All over the place - maybe I DO need therapy!

   The blog title makes reference to two things: the fact that this article is going to touch on many unrelated topics and a story I’ve mentioned a couple of times in my writing, when my son Carrick questioned my sanity after witnessing my return home with a van full of bicycles, some to keep and some to sell.
   A couple of years ago, I had commented in a blog post on my past bikes that I had owned only two road bikes from when I was age 14 until I turned 41, and in the ensuing twelve years I had owned twenty-two different bikes. I keep reiterating that I am not a collector, but maybe I should change that phrase to “I am not an accumulator”. I like to tweak my little stable of bicycles, when I find something else really interesting, when a feature of one of my bikes becomes particularly bothersome or if I just find a really logical reason for a change.
   I recognize that I’ve had the Bianchi Camaleonte for less than a year, but I had been putting it through its paces, especially during our recent Rochester trip. Mind you, it is quality machine, especially with the upgrades I made to the bike, but I bought it when the nationwide stock of Bianchi bikes was low, and in the struggle for finding something that was my size, I settled for a frame that was slightly larger than my perfect fit.
   The headtube is longer than I am used to, and I find myself wrestling the bike a bit through turns. A taller person’s center of gravity would be higher over the bike, and this would be no problem. A recent spin when borrowing Sue’s Colnago trail bike, which has a 53cm frame, confirmed my recent decision to look for a more appropriately-sized bike, as I thoroughly enjoyed whipping the bike around turns that evening on a winding unpaved trail ride.
   I’m going with a Bianchi Impulso Allroad, and I will probably keep the as-delivered Shimano GRX drivetrain/hydraulic brakes and just swap in the Cinelli stem/bars and the Mavic wheels that I had put on the Camaleonte. I’m hoping there is nothing complicated involved, but I’ll keep you posted.

   The timing of this decision was surprising, as I saw a rare Colnago Roger de Vlaeminck frame listed on eBay and starting thinking about how I could possibly fit it into my little collection. There were only 200 of these Columbus steel frames built as a tribute to the Belgian legend, who won all of cycling’s Monument races, including Paris-Roubaix a record four times! The original RDV frames were essentially a Colnago Master, with a paintjob similar to that of the blue Gios bicycles that he had ridden to so many victories, but the logos had “Roger de Vlaeminck” printed on them, instead of “Gios Torino”, and the head tube badge was actually an image of Roger’s head!

   The frame I eventually purchased had the top tube cable guides removed and put in a more modern location, below the top tube in a split housing/bare cable arrangement. The frame has had a custom paint job applied, kind of a yellow splash over a deep red, as well as the Colnago Master set of decals. It is believed this may have been done for a small pro team, as the frame also has the braze-on race number hanger. I plan to put in the card for #27, which de Vlaeminck wore during his last Roubaix win.

   As much as I enjoy my Colnago Extreme Power, I recognize that I have two other modern carbon bikes, and my real love is vintage bicycles. The drive train on the EP operated perfectly, so I am going to transfer nearly everything over to the RDV for a retro-modern look. The very modern 3T stem/bars and seatpost will stay on the EP, and I have a nice Campagnolo 9-speed Chorus group, as well as a great set of Ambrosio wheels to put on it for resale.

   Speaking of new bikes, some future blog articles will involve a proposed purchase of an E-bike for Sue, as I knew she’d like to go on some longer rides over more challenging terrain, without feeling completely wiped-out afterward. A little speed boost when needed would also allow her to join in on some of my favorite routes without feeling like she is holding me back.

   I sandwiched a pleasant trip to the shore for our annual family Seafood Fest, around a couple of very frustrating bicycle jobs. One involved a his-and-hers set of Schwinn bicycles, which required a whole lot of rust removal and polishing. It wasn’t hard work, just a lot of it, and these were 1970s Schwinns, not of the highest quality. They must have weighed 50 pounds each! I was fairly happy with the way they turned out, and, most importantly, so was the customer.

  

   The other job involved a repeat customer, Tom, who wanted to build up his mid-1980s, rose-colored Vitus 979 to modern standards. He had chosen some nice components, but unfortunately, he didn’t heed my early suggestion to check with me about compatibility. There were some frustrations for us both, but he eventually asked the right questions and was very patient with my answers. He had to buy correct parts and resell some of what he had originally purchased, but the build eventually came together.
   Interestingly, he ended up going with a blend of cyclocross and road parts, using a 10-speed drivetrain by Microshift, a company that usually takes a back seat to Shimano, Campagnolo and SRAM, but puts out reliable, yet more affordable, parts. I had used a set of their 7-speed brake/shifters on a friend’s vintage Terry bicycle a couple of years ago, and really liked them.

   I’m still learning new things, and occasionally they are mind-numbing! A customer had dropped off a Schwinn bicycle with tires with rubber that had completely broken down. I could barely make out the size on the crumbling tan sidewalls, 26” x 1⅜”. This was a common size for vintage cruisers, and I knew from past experience that a local shop, Perkiomen Bicycles in Schwenksville, keeps them in stock.
   I purchased a pair and was shocked to find they weren’t even close to fitting! I looked at the old tires more closely and could barely make out the symbol “EA-3”. I did an internet search and found that these were tires/wheels that were common to old British 3-speed bicycles. Further research had me learning that 26-inch tires have several different ETRTO (European Tire and Rim Technical Organization) numbers, which designated the inside diameter of the tire, or more importantly, different rim diameters!
   The most common numbers are 559 for traditional mountain bike wheels, 597 for Schwinn “lightweights” and 590 for the dastardly British EA-3. I returned the Schwinn tires and ordered the appropriate tires, which Kenda still manufacturers. I felt kind of stupid the next day when someone brought in an old bicycle that required a new set of 597 tires, but she wanted all-black tires, instead of the tan wall versions I had taken back to the Perkiomen shop, so I was off the hook.

   I had been shaking off some of my work frustration by getting in some really nice rides with friends during a recent spell of mild temps and low humidity. Last Friday some of my regular crew proposed a 50-miler, and the logical destination was the beautiful Oley Valley, where the roads wind through rolling farmlands with relatively few cars for company! 

   My friend Mike and I had been planning all summer to head out to the Amish country, and we finally had our schedules mesh on Sunday. We were a bit disappointed that no one else had an empty calendar that day, but it was fantastic weather for mid-August, and we had a great time. We rewarded ourselves with an ice cream stop at the locally-famous Boehringer's Drive-In.

Official team photographer Matt Nice snapped this over-the
-shoulder image, with me (left) and the "Two Dans".

This would be common scenery during both rides!

Mike performed the photographer duties on this occasion.

   As the official start of the school year nears, and the struggle will begin for consistent participation from my usual cycling crew, I reflect on how much of a relief it was not to have planned so many events this year. Last summer was a weather nightmare, with postponements and resulting attendance issues. This year, I think only one of our Tuesday evening rides was cancelled because of storms!
   Wait a second, one other Tuesday ride was called off…because of smoke. I would have never seen that coming!