Classic & Vintage - Speaking of bike colors "for a guy"

I picked up this Lemond Ventoux, thinking it would be perfect for a friend of mine. It was in great shape, and a good deal. He was all for it until he saw the color. Now he has to think about it.

I think he is nuts.

When I researched this bike, I did not find much about it. Can anyone give me some info? It seems real nice, with 8 speed 600 components, but I don't know Cromor tubing. How does Cromor compare to SL, SLX, Tenax, and those other columbus tubings?

Jared

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0383Large.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0384Large.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0389Large.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0392Large.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0391Large.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0395Large.jpg

You are probably more ticked off at his flippancy to your hard-earned efforts to get him a bike than his reaction to the color.

-Kurt

I picked up this Lemond Ventoux, thinking it would be perfect for a friend of mine. It was in great shape, and a good deal. He was all for it until he saw the color. Now he has to think about it.

I think he is nuts.

When I researched this bike, I did not find much about it. Can anyone give me some info? It seems real nice, with 8 speed 600 components, but I don't know Cromor tubing. How does Cromor compare to SL, SLX, Tenax, and those other columbus tubings?

Jared

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0383Large.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0384Large.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0389Large.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0392Large.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0391Large.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt327/oldarizona/Lemond%20Ventoux/DSC_0395Large.jpg

If it were a 47cm I'd ride it in half a heartbeat.:love::thumb::p

He's an idiot. That bike is sweet.

But you know, blue is such a manly color, right? Maybe I couldn't ride it, since I'm a girl <eye roll>. Keep it for yourself, if it fits you.

You are probably more ticked off at his flippancy to your hard-earned efforts to get him a bike than his reaction to the color.

-Kurt

Maybe a little-- but I also legitimately like the color. And if it wasn't an appropriately masculine color, would these guys have been wearing it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIgZ7gMze7A

(see about 1 minute into the video, where both Mr Micheal and Mr. Ridgeley seem to be wearing the same color of blue-- if Mr. Micheal's blue/white shorts aren't masculine enough for you, nothing is.)

That is a fabulous color! Your friend is crazy.

As far as Cromor it is good stuff in my opinion. Less than 300 grams more than an SL tubeset.

Great looking bike, I am sure someone will enjoy it!

-Jake

I'd never not ride a bike because of the color. Especially a bike as nice as this.

Its Vintage bikes... you buy the bike you want and get the color free ;)

Looks great. Not my favorite color, but I'd never thought about it not being a "manly" color.

i love the color - wish i had a bike that color

i love the color - wish i had a bike that color


+1

That could be a Della Santa made Lemond. I think they had DS stamped on the bottom. If it is he'll be kicking himself not taking that sweet bike.

Mutt

when he calls asking for it, say he was right so you sold it to a girl for $50.

Next time you find a ladies Varsity for free on the side of the road (isn't that how all Varsities are acquired?) go drop it at your buddy's front door with a note "Found you a bike, Hope it isn't too Girly"

Not a huge fan of the color myself, but I'd certainly take it if it were a good price. That's a sweet bike and the color isn't too bad.

The Cromor tubing was 3rd in line behind SLX then SL. I believe it was a seamed tube but had all the properties of the more expensive SLX. I'm not sure about the seaming process but it was probably a cheaper alternative to the traditional top grade tubing process. It could still be double butted. SLX, SL and Cromor are all Chromium Molybdenum alloy steels but Cromor has no internal helical reinforcing. It is also a heavier tubeset as it is slightly thicker walled than SLX.

I have had 3 Pinarello's with Cromor tubesets and I couldn't tell the difference from SLX. I suppose the only difference that you can detect is if the geometry changes though.

See, I think we ought to mock folks for things worth mocking. Being into pink or liking flowers or whatever, isn't worth mocking, because those are just personal preferences. Being deathly afraid of everyone else's opinions regarding your own sexuality is totally worth mocking. Paradigm shift, you know? We stop mocking the kids we think are gay, and starting mocking all the boys who are so afraid that someone will think they are gay that they make life hell for everyone else.

