Cafe Racer or Whatever Gets You Out Pedaling

   A YouTube margin link caught my eye the other day, and I watched a video featuring a mechanic ranting about when he was a kid who was duped into thinking his bike sucked and that he needed to buy a new one. He then went into the top reasons why people's bikes actually suck, all done with a bit of humor, emphasized by his #1 reason - your bike is just fine.

   His point was whatever bike you have that gets you out on the road or trail is the right bike. He also mentioned that little tweaks can be made that improve the performance and longevity of your old bike. I couldn't agree more with both those statements, but there are definitely cases where someone has a bicycle that just isn't the right tool for the job.  

   I sometimes get accused of "bike shaming", but it usually involves someone who is just riding a really poor-quality (or poorly-maintained) machine, or quite simply, the wrong bike for the situation in which they are riding Yes, I love a sweet looking modern machine with high-end components, and I adore a classic steel European racing bike with elegant geometry and Campagnolo parts, but that isn't what everyone needs or should be pedaling.

   Sure, I see plenty of folks who are "out for a bike ride", pedaling along on an old clunker, looking at the scenery, having a conversation with a friend, and that is fine. I'm talking about the folks who are out on their own, Lycra-clad, head down and obviously digging in for some exercise, but on a bulky machine that is slogging along the pavement.

   It also drives me nuts to see a nice lightweight machine loaded down with a saddle bag, big cell phone mounts, etc. I have former customer who perplexes me with the "luggage" he regularly includes on his carbon fiber racing bike, completely outdoing the intent of its design!

   Now why do I see folks riding the asphalt on a 30-year-old mountain bike with aero bars? Would they take a brand new, skinny-tired road bike out on a gravely, single-track, off-road route? Of course not, so why don't they see that they are not riding the correct machine for the terrain on which they are riding?

   First of all, those knobby tires are just heavy and have too much rolling resistance. The least they can do is change out the fat rubber for some "slicks" that will roll easily over the tarmac!

   Secondly, they've realized that the upright riding position is catching a lot of air, so they've (strangely) installed aero bars to get into more of a tuck. Why don't they just ride a bike with narrower, drop bars.

   Of course, I know not everyone feels comfortable on drop bars, but that doesn't mean one has to ride "in the drops". I hardly EVER ride with my hands in the lower curve - I'm mainly on the top, short horizontal section of the bars, or on the brake lever hoods when climbing...and right there's another reason why drop bars are better, more hand positions. Also, modern compact handlebars are designed with a shallower drop than those in the past, which provide less of a crouch when riding in the optimum breaking position.

   If someone isn't comfortable with narrow bars, different widths are available to get a cyclists' arms extended more in line with their shoulders. The key here is to flatten out the back a bit and bring the arms in to create less of an open, flat chest that would catch wind.

   Finally, if you are saying to yourself, "Well, I like to ride on different surfaces, and that's why I have a mountain bike, for the wider tires," I'd follow up with the question, "Are you actually climbing mountains on some gnarly single-track, or just riding on some gravel trails?" Many models of drop-bar bikes have plenty of clearance for tires over 30 centimeters in diameter, which is more than enough width to handle rockier surfaces, and the rolling resistance that comes with tires this diameter when riding on asphalt isn't bad at all, so it's a nice compromise.

   The really great thing about the marketing of the "gravel bikes" is that it allows people to really have one bike that does it all. Not everyone has the money to buy specialized bikes for different terrain or the space to store them, but now you can really just have one machine with a lot of flexibility. Even if you had a real preference for tires in certain situations, perhaps you could manage just having an extra set of wheels with which to easily swap out tire widths!

   I've had several people bring bicycles in for me to repair or upgrade, and I've told them that the cost for the parts and work just aren't worth it, when compared to the performance they'd get from a newer bicycle. I'm not someone who wants to throw more trash in the landfill, but there is a point when a bike is just DONE and no amount of repair work is going to make that thing roll smoothly and shift correctly. Unless the frame has some collectability, there isn't a point in putting all new parts on an old frame.

