khatfull

Well Aaron...finally a bike comes along to knock off my America as the current buzz bike hahaha!

RE: larger frames...I took the America out for a shakedown ride today (and had two stupid-on-my part mechanicals that forced me back early, starting with not having tigthened the chainring bolts well, leave it at that ) and this was my first time on a classic geometry 61cm frame. The Tiara and my TSIII are both 58cm and I feel that they fit me fine. The 61cm America also felt good, different but good. I'm intending this to be the go-out-for-a-fun-ride bike, the day tourer, century bike, etc. The little more upright position I get on the 61cm frame seems to work fine. The Tiara as more a go-fast bike seems to work very well at 58cm...that's also the frame size of my Opus IV. I think for fast-oriented bikes the 58cm works well, for other bikes 61cm will work well. Maybe i can come across a Touring Series frame in 61cm someday and swap all the TSIII components over to it, that;d be great.

Oh, the moral, I think you'll be fine on a little bigger frame...that's always preferable to a little smaller right?

KonAaron Snake 

I'm not of that faith or bloodline either, and Rome was still just an incredible experience.

Looking at buildings that date back over 3000 years in a city where something from the Renaissance is modern is hard to adjust to for someone whose idea of ancient was Philadelphia. The Sistine Chapel is kind of hard to explain...its a lesson in humility...you see what man is capable of and you see something truly immortal and you realize how small you really are. I don't think your faith enters into it...seeing a place held sacred by so many people is beautiful...and whatever beliefs you have, it's impossible not to appreciate the passion and depiction of their beliefs. The one problem with seeing the Vatican is mere scope...we did a 4 hour tour where we were quickly rushed through about %10 of what the Vatican has in its galleries. It's truly overwhelming and I feel like I could have spent the entire vacation in just the Vatican and still have not seen everything there. The Borghese (sp?) gardens were also especially magnificent and a high point. There were things that required adjusting to...like non-existent sidewalks, street names that change every block and bathrooms without toilet seats.

Florence was also quite enjoyable...we went to a few art galleries; notably the Ufizi and Academia. Academia houses David...and David is one of the most incredible things I've looked at. It's a 17 foot high statue, cut in marble, with more detail than someone would dream possible. He's awe inspiring. To think the same man carved David, designed the Swiss Guard's uniforms and painted the Sistine Chapel is almost hard to believe. Ufizi had some art work you see frequently on TV and in magazines, and seeing it in person is almost surreal. We went horse back riding in Chianti and had dinner at an olive garden/wine farm run by an Italian prince. Fresh pressed olive oil just doesn't taste the same there...it has a spiciness and depth of flavor that's incredible. We saw Cinque Terra there and the drive up was awful. I hate cars and get motion sickness...this was a 2.5 hour ride through single lane windy mountain passes with a driver far heavier on the pedals than I'm used to. The view from the cliffs makes it all worthwhile. We also saw a Florentine synagogue and a couple got married while we were there. There were also some very moving and powerful exhibits about the history of Florence's Jewish community, including during the fascist regimes.

Venice was beautiful, but the people were a lot less friendly. The canals have buses that are boats. You climb on the dock and take them around the various islands. We loved Murano and bought a bit of glass. One thing that quickly became apparent is that not all Murano glass is equal. Some pieces are magnificent, many are hard to tell apart from the Chinese knock offs. Everything was also extremely expensive there...which makes sense considering the entire economy is based on tourism and the price of shipping goods must be astronomical. It was definitely unique.

Milan was fantastic...it was a lot more modern and a lot more like what we were used to. The duomo there is also an amazing site to behold. The scope of so many of these buildings is just different than anything I'd ever seen before. I hope our buildings are around half as long. The high light of Milan was, of course, Marnati's shop. It's a very small shop, off the beaten path, but he has some true gems in there...including several bikes he's built.

USAZorro

Sounds like your impressions of Rome pretty much match mine. For having such crazy drivers, it is a very pedestrian-friendly city - at least the parts where tourists frequent. If you had trouble with motion-sickness, you would have suffered taking in the Amalfi coast. Absolutely breathtaking vistas and charming communities - but even Mr. cast-iron stomach found the relentless switchbacks a bit much.

