Originally Posted by
t4mv
Craig, I must say there are some nuances in your pic that speak to the 50+s, starting w/ the b&w composition. Crochet cycling gloves, clips and straps (can you come up w/ the last pro to still ride clips & straps?), lo-pro alu rims, early lycra shorts and what looks like an early polypro jersey, and maybe DP or Duegi shoes? It's also interesting to note how many folks' first "real" bikes were French; I had a PX-10 which I should have hung onto, but the vast majority of the parts that used to hang on it are now sitting on my 3Rensho. At least your brother had the good sense to hang onto his.
Yep, I loves me my skinny tube bikes.
Yeah, everything about the pic is dated. The jersey was an early Cannondale, from back when they were mostly in the garment and pack business - well before they got into bikes themselves. My recollection is that it was cotton, though I could be wrong. I've forgotten the manufacturer of the shoes - they could have been Duegis. All I remember for sure is they were the cheapest cleated shoe I could find, and they offered no padding, protection or support to speak of. Just thin leather bonded to the sheet steel soles. All the leather did was keep your foot attached to the soles, and turn your socks dark blue when they got wet.
Curiously, I just sold this bike a couple of years ago. As fond as I was of it, the friction shifters and an easily flexed frame were a combination that led to its retirement when I got my index-shifting Trek aluminum in 1989. I'd had enough of its tendency to up-shift on its own when I'd get out of the saddle. Plus it had the typical French paint job - it was so soft that you could scratch it by looking at it hard. A couple of off-seasons on the wind trainer actually wore through the paint on the underside of the bottom bracket where the frame met the trainer's rubber padding. I harbored fantasies of stripping it completely, getting it refinished with some nice Imron and rebuilding it. Never happened.