Okay, this one needs to be seen to be believed. A 45cm (!!!!!!!!) Trek 400 roadbike, 531 db tubing (main tubes), mix of dia compe/nashbar/shimano rx100 components. Here is this remarkably teeny tiny thing pictured next to a normal sized 63cm bike. Note how the seatbost bolt on the Trek doesn't even come up to the fork crown on the Peugeot! Dear heaven, I thought that 47cm Centurion I sent to brokenrobot a while back was the tiniest thing ever. Upon seeing this one, I at first thought it had to be a custom build, but a perusal of the catalogs at Vintage Trek reveals this model being built in this size for a year. Check out how the down tube and top tube actually meet at the head tube! I'ma running out of exclamation points!!!!! Manoman, I need another shot of Jameys, 'cause I must be halucinating! The seat tube actually measures 44.5cm, btw... I also scored a set of Malliard 600/Rigida wheels.

On a sadder note, the local thrifts have started to overprice seriously anything with drop bars . One had a low end suicide lever Fuji for 75$, another had a bottom of the barrell Huffiegh for (gulp) 149.99$. Makes that CID from the other day seem cheap. I know it's probably hard to work up any sympathy for me on this issue, as RVA has been the home of the cheap roadie for so long I've been spoiled by 5$ bikes. Wah, wah, wah... btw, Mhendricks, check the rear hub of that Puch... last one I found had a nice vintage flip flop hub on it .