   This brings me to a beautiful bike I was working on the past couple of weeks. My brother had a friend's bike hanging in his garage, with the intent to ask me about the brand. Turned out the bike was a very nice Gios Torino, that had a flat bar setup. This is what I would call a "Cafe Racer", having a relaxed riding position but definitely with the pedigree to "do some damage" (in a good way) during a group ride.

   During a friendly get-together, I told the owner about his great bike, some Gios history and the company's connection with the Belgian legend Roger de Vlaeminck. I also told him about my recent Colnago RdV project. Seeing my enthusiasm for the potential of his bike, he asked what should be done.

   Well, despite the really nice set of wheels with Shimano 600 8-speed hubs, the rest of the group was at the lower end of the Shimano spectrum. The first thing I suggested was Campagnolo components, and then I noted that I could give the paint and chrome a little bit of touch-up and polish. It was important to him that the bike stay in its flat bar configuration, at least until he "got back into cycling" a bit more, and I replied "whatever gets you out on the road, using this great bike!"

   I had a nice Campagnolo Chorus group and a companion set of wheels already in my shop stock, and I snagged a set of leather grips, plus a pair of silver brake levers that would match up better with the rest of the chrome. Unfortunately, his trigger shifters were toast, so I had to replace those, but the build would otherwise be fairly simple.

   I knew ahead of time there would be compatibility issues between the Campagnolo rear derailleur and Shimano shift levers, so I was ready with a vintage Ultegra mech to be substituted. I had some fun with it, by polishing out the logo and applying a Campagnolo script decal on the derailleur face place, just to make it match up better with the rest of the "Campy" parts.

 

   My friend Walt was visiting the other day in order to pick up his Pinarello Montello frameset to which I had recently applied decals and a headtube badge. He saw the setup on the Gios, and because he is a traditionalist, he scoffed a bit at the upright setup. I reiterated the importance of having someone comfortable with what he or she is riding and how I appreciate a customer's enthusiasm for riding a vintage bike, no matter what components are included 

   I'm not trying to convince people to go out and buy a new bicycle, since there are plenty of great used and affordable bicycles currently on the market, but is a great time to consider what you are riding and if it is giving you the kind of performance you desire. You can then decide if what you really want is to add a beautiful vintage machine with some history (hint, hint)!

Autore! Autore! (or auteur or autor or 作者...)

   You may have already noticed the graphic in the right-hand border of my blog page, but I recently published a book! Back in 2011 my father and I took an RV (with a minivan in tow) down to Maryland in an attempt to complete the 333-mile trip from Washington, D.C., to Pittsburgh on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath and the Greater Allegheny Passage.
   We originally intended to complete the journey in two separate week-long trips over the course of two summers. It ended up stretching to four separate journeys in successive years, somewhat because of over-confidence, but mostly due to complications from weather and the dastardly contraption used to tow the minivan!

   My father had retired from his sportswriter career back in 2007, but I knew he would have used our trip for subject matter, had that not been the case. I had been sharing the wacky details in my blog, but I always had in the back of my mind the idea of publishing a book in order to share the tales with a wider audience. My father has definitely influenced the style and sense of humor in my writing, so I figured , that some of my father's colleagues and former readers would especially enjoy hearing some stories from "Wheels" (my father's nickname), if only indirectly.

   Moving forward with the book became even more important to me after the passing of both my parents during the last few years, so got to work shortly after the New Year reworking the blog entries about the trip. The basic content didn't need many alterations, but I did need to transition the individual articles into one flowing story. I also added a few details that weren't included in the original blog text.

   In February I sent the manuscript to a couple publishers, and received positive responses from that handful of companies. Many of them were offering more than I felt I actually needed, with expensive marketing involved, so I decided to go with a kind of self-publishing hybrid at Amazon Smart Publishing.

   The experience went pretty well, especially because my father and a couple excellent high school English teachers had honed my technical skills, and the manuscript required little editing. Consistent messages were relayed back and forth to nail down details like format and fonts, and we eventually moved on to design a cover, which was a bit of a humorous experience.

   We started with the idea of two people on bikes in silhouette, riding in front of an appropriate landscape. Unfortunately someone in the art department had read the book's subtitle of "A father and son bicycle trip..." and included an image of a dad riding his bike with a little boy on a BMX-style bike behind. I'm not sure if the person in charge was familiar with the Appalachians, but the mountains in the background were more of the snow-capped Rockies!

