TickDoc

Good bike discussions for me happen when I ride my steel bike. I rode it with the fast group last weekend for the first time and had a blast.

It is slower, so I usually ride it in the slower group with one of my biddies who doesn't like to ride with the fast group. Not many seem to notice the steel for what it is in the slow group.


First to notice this week was a nice German rider who rides colnago. We call him carlnago. He was on a newish 50 rolling on lightweight tubulars and he spotted my ciocc as I pulled in about 5 min til rollout.

We talked about tubulars, Brooklyn, and his other colnagos (a master x, maybe?) and it made for good conversation.

Next up was another regular who I noticed last week was rolling a cool Blue steel frame with no markings whatsoever. He complimented the ciocc chrome chainstays and it gave me a chance to compliment his blue steel job from the week prior. He just built it last year after having the frame powder coated but was lamenting the loss of the chrome stays. Darn good looking frame with or without them.

We talked about how fun it is to buy and ride steel....how much of a "steal" they can be relative to the newish stuff.

Last week I rode carbon, and one of the group founders asked me where my steel bike was.
( no one ever asks about my cervelo :-(
He just got back from Colorado and was all stoked about getting a Ti cross bike. See a lot of moots up there? We talked gravel and Colorado and hills and I let him in on the ciocc build I am parting now.

I used to only ride alone as I never seemed to be able to find a group that I meshed with. They were either too racer-elitist, too slow, too fast, too big, too small, etc.

I noticed that on several local organized fondos and fun rides I kept lumping wit this group and it dawned on me that I should be riding with them more.

I'm on my third year ( but first year kitted up) and I am enjoying the friendships. I still go on solo rides, but my weekly sat ride is always with the group now.

I have to admit I enjoy all the stares the ciocc gets. I feel like a kid in a Ferrari with a hot chick next to him when I ride it. Except I'm no kid anymore, and my hot chick is home getting her beauty sleep while I am out riding.

I'm pleased to say the ciocc held its own with the big boys. We averaged 19 mph over 50 miles, and while it was harder than on my other bike, it was much more rewarding. Feels good to climb past an electric carbon wunderbike that costs $10k on my eBay bargain Italian beauty.

There are two other vintage bikes that show up on group rides from time to time, one looks to be a new build (alpineer?) and the other is an old schwinn. I'll get to know them too, eventually.

CliffordK

Perhaps we need to convince the OPEC nations to help give a boost to our bike industry.

Do you have a current chart of US bike sales? Your chart seems to cut off at about 1977, and according to my calendar, we've already passed that.

Here is an global sales chart, followed by changes in bike commuting in the last decade in major cities, and the US average, all showing moderate increase in bicycle use.


Bicycles are outselling cars in Europe and that might not be just a blip - Quartz



Charts of the Day: Minneapolis Bike Commuting (Vs. the Rest of the USA) | streets.mn

Velocivixen

I am a very detailed person and tend to discuss things in way to much detail. I recognize when it's time to simplify when I see eyes glaze over.

I dont much much care for group rides.

ppg677

Yeah :-) I was touting how my hand-built wheels were solid/reliable and easy-to-build. This has been the case for all my modern rims. Meanwhile a couple friends who've bought new wheelsets have had broken spokes, broken nipples, etc. Since I made that statement, I've been struggling bigtime with a Fiamme Hard Silver rim that kept going significantly out-of-true on me. I've since given up on that rim as just not being robust enough for 215 pounds of rider weight. I blame the rim. But I didn't mention this to my same friends!

RobbieTunes

Yeah, since even the $50 hookers won't talk to me.

But seriously folks. I was actually asked this question, at a charity ride: "Cinelli made bikes?"


I simply took off. I was the first to roll in at 25 and 50 miles, and two guys caught me at 75, a tri-guy and an Argentine. They said they'd been taking turns for quite a while. After the stop, they rolled on and I simply could no longer keep pace. I did start to overtake the metric folks, and a 6'5, easily 350-lb guy on a Seven looked up and said, "that's a fine bike there, young man." Made my day. I eventually caught the tri-guy and he said "screw speed, let's roll in and find a beer." We did, and all was right once again with the world.

Does Cinelli make bikes?.....whaddya kiddin' me? I'll make your momma. Idiot. Oughta be a law....at least I change my own damn tires....

repechage

TMI, I am told from time to time, (too much information).
I laughed when a friend told me.

Recently, a neighbor noticed that my son's bike was different now, flat bars. Both bikes are basically red and the "new" one has flat bars. Fortunately the neighbor has a full Campagnolo bike so kind of is aware, the full explainer was lost on him. He was wondering what the freewheel was on the bike, 13-23, he felt it was pretty tall gearing for our neighborhood but with a 34t inner ring it's not too bad.

So, I have to judge my audience.
And laugh at the locals TRAINING on 3k carbon wheels... .?!!

gugie 

How 'bout the two bike hookers? Three? Damn, man, from now on your monetary unit of measure is a bike build.

"Hey, RobbieTunes, see you scored another cool Miami Vice Ironman"
"Yeah man, and it only cost me 4 and a half bike builds..."

Can you get change from a bike build?

mrv 

I did let one of the folks I ride with as often as possible in on the Gunnar project.
He's in the bearing industry and works with lots of bike parts manufacturers. He's not a tri-guy, though. And he's always got the coolest stuff - someone he works with gave him a Ti-29er prototype frame. He's built it up into a dirt road coffee shoppe bike.