...

I have 2 nice vintage tourers with triples -this is the go "fast" bike

Back when I had a Bianchi, I didn't wear a Mercatone Uno jersey, and instead wore Motorola/Eddy Merckx. The mind boggles

I've got one bike with a compact double. It's more like the "be frustrated" bike for me. Technically, both my cyclocross bikes have compact doubles too, but 46-34 is a much more user friendly combination. I really have a grudge against 50-34. It's like I'm always in the wrong gear.

You should have seen it with the adams trail-a-bike, or the two wheeled covered carrier (I used it for grocery shopping) If I find pics, I'll post them...Moowaahaahaa.
Using the Gios as a beast of burden seemed so unremarkable to me at that point in my life, I didn't even think to remove the hitch for the photo. History. If needs drive me to actions like those, I will at least have my battered but rescued Aegis or maybe even a touring bike by then, to use.

I despise 50-34. The transition from 15ish to 17mph is about 20 shifts.

I guess not actually Dr Seuss.

A device so scandalous it is truly blasphemous, with a secret incantation frames will bend to your will. no frame is safe from its powers...





: Mike

Double points for the "Manhattan" moniker...the splotchy paint on that thing certainly made it look like a jacked bike out of Manhattan.



-Kurt

Oooh! Is that a combo cold-setter for rear triangle spacike and dropout bender to re-parallel the dropouts?

I've been dreaming of one.

​​​Do you anchor it to boards gripping the headtube and downtube, to ensure centering?

Blasphemy! Bless me father, for I am sorely tempted.

Whoa. Torrington bearings!!
That is the most over-engineered frame spreader I have ever seen. Most of the time I just use a length of 2x4, but once I used a cut section of banister, complete with a wood screw at the end (for zombies). If I'm committing real blasphemy and spreading a Vitus 979, I do it completely by hand. Quality tubing though sometimes requires a scissor jack!

Let me say there are many ways to skin a cat, this is only how I do it. I use the spreader along with a Park FFS-2 frame/fork straightening tool and a Park ***-2 frame alignment gage as I have never had a frame spread symmetrically, usually out 1 to 3mm's out. Fine tuning with these tools is a piece of cake, this way I don't have to put a lot of stress on the front triangle. after any spread dropout and derailleur alignment is a must. Verify the frame is straight before you start, take your time and check your progress often, I started out spreading my own frames and now I'm spreading frames for friends, I have done over 10 in the last 4 years.
I also thread in steel bottom bracket cups and install a seatpost before I start to spread as this takes some of the flexibility out of that structure and reduces the loads the other tubes are seeing.









: Mike

Over-engineered is a good word for it, that's a photo of version 3, the Torrington bearings add a lot of "feel" to the tool and the spherical washers reduce the amount of bending the tool sees when you use it, the thumb and wing nuts on the outer ends of the tool allow you to "save" your last adjustment point and to control the stop point so you don't over spread, this speeds the process up and reduces error.
Version 4 will get big steel wing nuts and a handle for the center nut, so no wrenches required!!! Lets call that thing a prototype.

: Mike

I can live with Dura-Ace, but Brooks saddles on Italian frames should be the subject of a federal investigation.

You mean like this:




... or this:




... or this?



NOLO CONTENDERE....

verktyg

Older tools - I've had some of these since the 1970's...





One tool that's missing from your collection - the Campagnolo # 1 Frame Alignment Tool....

verktyg

That's certainly not a Campagnolo tool. It has been relabeled. It originally said "schwinn approved".

Well they can investigate this recent event too
P1030593, on Flickr

It an issue of individual freedom!

You people need to get a bigger hammer.

Schwinn Approved tool, showing lots of "hammersmith" use!



verktyg

Can't get much worse than that !!

Many moons ago, my girlfriend wanted to try the "citizen" class bike race. I took her clunker Ross, and managed to fit tubulars on it, and got the brake pads to reach. Maybe it only weighed 30 lbs then.

I am disappointed. Where's the Spanish Inquisition? Around 8 years ago I made 2 Spanish Inquisition costumes to wear on the tandem at a Cincinnati Halloween ride. Bruce refused to wear the hat.
Franklin Frames is prepping my Terry Solstice hybrid to turn it into a road bike with 105 components. Not only is this excessively expensive for a very short bike, but it should disturb hybrid and classic bicycle purists. And my husband and I turned 4 tiny Hotrocks into zoo bombers with V brakes. (Got to take one to the LBS today and get a front brake to match the back on the 24" Hotrock.)

I hear you. Lots of heretics, not enough inquisitors.

Not totally vintage, 1998 or so but

Powder coated Voodoo Wazoo frame
IRD jis BB with Campy Chorus crank, set up 1x
Wheelset 1, tubeless with 40's
Wheelset 2, Junk rear with front Dura Ace 7400 hub with DT Swiss 460 with twisted spokes to avoid buying new spokes.
SLX Shadow 10speed rear derailleur
Single sided SPD knockoffs

Fake Voodoo decals
Fake 853 decal

Pretty much everything is funny