   I pointed out to my collaborators that, although I liked the concept of two different types of bikes on the cover, I was 47 years old when I started the trip and could probably graduate to an adult mountain bike. I also sent along a photo of an Appalachian valley as a background reference.

   After a couple alterations, including one that showed a goofy, tri-spoked machine that looked like something pulled off a Walmart rack, we came up with an acceptable final proof. The scene is not unlike something we may have experienced on the banks of the Potomac out near Cumberland or pedaling along the Youghiogheny towards Ohiopyle State Park.
   I have received some kind feedback from folks who have checked out the book, and a couple local shops have been supportive by spreading the word about its release. A childhood friend of mine was also very generous by writing an author feature on the Lehigh Valley News website.

   If you click on that image on the right and order a physical copy of the book (there is a Kindle option), I would be happy to sign it, and bring your bike along for a free inspection!

   Otherwise there hasn't been a ton going on, as far as my own personal projects, and the Battaglin Speed CE "Cobbles Edition" hasn't gotten too much farther, because of a lack of warm/dry/no-wind days this spring. I was able to put a coat of read paint on, but it needs to be lightly sanded before another layer of paint goes on.

   I have mixed feelings about introducing new projects, since they are way down the queue at this point, but if someone expresses interest in something I have set for the future, I will gladly move it up and get to work on it! I was helping my friend Walt move into a new place, and a friend had offered him this Moser Cicli frameset. With so much already in Walt's collection, he decided to offer the Moser to me!

   The frame is 55cm, made with Columbus tubing, though I'm not sure what which grade. I'm not positive it is original paint, but I don't see any different overspray color in the bottom bracket or headtube. The paint is a really interesting pearlescent orange, and the decals are in super condition!

   I am planning to make this a retro-modern build, using the excellent Campagnolo Record 10-speed group that I had on my shelf. Included with this group was an excellent set of Campagnolo Vento wheels, and I have a Cinelli stem/bar combination that will set off the bike nicely.

   I also currently have Walt's Pinarello Montello and Patelli framesets on hand. A few weeks ago I purchased decals to give the classic Italian products a more finished look. With the glut of used bicycles currently on the market, not much has been moving, so anything I can do to help spruce up the stock should help!

Close Encounters With the Not-so-kind

   I was out on a ride the other day, for a short time paralleling the Perkiomen Trail on Route 29. I was planning to turn left on Rt. 113, cross the bridge and ride up in the back roads above the creek on the east side of Collegeville.
   As I hand-signaled and eased over to the left at the light, a nice gentleman pulled up alongside me with his window down, I nodded a hello, and he asked if I had been riding on the trail. I answered that the skinny tires on my Cannondale wouldn’t do well on the coarse gravel, and I was sticking to pavement today. I also mentioned that I had ridden north on the trail a couple days ago with a more appropriate bike.
   The light changed, and he waved with a “Have fun!” I returned a “Thank you,” and sprinted across the road before the oncoming traffic could get off the line, feeling good about this exchange, which was much better than I usually experience with drivers.

