Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - BlindRobert's new toys

Okay - so all my new stuff arrived on Friday. Both bikes in the process of being put together still. I know the pictures don't tell much, but I wanted to get them both just right before really showing a lot.

First bike:
3rensho track, it came with a campy road stem and bar, I have ordered a Nitto steel track stem 58 degree x 130mm, a nitto B127 bar and a set of white Yoshida keirin grips for the bars. The bike also came with a set of D/A NJS hubs laced to Araya tubular rims. I haven't seen these D/A hubs before, they look a little like 70's sherrif badge Campy to me. The tires on the D/A wheels were a little worn, so put on my set of Mavic/Phil wheels for now. Also stock was the campy aero seatpost which I will be replacing with a Nitto NJS seat post (hurry up USPS!).

Second Bike:
KHS Aero pursuit bike, aluminum tubing. I peeled the stickers off the frame. I bought the D/A crankset and the D/A-Mavic wheelset for it separately (RED!) and have ordered a Nitto aluminum track stem 58degreesx120mm to use with the pursuit bars in the picture. The handlebar (and offensive brake) will be removed shortly. I also ordered a set of red/black panaracer tires for it. I am guessing black bar tape with red electrical tape at the ends.

it is the crappiest weekend ever for new bikes here in NYC - rain and wind. Yuck. Maybe some fenders on that 3rensho.....hmmm....

Good stuff, good stuff. Can't wait to see your new rides in real life. This rain is pretty crappy, huh? I made it out a whopping one time today for about 45 minutes, 1/2 an hour of which was spent in a coffee shop. Have been holed up watching movies. I've been itching to ride too. I'd be going knucking futs if I had new bikes ready to go!!

Where'd the 3Rensho come from? Any more pictures?

I've got a few prizes I just brought back from Japan myself... need to take shots ;)

Really old DA hubs were Campy knock-offs. When Shimano went after the high end, they were not shy about copping Campagnolo style.

See also, Shimano 600 arabesque.

edit: I got a good 45 minutes in myself today in the rain, but that's because I had a workshop downtown to go to.

Here's the KHS built:

Beautiful. That D/A hub does look very very much like my campy record 'sherrif badge' hub.

Beautiful. That D/A hub does look very very much like my campy record 'sherrif badge' hub.
yeah - a shameless copy as someone said above. I ended up building the bike with some newer D/A high flange hubs/red open pros. The seatpost came off the 3rensho - it is an old aero campy athena. Looks cool on this bike. I got a nitto NJS seattube for the 3rensho. I will build that bike this weekend and post some pics.

bikes look very nice... and your apartment is very clean.

bikes look very nice... and your apartment is very clean.
Yes, I keep a tidy home. I can't believe nobody has complemented my Eames plywood lounge chair!

Yes, I keep a tidy home. I can't believe nobody has complemented my Eames plywood lounge chair!

I noticed that. Can't beat the Eames.

I have 6 of them (seriously):

http://static.flickr.com/5/5419513_f3057577c7_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/8/9363566_b3be788d68_o.jpg

nice, nothing beats classic eames furniture. I still saving up for the lounger and ottoman...one day...

I still saving up for the lounger and ottoman...one day...

I'm still saving up to have a space as big as absntr's in new york city... I don't think it's gonna happen.

I'm still saving up to have a space as big as absntr's in new york city... I don't think it's gonna happen.

etchr - it's one of the biggest reasons I don't think I could move to NYC. All signs lately have been leading me there and while I could probably keep my own, I know I'd have to compromise some of the comforts that I've been fortunately afforded in Chicago. It'd be the same if I wanted to move to SF too.

Though, no complaints, Chicago's doing me just fine.

I noticed that. Can't beat the Eames.

I have 6 of them (seriously):

http://static.flickr.com/5/5419513_f3057577c7_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/8/9363566_b3be788d68_o.jpg
Nice - I was just on a furniture buying binge - I also got the eames molded fiberglass rocking chair (translucent orange!) and a case study daybed. I love modern furniture from that era. (My apartment is becoming very Brady looking.)

and hey - there is some pretty decent big space in NYC if you know where to look, but probably still more expensive than Chicago.

yeah - a shameless copy as someone said above. I ended up building the bike with some newer D/A high flange hubs/red open pros. The seatpost came off the 3rensho - it is an old aero campy athena. Looks cool on this bike. I got a nitto NJS seattube for the 3rensho. I will build that bike this weekend and post some pics.