Oh wait, that's what I already do, mostly gently, every day I teach teenage boys. Every time one of them says: "That's so gay," I say: "Really? It's homosexual? Are you sure? Because perhaps you're mistaken about the meaning of that word. I would have said what you were looking for was the term 'stupid,' but maybe I'm confusing things that are stupid with things that are homosexual. I'm pretty sure they aren't the same thing, but maybe I'm wrong. Can you enlighten the class?" It's gotten to the point where the new boy in my class will say: "That's so g..." and the rest of the boys will frantically shush him. I once gave my ninth grade boys an hour-long lecture on the nature of being a man, really, as opposed to what their idiot boy brains and society tells them, culminating in the notion that real men stand up for others, not put them down. It's legendary. Kids ask me all the time to repeat it, but it has to happen in a moment of naturally arising fury. They've learned so well that they've stopped pushing me to that point.

Anyone who thinks that bike is too girly to ride, after you spent time and effort getting it for him, is... to paraphrase Bugs Bunny, a maroon. Someone who appreciates it ought to own it.

Wow I would take that bike in a heartbeat if I were your friend. I kind of like the way the colour works with the decals on the 600 components. Not to mention the matching dark grey cable housings nicely compliment the bluish green.

If its your size, don't let it go. Regardless of gender based assumptions a great bike is a great bike!

See, I think we ought to mock folks for things worth mocking. Being into pink or liking flowers or whatever, isn't worth mocking, because those are just personal preferences. Being deathly afraid of everyone else's opinions regarding your own sexuality is totally worth mocking. .

oh wow that was funny :lol: :lol: i'm still lol'ing on that one!

+1, no issue with that color AT ALL.


when he calls asking for it, say he was right so you sold it to a girl for $50.

This. Absolutely perfect response.

The only thing girly about that bike is the size.

http://www.bikeforums.net/asset.php?fid=164115&uid=170890&d=1289262433

*runs for cover*

What do you want for it Jared? I'm sure I could put it to good use.

Cromor is Cr MO, SL/SLX is Cyclex.

That could be a Della Santa made Lemond. I think they had DS stamped on the bottom. If it is he'll be kicking himself not taking that sweet bike.

Mutt

I don't know anything about this, but I will check the BB shell for a DS. I know that the brake bridge says hand made, there is a sticker that says "Ten Speed Drive Imports" or something similar.

Jared

What do you want for it Jared? I'm sure I could put it to good use.

Cromor is Cr MO, SL/SLX is Cyclex.

Your really interested? I guess it is your size. I actually picked it up about 1 mile from your AZ house, from someone who knew you. But you were in A2 at the time.

I am sure we could work out a trade. I need parts for my olmo, and you seem to have a plethora of that stuff.

But the bike is currently with my friend. I forced him to try it for a few weeks before he could formally reject it. If he rides it I may not get it back, if for no other reason than it will fit him much better than the 50cm trek 2300 he has been riding.

There's no accounting for taste... :bang:

He's nuttier that squirrel $#!t for not taking it. That's a great friggin' bike! I'd tell you to send it to me, but it's too small. Screw the color, it's too good a bike in too good a condition to worry about that.

They say that a guy who wears pink is fully comfortable with his sexuality. Is it the same about turquoise? Does your friend have issues? Is there anyone you know that you can hook him up with so that he can "experiment"? :D

He is nuts or was talking s*#t about getting a bike, probably the second of the two.

They say that a guy who wears pink is fully comfortable with his sexuality. Is it the same about turquoise? Does your friend have issues? Is there anyone you know that you can hook him up with so that he can "experiment"? :D

I guess that's what he's doing with the bike :).

Okay, Zaphod, did I just take it somewhere it shouldn't go? Wasn't it the pink thread where you were worried about this very thing happening? But I couldn't help it! Let the mocking begin!

What a great bike! What a great friend (you that is)! What the hell has he been smoking?!?

They say that a guy who wears pink is fully comfortable with his sexuality.

I wear pink, mauve, lavender, purple, you name it. My wife likes it VERY much.