   A few years ago, I met some of my regular riding crew just a couple of miles north at one of the trailhead lots to do a combined road and paved trail loop of about 40 miles. This particular event was probably more memorable for the dude who tried to pass all seven of us with nowhere near enough room to avoid the oncoming traffic. Incredibly, it just ended with screeching brakes in each direction and not with the offending driver taking us all out as the “lesser of two evils” to avoid a head-on collision. Happily everyone came out okay, though we cyclists were a bit shaken and VERY angry at the reckless driving display!
   Anyhow, not more than a few hundred yards into this ride, some pick-up driving menace had yelled “Get off the roads!” at us. His timing was bad as we were approaching a red light, so we each had something to say at the intersection. Someone offered, “You don’t own the roads,” and our collective mouths dropped to hear him respond with, “My truck does!” I’m not sure if we were more shocked by how inane this sounded or how the smirk on his face made it seem he thought this was the cleverest retort ever made.
   Anyone who thinks the five or six square feet of asphalt I occupy on my bicycle is ruining their day really needs professional help, but it is amazing to me how many drivers will yell out some inference to road “ownership”. I would offer, if they ever stopped to listen, that the early improvement of roads was very much due to bicycle use. Cars were very rare back then, so if anyone can claim ownership, historically it would be cyclists.
   I laugh when someone says something about their paying taxes for road maintenance, as though none of us also drive or pay taxes! As to the suggestion that I pedal somewhere else, I would mention that drivers going on a long trip don’t have turnpikes and interstate highways starting right at the end of their driveways. Similarly, I don’t have bike trails – or even a measly bike lane – that lead right to my home!
   I never appreciate when drivers honk as they are passing – we know we are sharing the road with vehicles and can usually hear them coming. All it serves to do is startle us, and we can certainly leave that to the morons who unnecessarily rev their engines when they blow by. Yes, you are impatient and might be intending to sound a bit threatening with your noise, but none of us need a reminder that your vehicle is more powerful and faster than our two legs!
   I was pedaling along with some slowing traffic in a school zone when some in-a-hurry Mom actually accelerated around us in a left-hand turn lane to reach the school lot. I’m sure the rest of us were going slightly over the lawful 15mph at the time, so I can only imagine what she was doing! It would do my heart good if, just once, a policeman was around to witness such responsible (add sarcasm) parenting!
   One of the sorriest occasions of “inconvenience” to drivers I have ever experienced was last spring, again out with some of pals, when a woman in the opposite lane was screaming at us because - get this - she had to wait for the few of us to clear the entrance to her driveway. We were stunned by her language, let alone the stupid situation, but we shared a laugh at the idea that she didn’t know any of us, but we all knew exactly where she lived.
   We all need to leave more time to get where we need to be, slow down and be courteous to one another, especially because a driver in a multi-ton, gas-powered vehicle is much more dangerous to me than my sub-200-pound body/bike combination,  is going to be to them!

   Last time around, I had mentioned doing an interesting retro-modern build that involved transferring some parts between a Wilier carbon bicycle onto an older Torelli steel frame. I'll say good-bye with a couple photos of the completed project:

Down in the shop, working and...decorating?

   While I haven't exactly been hit by the spring rush, I have had a consistent one or two customer projects hanging around the basement for the past month or so. Most recently, my buddy Johnathan showed up for a "build day" for another of his unique bicycle finds.
   This time around it was a bright green 1999 Cannondale Super V 400 mountain bike. Although this might not have been quite as exotic as his Raven MTB that we worked on last October, it also didn't have the structural issues that we had to deal with on that machine!

   The major work on the Super V was mainly switching from standard V brake calipers to cable-activated disc brakes. The most finicky, time-consuming process is centering the rotor between the pads and achieving that delicate balance between having no rubbing sound and having a good cable pull to effectively stop the bike. It's amazing that for such a short time I've had hydraulic disc brakes on my Bianchi and everything else now feels "mushy" to me when squeezing levers.

   We supposed that it probably isn't as much of a big deal when you aren't doing aggressive downhills, and Johnathan confirmed the bike stopped as well as he would ever need it to during his test ride later that afternoon out on the Schuylkill Trail.

   The past few days I've been assessing another customer's project, which involves a swap of the SRAM and Shimano parts from his carbon fiber Ridley Excalibur to a Torelli steel frameset. This retro/modern build is nothing too complicated, other than dealing with some of the basic English- to Italian-type conversion issues. I found out the drivetrain was VERY worn, so some unforeseen replacement parts will be on tap, and I'll share some pix next time around.

   A few weeks ago I met a very nice gentleman named Ralph, who had showed some interest in the Lazzaretti bicycle I was building. At the time his son was contemplating a retro/modern build of his own, but the price for this rare frame was a bit out of his range. It turns out Ralph speaks fluent Italian and was able to visit the Lazzaretti shop when he lived just to the northwest of Rome in the town of Lidispoli. For a couple of years he enjoyed riding up and down the Tyrrhenian seacoast or inland to take on the challenging foothills of the Apennines.

