DMC707

I dabbled in motocross in my youth , -- as cross training for MX , i rode a mountain bike, a Bridgestone MB-6,

later on when it became apparent that MX was probably not going to pay my way through college, i sold my bikes and used some of the proceeds to buy my first road racer,

That was the early 90's - the bike (a very early Marin road bike) was in a very loud neon colorway, had oversize tubing, was tig welded and most importantly- had wide handlebars . I thought the painted 105SC group on it looked awesome too, -- i just adjusted the seat and slammed the bars and rode the wheels off it -- what can i say, life was simpler then for me

A few other people i knew and respected rode Centurion Ironmans, -- which shared the common theme of loud paint jobs -- loved those things too. Even had a Criterium Cannondale back then, another in the "performance first" camp

So that was it ---- fast and loud. Kind of like the red, white and blue Paramount i recently added to the collection

My tastes refined a bit and i do lean a little to the Italian side of the equator also, (well, lean pretty heavilly) but the majority of my bikes are somewhat interchangeable in the role they play, ---- drop bar road racers, predominately steel, and although i like lugs, i have no prejudices against tig welded OS bikes, or even aluminum bikes.

My foray into modern carbon has not been good, but i think thats due to fit issues due to rationalizing buying too small a bike with too short a top tube-- my rides on the bike have convinced me the material has merit though, - But when i have so many nice steel bikes to ride, why bother i say


I like traditional Italian racing geometry the best, and any bike in the fleet has to fit, or at least be close enough , --- and with the exception of a couple of true wall hangers, i try to keep everything ready to ride at a moments notice with just a spritz of air for the tires and maybe spin on a set of pedals. (Of course a recent pic thread i posted showing everything dusty and in disarray might say otherwise, -- but straightening up my mess will give me something to do until my work gets busy again)