Well, I've been posting for a while, but never shared the results of my addiction to vintage road bikes, so I figured now would be a good time. Here they are:
56cm Peugeot UO9
This is my first road bike ever, and though I absolutely love riding it and we've had great times, it's a bit big for me. I may be selling it soon, but I'm really reluctant to sell to anyone intending on making it a fixed gear. It's so much fun to ride just the way it is.
49cm Fuji Royale II
My wife's first road bike. It's a blast to ride, but a bit heavy and though it fits her perfectly, she's moved on to other rides and it'll be sold soon.
52cm 1990(?) Peugeot Triathlon
This is my baby. I absolutely loved this bike from the moment I first saw it on Craigslist. Full Shimano RX100 group and Mavic wheels. I got it for $99 from a guy who had a bonded aluminum bike that fell apart while riding. Peugeot sent this as a replacement and he took very good care of it over the years. Its paint is still shiny and barely has any defects. Only quirk is that it has a mismatched front wheel which was way out of whack, but since been trued.
51cm Peugeot Iseran
Got this as a commuter for my wife. It's in incredible shape and almost as if it was ridden a few times and garaged afterward.
1985 48cm Trek 660
This was supposed to be my wife's bike for long distance riding. Unfortunately, though we drove out to the middle of nowhere in Colorado to pick it up, it turned out that it didn't fit her as well as we first thought. It was very well-loved (in the sense that it was ridden relentlessly for 20 years) by a guy who bought it new, rode it through high school, college and beyond. He finally traded it in for credit when he bought his son's first bike. I can't imagine how much that probably must have hurt at the time. Anyhow, it's for sale and I am absolutely not selling it to anyone intending on making it fixed gear.
1987 52cm Nishiki Olympic 12
Currently the object of my wife's bike-related affection. I intended to buy it for myself as a commuter, but after letting my wife ride it briefly, she commandeered it for herself. It fits her perfectly, and she couldn't be any happier. This is also an example of a bike that was ridden sparingly and garaged for the past two decades (or so it seems).
53cm Diamondback Centurion Master TG
Just picked this up today. I meant to use it as a commuter, but not sure yet. It has a full Shimano 105 group and is pretty lightweight. It seems like it was well-ridden, but after a while, someone stopped caring and it was left outside. There's some rust where cables route through on the top tube, and on some of the components. Everything works fine though, and I'm hoping that with some cleaning and re-greasing, should work smoothly.
Well, there you have it. Feels good to admit my addiction, and I'm glad that it's this, and not something worse, like crack (though I'm sure some would argue that bikes are pretty much the same)
- Joe
PS - Sorry for the yellowish-tint. We took these photos in the hallway of our apartment building. Also, there are more views on our
Flickr Set.