   Ralph has been very generous, not only with his patience with my occasional attempts to converse by email in Italian (I'm way too slow trying to speak it), but with some of the fantastic things from his collection that he has shared with me! A couple of weeks ago, he shipped me a pile of Italian newspapers to practice reading, and he included a few copies of La Gazzetta dello Sport, the famous pink newspaper that sponsors the Giro d'Italia.

   Ralph is downsizing to an apartment, and promised his wife that he would thin out his collection of cycling memorabilia, and he knew exactly who would be a likely recipient! Along with a few magazines and an accumulation of cycling decals, Ralph presented me with a number of flags from the cantrade (urban wards) of Siena. These flags are displayed during il Palio, the famous horse race that happens twice a year in Siena's Piazza del Campo, as each of the city's 17 sections have their own entrant in the contest.

   The timing of this gift was perfect, as Strade Bianche was held on March 2, and the race traditionally finishes in the Piazza. The event itself wasn't so exciting, as Tadei Pogacar completely dominated with an amazing, long breakaway, but I was thrilled to think I had my own connection to the festivities near the finish line!

   Our basement walls are a rather ugly parging over the stone foundation walls, so some type of covering is quite welcome. However, it is stone, so tacking up posters, etc. isn't really an option, and taping isn't really effective, either. I have to be clever about suspending decorations around the walls, usually involving picture wire and/or rods of some sort. The first one below is actually on the freezer door with magnets!

Civetta (the little owl), represents the area just north of the Piazza, in the center of the city. Traditionally, its residents were shoemakers.

Aquila (a two-headed eagle), is situated to the Piazza's immediate southwest. Folks there were commonly notaries.

Valdimontone (Valley of the Ram), the southeast section of the city, was historically home to tailors.

   Later conversations with Ralph revealed he had led quite the interesting life, living in Africa (I think it was Nigeria?) for ten years growing up, eventually marrying an Australian woman and residing "Down Under" for a bit. During his latest visit to my shop, he brought along a bicycle he had purchased in Australia, hoping I could help him out to determine whether it would have some resale value here in the States.

   Built with high-quality Reynolds 531 tubing, this early-1980s Abeni touring frameset is remarkably lightweight. Ezio Albeni, from the Rovato section of Brescia, Italy, immigrated to Sydney, Australia, in the mid-1950s. In 1973 he opened his Europa Cycles shop in Kingsford, where he and his son John build custom frames and bicycles.
   Ralph had this bicycle built for his wife with an upright bar configuration, but otherwise mostly Campagnolo Super Record parts from the era. Also installed was a Sugino crankset that would allow for smaller chainrings/lower gearing up front. I'm thinking of going back to a full Super Record, drop-bar arrangement, as well as re-applying some appropriate Abeni decals.

   As if I hadn't been treated to enough, Ralph also brought along another supply of cycling memorabilia, including a real prize - a 30-foot-long Mapei banner he "acquired" when the race course was being disassembled at the 2015 World Championship in Richmond. Knowing I was a big fan of the Johan Museeuw-led Mapei team of the 1990s, he figured correctly that I would love this item.

   In an email exchange the next morning, I noted how funny it was that we both were in attendance of the event, and remembering the excitement when I unraveled the banner, he asked if I had slept wrapped-up in it. After a good laugh I relayed my plans to cut the long sheet in half and create a skirt for my workbench.

   Ralph had also brought along a selection of his posters, including one featuring one of my favorites, Giuseppe Saronni (pre-Colnago years), although I suspect Ralph was happy that his hero, Franceso Moser was also in the background:

   He certainly didn't miss out on bringing along some of his Moser posters, as there was one with him in his World Championship stripes (maybe shot from the same race above), a "gritty" image from one of his three Paris-Roubaix victories and this framed image:

   There was a cool black and white poster of Fausto Coppi, but the real standout for me was the immense billboard advertising the 1979 World Championship in the Netherlands:

"WK" is a Dutch abbreviation for wereldkampioenschap - say the word out loud, and the translation is rather obvious.

   I had rolled out the posters on the floor to take photos, since I have yet to figure out where everything will go. It'll take some time, but I will!

   I'll bid arrivederci with some photos of the completed Lazzaretti bicycle build - the bike and build specs are now listed on the For Sale page:

Stop Your Teasing!