I don't know anything about this, but I will check the BB shell for a DS. I know that the brake bridge says hand made, there is a sticker that says "Ten Speed Drive Imports" or something similar.

Jared

If it has Ten Speed Drive Imports it's not a Della. I can't remember who made the frame. I think it is Italian but I can't remember which builder. Still a very nice bike. I think you need new friends, lol, J/K.

Mutt

I'd ride that bike if it were my size. Looks great to me!

But I must disagree with the stuff above about "that's so gay." That term does not (at least not exclusively) mean "homosexual". Not by a long shot. It doesn't mean "stupid" either. If you look at the cases it is most commonly used in, I believe people are often using it to describe a certain overly tacky, showy, over-the-top, inauthentic style. You know, a kind of affectation. For whatever reason, this style seem quite common in the gay community - been to a parade lately? - (and maybe that's how the word gay ended up being used for homosexuals anyway).

So...while I am totally in support of the idea of a man being free to love another man and be entitled to the legal protections and rights normally granted to other couples, I don't see how any of us have the right to not be criticized for what amounts to our fashion choices. It may or may not be nice, but it's certainly nothing worth getting upset over.

Or maybe not. I don't use the term anyway and discourage it, but from a language analysis standpoint, I think I've figured out why it is used and that has nothing to do with discriminatory feelings towards homosexuality itself.

Please keep the political overtones out of this thread.

I'd ride that bike if it were my size. Looks great to me!

But I must disagree with the stuff above about "that's so gay." That term does not (at least not exclusively) mean "homosexual". Not by a long shot. It doesn't mean "stupid" either. If you look at the cases it is most commonly used in, I believe people are often using it to describe a certain overly tacky, showy, over-the-top, inauthentic style. You know, a kind of affectation. For whatever reason, this style seem quite common in the gay community - been to a parade lately? - (and maybe that's how the word gay ended up being used for homosexuals anyway).

So...while I am totally in support of the idea of a man being free to love another man and be entitled to the legal protections and rights normally granted to other couples, I don't see how any of us have the right to not be criticized for what amounts to our fashion choices. It may or may not be nice, but it's certainly nothing worth getting upset over.

Or maybe not. I don't use the term anyway and discourage it, but from a language analysis standpoint, I think I've figured out why it is used and that has nothing to do with discriminatory feelings towards homosexuality itself.

If you're a teenage boy, you use it to mean "stupid." My son uses it to mean "happy," since he's six and all the old kid's books used it in that context. I've never heard it used as you describe it, which would at least make more sense in the context of say, Miami Beach. But my students definitely use it to mean "stupid." When I assign them extra homework over the weekend, they are not protesting the campiness of said homework, or its garish nature :). Nor is that what they mean when another kid shows up wearing an out-of-date pair of tennis shoes, or with a dorky haircut. It's a put-down, meaning "dumb" or "stupid" or objectionable in some sense. I've never heard a kid use it to mean overly campy.

I guess they might say a pink bike was "gay," and mean it in the sense you're describing, but then they clearly mean: "resembling something a homosexual would use, in my 14 year-old limited understanding of the universe, where all homosexuals resemble Nathan Lane or Adam Lambert." Mostly they mean "stupid."

Uh, and it's blue anyway, which is not usually a girly color, even that shade.

Ah, I see. I guess that's just the difference between Seattle and San Francisco language.

sjpitts -
Can I be your friend?
60 - 62cm is my preferred size.
No color preferences.
Vintage Italian would be great, but I'm not too picky when the fit & price are right.

Ah, I see. I guess that's just the difference between Seattle and San Francisco language.

I didn't think we were that different, having lived in both places, but I wasn't teaching teenagers there! And frankly, they'd probably all think the bike was awesome anyway. Who doesn't like blue? I maintain: maroon.

I'm not fond of folks who get picky about gifts, anyway. It's a gift (at least of time and energy). Take it and smile nicely until you get it home, you know? People are weird.

So I find myself riding a pink bike on occasion...what's the problem?

