Hello from the Recycled Cycler
 

Hey there - I am Mark the Recycled Cycler. I love vintage steel (well....vintage as in lugged frames outfitted with awesome Campy NR or SR equipment). Italian steel, French, English - I love it all.

I like to do retro rides - ride on club outings with a 5 or 6 speed cluster and a double up front, wearing my retro Celeste Green Bianchi jersey, or else my classy Raleigh wool jersey while pedaling my '73 International. Retro is cool.

If I am really serious these days, though, I'll use my 2005 Lemond Tourmalet with the biggest gear in the rear that will work with a rear Ultegra derailleur to get up those hills these days. OK OK I am a sell-out.

I live by several creeds:

I love wheel suckers. That just means somebody's slower than me. Awesome!!!! A whole line of 'em trailing me means I'm King of the Road!!!

18MPH - why?? My rule is speed kills. 15MPH or less for me.

A century? Are you nuts?

Retro Rules.

Speed Kills.

It's the journey, man.

I thought "SAG" meant something embarrasing about body parts.

What? Me sweat?

Yeah, man. This was my ride when I raced back in the day.

We really did climb monster hills (anyone know Decker Canyon near Westlake just NW of LA?) with a 53/42 up front and the biggest in back was a 21.

I thought my Yellow Peugeot U08 in 1975 was a real bad mother...until I saw those N. Hollywood Wheelmen riding Raleigh Pros and Schwinn Paramounts. I then had my heart broken - something called Campy was better than my plastic rear Simplex derailleur.

Rode my first century on that U08. It was 1975 and probably the first century in Solvang (I got the patch from 1975 to prove it). Didn't know until 100+ miles later that my bike was a big heavy ride unsuitable for really fast riding. I got that advice from someone on an Italian beauty that finished 3 hours after me. And I wrecked during the ride.