   My main intent for posting this week was to introduce a couple new projects that I've added to the project queue. However, with a number of bikes currently ahead of them in the pecking order, it may seem like I am leading on readers who will have to wait a considerable time before seeing these two come to completion.
   I was determined to move finished bicycles out of my shop to open up storage spots for new builds, but cycling's global market collapse has certainly affected my sales, especially since the audience for my vintage bicycles is already narrow. I've had some friends or customers ask, "Have you started working on (this) or (that)?", and I'll tell them that I have all the parts, but I need room to store the completed bikes.
   I have a limited amount of space in my shop, and I don't want another situation where I have 20+ bikes around the perimeter walls (and maybe even some in other rooms of the house) awaiting repairs and tune-ups. A couple of customers were doing the right things and brought their bikes in early to avoid the inevitable spring rush, though it really may have been a few days of warm weather that made them overly optimistic.
   Speaking of a tease, just when I thought I was getting myself back into some semblance of fitness by squeezing in a couple hundred miles the first couple of weeks this month, the cold and snow have come back with a vengeance! Someone told me that there were only four days of sun in January, and I even wondered if that was just of the hazy variety. I really hoped February would be different!

   What I have in store for the future is another Ciocc bicycle - I've built a handful of these wonderful Italian bikes over the years, including one that included a full repaint job for my sister-in-law's husband. This mid-1980s "Designer '84" certainly isn't as far gone (with rust) as Todd's was, but it will require some cleaning and polishing before I put it back into operation.

   I'm on a bit of a retro-modern kick lately, so I'm considering putting more modern Campagnolo components on this bike:

   Speaking of retro-modern, I'm planning on a really different tack with this next one, a late-1980s Scapin (pronounced skah-PEEN) frame, manufactured with Columbus SL tubing. Umberto Scapin had a shop in Piove di Sacco, about 15 miles southeast of Padua. His early 1980s bikes were known for their beautiful cromovelato finishes.

   While this isn't one of those, the dark green and silver is quite attractive, and I'm using - get this - SHIMANO parts for this build!  I've had a nice Ultegra group lying about the shop and decided to go against my own personal, Italian-only preference  - unless a prospective customer suggests something different.

   I don't talk too much pro cycling anymore, since it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm really looking forward to the upcoming season. Of course there is the intrigue of a Vingegaard/Pogacar/Roglic/Evenepoel battle at the Tour de France, but the current World Champion Mathieu van der Poel looks set to do big things. The Dutch star, fresh off his second World Cyclocross title in a row (and sixth in his career), is preparing to dominate the spring Classics.

   Van der Poel entered nineteen events this winter and won EIGHTEEN of them, much of the time making stars of the sport, such as Wout van Aert look like amateurs! At the Worlds event in Tabor, Czech Republic, van der Poel took off from the start, putting twenty-five seconds into everyone except one of his Dutch teammates. He rode alone four six laps of the nearly two-mile course and was able cruise over the finish line without being under any real threat the whole time!

   It's really hard to believe he is 29 years old, since he has only devoted the last five to his road cycling career. It is astounding to think of the damage he could have done if he had been a World Tour rider from the start!

Van der Poel celebrated his recent cyclocross world title, crossing the finish line with a classy acknowledgment of his machine

   

Back Out of the Saddle

   My return to writing the blog has taken longer than expected, as until very recently, there hadn't been much going on down in the shop or out in the road. It seems for the second year in a row that I'll be starting from scratch, as far as cycling fitness goes. I had a really bad head cold, followed up by a scratchy throat/cough situation around Christmas.

   After I slowly recovered, we were hit with an extended spell of miserable weather, including the area's first real snowfall in two years, so I've had only two outdoor rides of any decent length during the past month. As noted many times, I HATE the indoor trainer but have resorted to a few short sessions just to get the legs spinning, and I've also done a couple hikes on some cold and windy days.

   Sure, there have been plenty of times when I've been feeling antsy, but I've kept busy catching up on some reading, throwing myself back into Italian language lessons, practicing guitar and working on my model railroad (I'm looking to share a bit of that in the spring). I did have a couple wise customers get a jump on the yearly bike shop traffic by bringing their machines in for tune-ups and repairs during the offseason.