I ride a bike that color. Girls dig it.

That could be a Della Santa made Lemond. I think they had DS stamped on the bottom. If it is he'll be kicking himself not taking that sweet bike.

Mutt
Is this so?
The color is unbelievably nice. If you were having a baby boy the clothes would be this color! Really nice bike.

Please keep the political overtones out of this thread.

^^ This.

Please take the language analysis of the word "gay" to P&R, or at leas tout of C&V. Nothing good can come of it here - or don't you folks remember the thread that exploded not too very long ago?

^^ This.

Please take the language analysis of the word "gay" to P&R, or at leas tout of C&V. Nothing good can come of it here - or don't you folks remember the thread that exploded not too very long ago?Don't be so damn gay, BBM.

^^ This.

Please take the language analysis to P&R, or at leas tout of C&V. Nothing good can come of it here - or don't you folks remember the thread that exploded not too very long ago?

Which one? :)

I don't think we were arguing here, just observing, and hopefully that's okay, and we can "chat" in the course of discussing a bike, without it devolving into bashing (there's always that hope, right?). But I get that it's off bikes, and that's why we are here. Fortunately, Pacificaslim and I are both nicely reasonable. And I've seen your photo, bigbossman. I ain't messin' with you! I remember the thighs thread, and all the walnut crushing. Yike!

Don't be so damn gay, BBM.

I so <heart> you right now. Just the right response to lighten the tone :).

Haha. I am glad OFG is posting here again.

I so <heart> you right now. Just the right response to lighten the tone :).

Well, there's "gay", and then there's "parade gay" bouncing around in the current H.S. vernacular (or at least so my daughter informs me). Sure, I'm gay...... in the Dean Martin use of the word, anyway. :D

I'm not trying to be an ass, it is just that I remember a thread that was going along quite nicely, and then someone said something pretty innocent that got mis-interpreted as an anti-homosexual slur. It only took one jack-ass to get offended, and the whole thing melted down PDQ.

There are lots of folks out there that are looking to get offended, and C&V is pretty much the last decent forum to hang out in.

On second thought - sorry I said anything. Carry on - let's see what happens. :)

BBM, You know I love you, in a very manly, yet not homosexual , way.

Sometimes you gotta let the kids play. Neither one of us have posted our pink bikes yet, that would give them something to talk about.

Nice looking bike.... and it matches Ken's ascot rather nicely

http://www.nypost.com/r/nypost/blogs/popwrap/201004/images/09/ken.jpg

...

- sorry I said anything. Carry on - let's see what happens. :)

Don't be sorry - There's no mystery about where this thread is headed. You were right to insist that the "gay" debate be taken elsewhere.

BBM, that thread was before my time. I certainly don't want anything to melt down. I'm really enjoying myself on C&V. I'm sure my boss would think I spend too much time here (though I'm home sick today, to be fair). A reminder to limit chat is sometimes necessary, as I'm very, very talkative, like many women, and enjoy all sorts of conversations.

Back to the original topic, sort of, the OP's story about making his friend try the bike for a couple weeks reminds me of the time someone gave my mom a kitten to "look after" for two weeks, after her older cat had passed away. Needless to say, she still had the cat twenty years later! A sweet deal is a sweet deal, and unless the guy is both ungrateful and stupid (ehem), he'll take it.

BBM, You know I love you, in a very manly, yet not homosexual , way.

Sometimes you gotta let the kids play. Neither one of us have posted our pink bikes yet, that would give them something to talk about.

I am TOTALLY in love with your fuchsia De Rosa. Sadly, my pink bike experimentation ended in disappointment...... but I have a new, lavender paramour on the blocks as we speak.

Also - no matter what your definition of "gay" might be, that bike in the OP does not fit in any that I'm familiar with. I'd ride that bike like I stole it...... well...... ummm....... assuming it were of Italian parentage. I may not be gay, but I am a bigot.

I don't know how this thread got so sidetracked into the politics of sexuality. Can we get back to the color of the bike, and how it well it matches Mr Micheal's shorts?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIgZ7gMze7A