Cool old bike

I visited Tom's Bicycles in Tulsa this afternoon, and while poking around in the back room, I came across this! It's a lovely Italvega from the 1970's with a full Campagnolo component group. The frame is Columbus, as was customary on Italian bikes at the time, but what was truly astonishing was the bike's condition.



I would have given my eye teeth for one of these back in the day. At the time, a Raleigh Professional or Schwinn Paramount with full Campy sold for about a thousand dollars - well out of my price range since I made only about eight thousand a year at the time. Tom plans to sell this one on E-bay.


Another astonishing thing was the story that went along with the bike. An elderly couple living on a farm were allowing their grandchildren to play on the bike up until one of the sew-ups went flat. They brought it into the shop hoping to have the tire fixed. Tom - being the stand-up guy that he is - told them what they had and offered a fair price for it. They left happy.

This bike is lovely....and it's my size. But I couldn't justify buying it only to hang it on the wall. I'd ride it and ride it hard. The bike deserves better than that.

Recumbent bicycles: Threat or Menace?

(Image from Volae Recumbent Bicycles)

Excerpts from EZ Biker :-)


Dear EZ Biker, we are having an issue with the Diamond Frame bunch verses an ex DF cyclist, now riding a recumbent. There are a few recumbent cyclists, (Including my husband) that are constantly being teased and basically are shunned by others, because of their bike choice. It’s as if they are lepers or something. My concern is that our bicycle group will not want to have anything to do with us anymore. What to do?


Diane, this is actually a question I get asked often about and have done tons of emails in response to the issue. There are just so many opinions out there concerning this. My initial response is basically this: The HARDEST THING to learn about recumbents is how to deal with either being accepted or spurned by your fellow cyclists. Most groups are tolerant towards recumbents, but then there are those other types...


Recumbents are the spawn of Satan. Oh, the people who ride them look like ordinary, relatively normal human beings, but don't let that fool you. They're demonic imps, bent on global domination. They often form up in packs and they'll box you in on the road, endlessly haranguing you about the supposed benefits of their outlandish machines, until, like a trapped muskrat, you find yourself considering gnawing off a limb to escape. Other desperate diamond frame riders succumb to the pressure and drink the 'bent Kool-Aid (or maybe it should be called Kook-Aid), becoming yet another recumbent zombie. Then they go out to infect others.

(Image from Sheldon Brown)

A crucifix will not ward off the recumbent horde. It's just not effective on them like it is on vampires. No, what you really need is a Campagnolo T wrench as shown above. Recumbent riders are repulsed whenever one of these appears, so be sure to keep one handy, particularly on group rides when the danger posed by groups of 'bent riders is greatest.

(Image from BikeSnobNYC)

Another attractive option is to apply one of these stickers to each butt cheek - more or less at eye level for a recumbent rider - in the unlikely event that one of them overtakes you. I guarantee they'll give you plenty of space, but it's a small concern because they seldom catch up with a diamond frame rider anyway.

Never allow 'bent riders to draw you into their favorite topic -the alleged 'conspiracy' that excludes recumbents from competitive cycling events. They get an uncomfortable gleam in their eyes as the extol the advantages of their machines, advantages that would supposedly allow their usual riders - short, bald, middle-aged guys with beer guts, ancient Skid Lids, and baggy shorts - to ride as fast as any professional cyclist. Some sort of recumbent magic would turn them into sleek, road-going missiles. They've had more than a cup or two of Kook-Aid. Don't let them offer you one too. Like a nut ball street corner preacher, shouting at passerby who hurry along without making eye contact, they'll try to proselytize until you join them. Never make eye contact, and if necessary, line your helmet with aluminum foil to ward off harmful geek radiation.

You'll be thankful you did.

Bicycling Magazine - July 2007

There's a lovely photo of a Masi replica on the last page of this issue! It's nearly identical to this one above from wooljersey.com except that the Bicycling photo has a lovely Universal Mod. 61 centerpull brake, the cam-action opening mechanism for the brake, and a vintage Campy Record headset. This bike is gorgeous!

Later, maybe.

I gave some thought to procrastinating today, but decided to put it off until tomorrow.

I wrote this back in December:

...This week, my commuter bike began making a thunking noise in sync with the crankset. It could be: the bottom bracket, a pedal, a cleat, a loose crankarm, the saddle, or even the handlebars. Mysterious clicks, creaks, and thunks can be traced to any of them. What makes this one more annoying is that it comes and goes without any apparent reason. I checked the chain, chainrings, and cog without finding anything. This weekend I'll overhaul the bottom bracket. It's overdue anyway.


So, today, I actually got around to overhauling that bottom bracket. It was LONG overdue! And I believe I've found the source of the click. The spindle in that bike is a Campagnolo Record that's easily 30 years old. It's developed a pit on one end, and that pit is fairly deep. That's all - one pit in an old, high-mileage Campy part. The bearing cups appear to be fine as are the bearings. (I was out of 1/4" ball bearings, otherwise I would have replaced them.) Given some of the prices for old, collectible Campy parts, that complete bottom bracket assembly may be worth more than the bike.

I'll have to replace the spindle soon, probably when I put the bike up for the summer. But 30 years of use is impressive. I kinda doubt that newer cartridge units will last as long. But then again, I probably won't find out. There's an equally old Dura Ace spindle out there in the garage that will fit the Centurion's bottom bracket. And the Dura Ace has almost no wear on it!