   I had also been in touch with my friend Walt about reducing the prices on some of his collection, and we are planning to replace the decals on some of the fantastic framesets that have lost their artwork over the decades he has been accumulating his "stuff". My go-to vintage decal vendor, VeloCals, had unfortunately closed its doors last year, so I've had to investigate some other options for more difficult-to-find bicycle brands.

   The Lazzaretti frameset (which I had actually bought from Walt) was missing its head tube badge, and because I couldn't find a replacement or quality artwork to use for a reproduction, I turned to an online company called Vinyl Disorder to create an excellent-looking badge, using the Lazzaretti store's modern logo:

   I'm having them recreate a head tube badge for the Patelli frame that Walt has listed, using some artwork that was contributed by an eBay seller named "Velobits". In the past I've purchased from him handlebar plugs with vintage logos, as well as bar finishing tape with national flag color stripes. I saw that this seller had some Patelli plugs in stock, and he kindly supplied the logos he had used to produce them:

    The frame decals were from an earlier era than everything I found available online, so I had to contact a guy I found on Facebook named Gus Salmon, who produces custom waterslide decals for bicycles.

   After a detour in the project queue, I also plan to finish up the Battaglin Arenberg Edition bicycle early this spring, in time for the next Paris-Roubaix race, so as a bike restoring colleague says, "Let's get crackin'!"

Bicycles Currently For Sale & Projects in Progress

The prices listed with the bikes are a solid starting point - feel free to contact me (email address at top right of page) and make an offer. As always, you can click on the photos to enlarge them.

1980s  VICINI  57 cm       $1150

This classic frame is from a smaller Italian builder. The company shop was in the city of Cesena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of the country, just northwest of San Marino. The frame and components, some new-old stock, are in exceptional condition! See more photos of the bicycle here.

Campagnolo Nuovo Record 6-speed group, including: CRANKSET (170mm, 52/42t), SHIFT LEVERS, DERAILLEURS- Nuovo Record; BRAKES and LEVERS- Modolo Flash (NEW, old stock); HEADSET- Tange; HANDLEBAR- Cinelli Campione del Mondo 64-38 with NEW Benotto bar tape; STEM- Cinelli 1A stem (110mm); SEATPOST- Uno; SADDLE- Selle San Marco GI-Lux 311; WHEELSET- Mavic MA40 rims, Campagnolo Record hubs and NEW Michelin Dynamic Classic tires

2006  PINARELLO  Opera Cellini  54 cm     $1000

The Opera line was created in 1998 by Fausto Pinarello to explore new materials and manufacturing techniques in a market dominated by carbon and titanium. The paint scheme replicates the one used by the Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne team at the 2005 Tour de France - a young Alejandro Valverde, a personal favorite pro, rode for that squad. This new-old stock aluminum frameset with the company's Storm Forte carbon fork has been built up with Campagnolo and Italmanubri (ITM) components with a new set of Miche wheels. View more photos of the bike here.

Campagnolo 10-speed group, including: CRANKSET (172.5mm, 53/39t), BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS, SHIFT, DERAILLEURS (front and rear), BRAKES and BOTTOM BRACKET; HANDLEBAR- ITM Super Italia Pro 2 (41cm); STEM- ITM Mantis (110mm); SEATPOST- Zoom; SADDLE- NEW Selle Royal Seta S1; WHEELSET- NEW Miche Reflex RX7 with Continental Ultra Sport tires

1997  BIANCHI  Trofeo  58 cm      $875

The Superset 2 frame is terrific Dedacciai lugged steel tubing, and of course, Italian parts abound! A Campagnolo 8-speed Athena group applies the power, a Selle Italia saddle provides the comfort and an ITM stem/bar combo guides the bicycle. More photos can be seen here.

