraulic brake calipers! He explained to me that they have stopping power more like the straight hydraulics, but don’t have the messy setup with fluids. Sounds good to me!
   I had to have a little lesson on replacing disk brake pads from my buddies at Bikesport, but installation was relatively painless when I returned home. It was pointed out to me that, as long as you don’t knock the calipers around when doing so, replacing pads in disk brakes is actually easier, as rim brake pads require much more time to adjust/align to the rim’s braking surface.
   I wanted to remove the rear brake without having to drain the fluid, but it proved impossible, since the parts that connect the line to the levers would not fit through the tiny internal routing port. I had removed the rubber “boot” and threaded compression sleeve from the fluid line. I then popped out the brass “olive” that fits the line into the lever. At this point I realized that clipping off the end and slipping off the parts would be necessary to remove the fluid lines from the frame.

   At this point, with all of the repair/tune-up work I’ve done on modern bikes, I have plenty of experience with aligning rotors and calipers, so installing the new brakes to my Bianchi wasn’t too difficult. I think the metallic blue finish on the calipers looks pretty good with the celeste paint.

   The rest of the parts involved were the Cinelli stem/bars, a Ritchey WCS carbon seatpost, a Shimano Deore crankset with a single chainring that has narrow/wide teeth and a new 11-speed cassette with a bit more climbing range. I have yet to swap in the SPD pedals from my Cross Concept, as I am tuning up that bike a bit and want to test ride before selling. The standard 116-link Shimano chain I bought for the Camaleonte was also not quite long enough, so I’ll have to install the correct length before riding. I couldn’t resist leaving the chain on temporarily for some photos:

   I was also able to finish assembly of the Pinarello Opera Cellini frame that I picked up in June. There weren't really any snags to this project, other than a missing cable guide under the bottom bracket, but that was a simple purchase. I had a Campagnolo Chorus 10-speed group on the shelf and an ITM stem and bar set hanging up in the shop. I found a new set of Miche Reflex R7 wheels online, which nicely completes this modern build.

 

...and to wrap up, I drove out to Lancaster a couple of weeks ago to pick up a nice Tommasini Super Prestige bicycle. I had contacted the seller through eBay and was able to get in a great ride on my regular Amish Country circuit before meeting for the transaction in the afternoon.

   The bike will need a tune-up, and I'm thinking of swapping out the triple chainring components, although it is a very new Campagnolo Veloce group. I'll also grab a new saddle and some tan wall tires. I will probably list it for $950, but if you’d be interested in the bicycle as-is, I'll drop $150 off the price - just let me know.