Everybody copies off of Campy during those times. it wasn't til the 80s that the mold was starting to break.

sell,trade..let me know b4 i unload some of my gear.

getting on bike from LC and back to japan for a final run of the year.

S/F,
CEYA!
no more bikes..

I used to work for a modern furniture dealer, and when I left I made off with a couple Saarinen armchairs cheap. That employee discount wasn't worth another second with the HellBoss, though.

Beautiful bikes, BlindRobert. Sorry to hear about the dreary state of New York, but it could be worse: it could still be hot and sticky like it it here.

Everybody copies off of Campy during those times. it wasn't til the 80s that the mold was starting to break.

sell,trade..let me know b4 i unload some of my gear.

getting on bike from LC and back to japan for a final run of the year.

S/F,
CEYA!
no more bikes..
Ceya,

were you interested in the NJS d/a wheelset? Tubular araya rims...let me know!

Roberto

yep, lets go off line.pm..don't want to ruin your thread. GETTING READY TO RIDE IN THE RAIN..YES


S/F,
CEYA!!!!!!

I noticed that. Can't beat the Eames.

I have 6 of them (seriously):

http://static.flickr.com/5/5419513_f3057577c7_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/8/9363566_b3be788d68_o.jpg
...and (based solely on your excellent taste in furniture) you are officially extended an open invitation to crash at my place whenever you visit NYC.

...and (based solely on your excellent taste in furniture) you are officially extended an open invitation to crash at my place whenever you visit NYC.

Very kind of you sir, I return your generosity and offer in kind. (Hint: come in November for the Meat N' Greet).

funny! i was wondering if there was a possibility that someone else out there was into bikes and mid century furniture just like me! i sold more eames stuff on ebay than i've sold bike stuff! those chairs are nice absentr. i got two endtables that match them i believe.

naz - i have the same stools that are behind all the black chairs in that photo. i found mine on the street though... actually, my roomate found them on the street (credit where credit's due, etc.)... but they're definitely the same ones... funny thing is, ours seem to be in better shape than yours.. :)

Blindrobert, drac_vamp - both of you might be interested in this Flickr group - lots of furniture pr0n: http://flickr.com/groups/mid-century/

I haven't been keeping up with any furniture stuff lately. I moved earlier this year into a slightly smaller place (though still big - the place pictured above was huge - a little too big really - I had empty spaces that looked so odd) so things fit just right.

Though I'm itching to get a new work desk, or a table of sorts.

naz - i have the same stools that are behind all the black chairs in that photo. i found mine on the street though... actually, my roomate found them on the street (credit where credit's due, etc.)... but they're definitely the same ones... funny thing is, ours seem to be in better shape than yours.. :)

IKEA! I used to have a small standalone mini-bar and we needed chairs to go with them. Of course the tops of one of them broke off (ah, the downside to IKEA) and we no longer have the minibar so they're used as extra seating if need be, tucked away in the kitchen.

Also, has anybody checkd out Soorikian? Some nice clean lines: http://www.soorikian.com

mmm furniture. thanks for the link. another time waster while at work. i still work closely with a friend of mine selling furniture and such. if you wanted to let me know what you're tracking down i can certainly keep eyes and ears open.

I'm envious of you guys.. as an architect, I love eames furniture but also can't afford it. You guys should definately check out the Eames house in cali if you ever get the chance, amazing building and all the furniture pr0n you need. My old office had a close relationship with the eames office so we used to stock a new house with eames furniture for photoshoots.

check out Modernica, they have the molded fiberglass chairs for a good price, gonna get me one of them eventually.

BlindRobert, if Ceya don't want those wheels, I might take them off you too. I think I saw that damaged blue lugged bike you sold at t-town the other day, but might have been mistaken.

Yeah, Eames is nice, but it's frustrating. The whole point of the potato chip chair, for example, was to be cheaply mass-produceable, simple, stackable, etc. Want to buy one? Well that's gonna run you more than $500. What?

Anyhow, I totally love mid-century modern. It's too bad the 60s and 70s ruined it all.

While we're wildly derailed, I'll put in a plug for Natuzzi. They have attractive but inexpensive stuff that, at least when we bought our sofa several years ago, was still hand made in Italy. It looks something like this, but with a single split in the middle rather than a three "cushion" setup. We paid $650 but had to wait several months while it was being built.

http://www.gallereya.ru/catalog/catalog/natuzzi-i108.jpg

For anyone in the area, the Framingham warehouse is a great place to get this sort of stuff. We got the couch there and bought a laminate coffee table with thees splindly chrome legs for $100.

http://www.framinghamwarehouse.com/

Yeah, Eames is nice, but it's frustrating. The whole point of the potato chip chair, for example, was to be cheaply mass-produceable, simple, stackable, etc. Want to buy one? Well that's gonna run you more than $500. What?