Campagnolo Athena 8-speed group, including CRANKSET (53/39t, 175mm), BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS and DERAILLEURS; BRAKES- Bianchi, HANDLEBAR- ITM Super Europa2 (40cm), STEM- ITM Eclypse Bianchi (90mm), SEAT POST- Sugino, SADDLE- Selle Italia Trimatic 2, WHEELSET- Mavic Reflex SUP rims, Campagnolo Chorus hubs, 8-speed cassette (12-21t) and NEW Michelin Dynamic tires

2008  COLNAGO  Extreme Power   52 sloping (like traditional 56cm)     $2000

The paint/decal work on the carbon fiber bicycle, which was part of my personal collection, mimics the famous Saronni bike of the 1980s. This machine is all about my love for Italian bicycles and parts - in this case Campagnolo, 3T and Ambrosio - that are well-crafted and stylish. You can see more photos here.

CAMPAGNOLO Chorus 9-speed group, including: CRANKSET (172.5mm, 53/39t), BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS, DERAILLEURS and BOTTOM BRACKET; BRAKES- Campy Athena Monoplaner; HEADSET- COLNAGO C-HS1; HANDLEBAR- 3T Ernova (42cm) with NEW Fabrik bar tape, STEM- 3T ARX Pro (110mm); SEATPOST- 3T Zero 25 Team carbon; SADDLE- Selle Italia Q-bik “Colnago”; WHEELSET- Ambrosio Evolution rims with Campagnolo hubs, 9-speed cassette (13-28t) and NEW Vittoria Corsa G2.0 Competition tires

Early-1980s  LAZZARETTI  54 cm      $1150

Cicli Lazzaretti holds a special place in my heart, as I visited the shop during a 2011 trip to Rome with my late mother. The racks full of curvy Pinarello Prince frames inspired a future purchase of one of those Italian beauties. The shop at one time built fantastic steel frames, assembled with Columbus tubing, and this is a great example. I've built the bike up with Campagnolo Chorus 8-speed gruppo, as well as a set of the company's Delta wheels, and 3T stem/bars. See more photos here.

Campagnolo Chorus 8-speed group, including: CRANKSET (175mm, 53/39t), BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS, DERAILLEURS, BRAKES and HEADSET; HANDLEBAR- 3T Forma SL Ergopower 2 (39cm); STEM- 3T (1A style, 110mm); WHEELSET- Campagnolo Delta with 14-25t cassette and NEW Michelin Dynamic Classic tires

Make sure to check out  Walt's Wonderful Wheels - listings of bicycles for sale that I am posting for a friend.

IN THE WORKS...

2022  BATTAGLIN  Speed CE  54 cm      (est. $800-850)

This special project is planned to be the "Cobbles Edition", featuring custom paint and graphics. The rather boring present scheme will be stripped, but the hot red will return as the overall color. Images of legendary riders who have won the Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaix multiple times will adorn the frame. Components are TBA, but some teaser shots of the artwork can be seen here.

Early-1990s  PEUGEOT  1100 Team Line  56 cm      (est. $850-900)

This rare frame was constructed in partnership with Vitus, using carbon tubes bonded to aluminum lugs. I plan to build up this bicycle with appropriate French parts, primarily the Sachs-Huret "New Success" 8-speed group.

1988  COLNAGO  Super  54 cm      (est. $900-950)

I always thought this classic Italian paint scheme was best in blue or green, as it sort of resembles fish scales. The bike came with perfectly fine Shimano 600 "Tricolor" components, but I'll be swapping in 8-speed Campagnolo gruppo.

Mid-1980s  CIÖCC  Designer '84  54cm      (est. 800-850)

While the high-quality Italian brand might not have the reputation of Colnago and Pinarello, that might only be because they've never had a presence in the pro peloton. Made with Columbus SL steel tubing, this classic comes equipped with Campagnolo and Cinelli components. It just needs some cleaning and polishing, and it will be ready to go!

Late-1980s  SCAPIN  SL  54cm      (est. 800-850)

Another "newbie-brand" for me, as this is my first build with this Italian marque. Umberto Scapin (skah-PEEN) had a shop in Piove di Sacco, about 15 miles southeast of Padua. His early 1980s bikes had beautiful cromovelato finishes; while this isn't one of those, the dark green and silver is quite attractive. I'm contemplating a retro/modern build with some Ultegra parts I have lying about the shop  - unless a prospective customer suggests something different!