Old Fat Guy

Aaron, I normally ride a 54-55. I can take a longer top tube. Ride it for a season, if it doesn't work out, I'll take it off your hands.

gomango

You're not the only one!

A 56 is no problem.

Citoyen du Monde

If you look at the lug on teh left, this is what the head lug looked like after the massaging with the files. If you look at the central lug, you see the lug as it comes from the supplier. For those who have taken a file to investment cast lugs, you know there is a lot of work involved.

Citoyen du Monde

Stefano is selling a few of his own personal bikes right now to make room for a new bike that Daniele is working on right now.

He has a super clean Pinarello with Super Record gruppo from the early 80's on ebay: https://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-PINARELL...item3cb22d3ec8

And is prepping a Marastoni with C Record gruppo: https://s282.photobucket.com/albums/k...r55/marastoni/ In the photos, the Marastoni is sporting Cobalto brakes, but Stefano tells me that he is switching/has switched them for Campagnolo Delta calipers. I keep looking at the Marastoni and dream about picking it up for myself and then a look at my garage full of under-utilized bikes and then financial reality sets in... A similarly equipped Marastoni, that I foolishly sold a few years ago, sold just over a week ago for $1375 https://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Marco-Ma...item4153c887ba

cudak888 

KonAaron, do tell: Did the General Lee scheme and font influence this frame, or is it a coincidence?

-Kurt

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

now its ruined forever

cudak888 

You've got to admit that there's a very similar theme going on here:



-Kurt

KonAaron Snake 

Oy...the General Lee did not influence the choice...but it's funny. Orange and purple are my wife's (it still feels weird writing that) favorite colors and were the colors of our wedding. Since I was picking it up on the honeymoon, I wanted it to have some of her influence in it. I'm also weird with color schemes for bikes; I can find a lot of different color combos attractive and don't really have a favorite.

You ruined my McDonalds Sachs and now the Marnati of Hazard is tainted!

[IMG]file:///C:/Users/KEYSTO%7E1/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-13.png[/IMG]

cudak888 

- I didn't even remember the bit about the Sachs.

Rather proves that you can read anything into a paint scheme.

-Kurt

KonAaron Snake 

I had a feeling this frame wouldn't go to waste

gomango

The Amalfi coast was a study in contrasts for us. We had just spent two and a half weeks staying at a small 400 year old farm near Ancona, and then spent the next week up and down the western side of Italy. I was driving my wife's uncles BMW 5'er, and I rather enjoyed motoring up and down the coast. This was a little over ten years ago, before the onslaught of cheap GPS systems, and I recall feeling lost on a daily basis. On the other hand, that's what we wanted was some charming, intriguing adventure, and we found it every time we visited Italy.

USAZorro

Driving gives a different sensation from riding in a tour van.

gomango

Yes, I'm sure.

Wait till you see Fiat 500's popping up everywhere around the United States in the next few months.

We rented one while we were in Tuscany, and let me say, that car is a hoot and a half.

Gives new meaning to the phrase "up close and personal."

Now back to the regularly scheduled adoration of Aaron's beautiful new frameset.

slotcar55

Aaron, you do not need to say thank you, you and your wife are both exceedingly nice people and I was more than happy to help you. Your friends (and Steven's) are always welcome.
stefano

bigbossman 

Huh - the first thing I thought of when I saw the color scheme was the Denver Bronco's.

bigbossman 

YoKev

congratulations on all counts

KonAaron Snake 

Interest noted.

Thanks to all the well wishers by the way. I missed the community while looking at Botticellis and as awesome as the honeymoon was, it sure feels good to be home.

bigbossman 

Actually, I'd be more interested in that orange De Rosa. You don't really need two orange bikes......

gomango

You'd look good on that hot rod.

jebensch

Looks like the italian General Lee. Very sweet. The fact that your wife was down with you incorporating bike acquisition into your honeymoon plans bodes well for your married future!

jebensch

Hole-in-Cow! I didn't read through all the posts before I added my redundancy. General Lee already pointed out. Sorry to rub it in, dude. In my book though, General Lee association is a good thing.