The C&V esoteric component thread - 🔩
 

The 2018 Cirque du Cyclismes event presented an interesting evening of show and tell vintage bike components which made think it would be fun having a similar theme online.

Really dig deep into the most rare, oddity, good-bad-ugly, things to even surprise the aficionado.

No real rules, only that you strive to surprise. Can be personally yours or someone else's you've seen including from online. Let's try to restrain from anything newer than a dozen years of age.

Example: Though seeing a Campagnolo Cambio Corsa shift mechanism is interesting, its not esoteric enough for this thread. No disrespect but I'm just trying to drive the idea.

Now a good example would be like fellow forum member Chombi1 and his recent presentation of a particular saddle / seatpost combo. Hopefully he'll share it here.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7bf7e5b85c.png

I'll start with this one.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9fbba5abcb.png

Titanium rail
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3ae016e3d7.png
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d9f515c095.png

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1e1972e100.png
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0106030841.png
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6f4449fdfb.png

Only a few years ago, someone attempted to market a swappable hub design like the Cinelli Bivalent depicted below.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2a1fefee21.png
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...43a2bfb195.png

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9d4cf74449.png

100 gram rear rack

You may very well be one of the very few that have sufficient oddities to post here, let alone more than one thing. ;)

I've shown these before but they fit the bill. Probable 1930's Doc Morten hand made tandem track hubs, 40 front/36 rear. Constrictor inch pitch and no dust seals, they ran on oil. These were machined from billet aluminum and Doc made these for many six day racers. Deceased cyclist/artist Greg Curnoe painted a wheel with a Doc hub from Mike Barry's collection.

edit. I was researching a bit on Doc (amazing) and found that he had made Major Taylor's first World Championship frame, a Massey Harris. One degree of separation.

Pino morroni bottom brackethttps://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...35de310346.jpg..not the most exciting, but an interesting piece engineering.

Wow-

As much as I like to want to have something understatedly unique with my bikes- this makes me feel inadequate...

Man... I guess the closest I get is a triple pulley derailleur...

I guess this is "esoteric"......
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f1a90a1184.jpg

As being used on my present 95 Trek 5500 OCLV build.....

Absolutely!
Also by Pino and spotted on the big auction site is this 700 / 650c racer with compensating extra long (flexy) stem which resulted in the needed support truss. This particular build by him also has an elaborate seat post. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...546ef83329.png

I saw that! if that's the one for 6k! I would love to have one of his complete bikes.

Best I can do is a 28T Sturmey Archer 3-pin compatible chainring.
http://i.imgur.com/IV7rjyxh.jpg

And most will recognize a stainless steel handlebar. When it comes to keyboards though :P

I had an English bike branded Meteor, chrome plated with 32H front and 40H Campy high-flange hubs on it and it had a Williams crankset with its splined BB spindle, the only one I've seen. Since the rings were huge for my needs I put a Nervar 42/52 set on it and later sold the bike. Still have the Williams spider and huge chainrings.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9f7ff9a44d.jpg

Those are cool. I've always wanted a set of the similar but different Modolo Kronos brakes. I agree that those will need to wait for the right frame.

Seeking recommendations...….

….maybe a late 80s, red, R531SL f&f, race frame...…???

How about the Dura Ace AX group. I do have a bike with these components but no pics of my own

https://www.pedalroom.com/p/panasoni...00-36201_1.jpg


http://velobase.com/CompImages/RDera...EF7B2C271.jpeg

http://velobase.com/CompImages/SeatP...30076C2B4.jpeg

https://www.velovilles.com/out/pictu...eins-_4893.jpg

http://velobase.com/CompImages/Crank...2DEF310C3.jpeg

Less interesting than most of the other stuff in this thread, and not mechanically strange at all, but it's a bizarre rebrand of a bizarre copy of an interesting part. Probably the most esoteric thing I've got laying around.

https://i.imgur.com/0XF9HnZ.jpg

Got one of these bad boys on my McBain:

https://i.postimg.cc/BQffT2PK/IMG-6680.jpg

What about esoteric spoke patterns? Three leading, three trailing on the rear:

https://i.postimg.cc/0Q7qHBbz/DSC-9104-1.jpg

Any Dura-Ace 10 users?

Somebody should post a pic if a Weinmann Turbo coiled cable/screw actuated or a Magura hydraulic caliper brakeset that they own....
Those are definitely esoteric stuff..

Excellent contributions all -keep it rolling!

There's an NOS pair of the Weinmann Turbos on the big auction site tagged to my watch list 😎. Just can't figure on what build to use with.

They are odd. Arms look beefy, probably minimal flex but how does one drop the wheel with wider rubber? Deflated upon wheel change?

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c5aae35b71.png

Back to that Morroni subject above. Zoomed in on the wheel and lookie here! What kind of nipples are these and how does it tighten or pull the spoke?

Pffft! 100 gram rack? Nonsense!

I bet that rack could safely support a 200 gram load, probably even a 300 gram load under most conditions!

The cartridge is Italian threaded, all the way across, so the bottom bracket shell needs to be tapped with a lathe, to ensure the thread is consistent from one side to the other.

http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/pino-1.jpg

The more low brow stuff fascinates me the most. Bridgestone self centering brakes. From the early aero era. Bridgestones from this era were pretty interesting and innovative, and probably slightly too ahead of their time. They had translucent brake cable housing several decades before it became fashionable.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d8a293611c.jpg

The cable anchor is right under that circular cap at the center of the caliper.
IIRC thIre's a pinch grub screw with an Allen head socket on it.
Careful when you put back the cap so it snaps on to the hard plastic face cover, under the rubber 'aero" cover.
Seen lots of these with caps gone, I think because the owners only got it attached to the rubber cover which has an oversized hole on it. So it falls off when they rode the bike. It will not be easy to find replacements for such