True - which is why I will completely thank the dot-com boom and subsequent bust in how I acquired 6 Eames chairs and 9 Aerons (4 of which I sold and 3 I gave to friends). They ended up paying some of my backpay in furniture. I was going to take a matching Eames kitchen set (or at least that's how we had it set up) but my boss dibbed that.

yeah - I lucked out when ordering the case study daybed from Modernica. They were a few weeks late in delivering it and to compensate they gave me the Eames molded fiberglass rocking chair. I have to say they were pretty great - I didn't fuss or anything, I had ordered the rocker already and was willing to pay. They suggested giving it to me at cost which I thought was great and after it was delivered I called to let them know they hadn't charged me for it - they said it was their decision to just give it to me.

I am an architect too - you can find other ways to make money besides your profession (so that you can buy bikes and furniture) HA!

Absntr, thanks for the flickr link!

I am an architect too - you can find other ways to make money besides your profession (so that you can buy bikes and furniture) HA!

Yeah, I'm think about drug dealing... I'm still trying to figure out and explore different things to do besides my arch dayjob. Most obvious choice is ID and web design. Hard to get started right now though, any pointers?

Oh yeah and how are the modernica rocking chairs? I'm thinking of getting one, 400's not such a bad price for those.

I love the rocking chair.

Real estate!!!!....(though I think that window is starting to close).

y'all design wh0res would love this site, if you don't already have it bookmarked:
http://inhabitat.com/

bookmarked ages ago.... I work at a 'green' office. good lookout though.

Viridian right over here, at least in spirit. Me, I can't wait to move into my first modular shipping container home.

shippin container prefabs are the hipsters of prefabs. Much better and cheaper prefabs to be had out there.

I guess I gotta chime in on the aero track/eames thing...
my appartment is messier....

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y266/roscoenyc/funnybars3.jpg


I think I see some blue sky!

wow alot of t-square heads here. yep endless days in front of the ruler . i want those days again...

BACK TO BR BIKES......

S/F,
CEYA!

I guess I gotta chime in on the aero track/eames thing...
my appartment is messier....

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y266/roscoenyc/funnybars3.jpg


I think I see some blue sky!
I will say it again: That's a damn fine Martin Cowboy guitar you got there Roscoe...my Martin is in the case next to the Eames chair.

Hey - nice shelves too!

okay - got the 3rensho built up today. Here are pics as promised. Keirin grips are tough to slip on. I discovered the secret: equal parts willpower and WD-40...then they just slide right on.

looking good... windex actually works really well for keirin grips too. Is the fork stock or did you get the frame and fork seperate, it seems a little odd. But still a nice looking bike. Which stem is that?

Why hello there! Nice.

I love white and I think your tires want to be white, too. I also think your bars want to be tilted up so that the flats are parallel to the ground and you have more useful positions.

looking good... windex actually works really well for keirin grips too. Is the fork stock or did you get the frame and fork seperate, it seems a little odd. But still a nice looking bike. Which stem is that?

The fork is stock with dropouts that match the ones on the rear triangle - what do you think looks odd about it?

Stem: Nitto NJS Jaguar, steel 130mm X 58 degrees
Seatpost: Nitto NJS SP-72
Handlebar: Nitto B127 NJS chromolly
Saddle: Kashimax 5gold NJS
Cranks: Dura Ace NJS
Bottom Bracket: Dura-Ace BB7610 square taper, NJS

And I am running my Phil/Mavic (Not NJS!!) wheelset on it - good for the streets.

okay - got the 3rensho built up today. Here are pics as promised. Keirin grips are tough to slip on. I discovered the secret: equal parts willpower and WD-40...then they just slide right on.

no SECRET,NO will power ..rubber cement next time. totake them off just roll them back.

S/F,
CEYA!

blindrobert, where did you get your square taper dura ace cranks?

blindrobert, where did you get your square taper dura ace cranks?
They came with the bike...same with the (what I am told is rare) square taper D/A bottom bracket.

hairspray works the best to get those grips on. The hairspray dries as an adhesive.

hairspray works the best to get those grips on. The hairspray dries as an adhesive.

so does rubber cement. keirin builders taught it to me since the glue let the grips expand. very little used and cheap . glue 99 cents.Priceless

S/F<
CEYA!

Gotta love, love, love the long point lugs.