cudak888 

P&R = Politics & Religion
A&S = Advocacy & Safety - basically a forum where bike safety and advocacy is discussed with the same fervor and inflexibility as P&R.

-Kurt

CargoDane

Ah, I see! Thanks

Drillium Dude 

Be careful if you decide to check out A&S - you will lose your faith in humanity if you haven't lost it already (I will love to see 2020 in my hindsight).

DD

CargoDane

I haven't been there because I thought it would be boring. Apparently not, lol

robertorolfo

Ride it however you like, just try not to damage the frame so that the next person can enjoy it after you get tired of it...

Andy_K 

My first reaction was to fall into the "it's your bike, ride it any way you want to" crowd, but there was something that bothered me about that. I think I've figured it out, and ultimately it puts me back in the "it's your bike, ride it any way you want to" crowd while also explaining why most people wouldn't beat a Colnago like a rented mule. It starts with asking yourself a couple of questions: Why do you like this particular bike? What is it about this bike that brings you joy?

If this just happens to be the bike you have and curb hopping/traffic dodging is the kind of riding you want to do but there is no connection between the two, maybe consider getting a different bike. As @fishboat said, there are better bikes for that kind of riding. On the other hand, if you really like the way the Colnago handles itself in traffic and flying off curbs, that's a positive value. Or whatever other reason you might have for specifically wanting to ride this bike. I know @CliffordK has an early Colnago Master that he's owned for decades. If I remember the story correctly, he bought it when he was visiting Europe and at the time just wanted a good quality bike. Since then he's put countless miles on it and I'm pretty sure I've seen him pulling a trailer with it. He told me that by the time anyone suggested to him that it might be something special, he had already been putting it through hard use for many years. I can't imagine any justified objection to this.

On the other hand, if you value the bike for it's beauty and history, you'll probably want to preserve that. I've got a 1970's Stella that falls in this category for me. It was in rough shape when I got it, so I had to have it repainted, and I rebuilt it with modern components because that's what I enjoy riding, but I tried to preserve the spirit of the bike in the restoration process. I got replicas of the original decals that celebrate Louison Bobet's victories when he was sponsored by Stella. Aside from adding water bottle bosses, I kept clamp-on bits as it originally had instead of adding braze-ons, and I took care to find shiny French clamp-on pieces. I had it repainted in the original color scheme. It's my most beautiful bike, and I treat it like a princess. I do ride it, but only on sunny days and I try to avoid gravel when I'm riding it. You could say that I follow a sort of "etiquette" with how I treat this bike, but I do so entirely because that's the way I want to use it, not because I feel any responsibility to anyone else to preserve the bike.

There are a very few bikes that are rare enough and special enough that I would say they shouldn't be treated as disposable. You wouldn't put a Mickey Mantle rookie card in your spokes under the justification of "it's mine and I can do what I want with it." You'd either cherish it and protect it, or you'd find someone who was willing to give you a bunch of cash for it and that person would cherish and protect it. But there really aren't many bikes in this category and you're very unlikely to become the owner of one that is without knowing it and pursuing it. The "super rare" bike someone bought on eBay for a few hundred, maybe even a thousand, dollars isn't in this category. I have a few bikes that I treat like they're in this category, but they really aren't.

dedhed

https://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/

https://www.bikeforums.net/politics-religion/

Biketiger

I think Yelbom15 means, 'Hey I've got this really fancy, pricey bike. Isn't it cool how I ride it like a Walmart Roadmaster?"
Does anyone really care how you ride your bike? 99% of the public doesn't know or care what a Colnago is.
Ditch the bike and buy a Porsche and drive IT recklessly - then you might get the attention you crave.

Yelbom15

You weren't kidding!

cudak888 

Love it. I know some may think of the 1970's bikes when someone says "Colnago Super" (and don't get me wrong, those are unbelievable), but this mid-1980's example is exactly what I think of when someone mentions the Supers.

Nice to see one that isn't perfect and busy being a wall queen either. Check to make sure the Victory RD's B-pivot adjustment ring is intact (they tend to crack), and if it's intact, go put some miles on it!

-Kurt

CliffordK

Mine is an old Colnago Super that I bought used in 1982 in Parma, Italy while still in High School.

Let's start with some history. Back in the mid 70's, my father was commuting about 20 miles to Eugene. While not a racer, he believed a used road bike was perfect for commuting, as well as light touring. During that era, I was still in Grade School and commuting to school. We'd get Thursday afternoons off, so I'd periodically ride the 20 miles to Eugene (still a young tyke), meet my parents, and drive back home with them.

My parents also believed that a road bike was perfect for light touring. Keep in mind there has been a lot of changes in the bike market since then.

Anyway, I managed to get my old Viscount stolen early in HS, and by that time Dad was planning a family Sabbatical to Italy. Off to Italy in 1982. I had an idea of what I wanted, and my budget, but perhaps even then I was more familiar with 70's technology than 80's technology. And, my budget, I would have ended up with a bike that was over a decade old.

So, I ended up with the old Colnago Super which was essentially my "only bike" for decades. I heavily commuted on it, and did some light touring.

While always kept inside at night, at some point the paint went bad.





Keep in mind, that first photo was near Crater Lake. It was the second day of a short mini tour. The first day was 135 loaded miles with 9,325 feet climbing. That second day was a little shorter, but over 7,500 feet of loaded climbing

The towing photo was in Portland. Meaning at least two 150 mile breakneck days towing (RT), plus a few days of errands in Portland.

Since then I've also built up a "vintage" Carbon Fiber Colnago C40 (which I've also towed with).



This is also in the middle of about a 150 mile one-day "commute" to Portland.

Now, Colnago has made A LOT OF BICYCLES over the years. What makes my Colnago Super unique is that it is one of the ring of circles Colnago frames. That would date it to either 1968 or 1969, and is one of the first two years of the Colnago Super, and really in the transition of a small custom shop into assembly production.

However, while the Colnago Super was the mainstay of Colnago for many years, the early Super is a pretty basic model. The only braze-ons on my bike would be the rear derailleur cable stop, and the two over the bottom bracket cable guides. The crown is the only chrome.

While the paint was generally in good shape when I got the bike, I believe I had some rust in the chrome by the late 80's.

There are also better alloys in newer bikes.

You mentioned the Master. I also like the unique tubing shapes that Colnago used on their newer frames.

For the OP, @Yelbom15. Ride your bike and enjoy it. There are literally tens of thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousands of Colnago Super bikes out there. If someone doesn't like you riding yours, they can go out and buy one themselves. The bike frame is worth a lot less than a Ferrari.

However, I would discourage you from removing braze-ons. If you do choose to sell the bike, or frame in the future, the next buyer surely will want them.

Also, make sure you have a GOOD LOCK.

Andy_K 

Thanks for telling the story property, @CliffordK.

Bad Lag

Ride your bike like you drive a car - responsibly. Stop at stop signs, obey traffic lights, stay to the right as far as practicable.

Jumping curbs is not okay in a car, so it's not okay on a bike.

Riding irresponsibly reflects poorly on all cyclists.

Happy Feet

an incorrectly adjusted mirror also reflects poorly on cyclists...

dmarkun

Proper etiquette when owning a vintage bicycle:
1. Please don't use filament strapping tape as rim tape when you change tires.
2. Please try not to cross-thread the bottom bracket.
You might not be the last owner.

RobbieTunes

I would never impose a rule on you; others seem more than willing.

We never truly own anything; we're just using it while on the planet, healthy enough to do so.
Your use of anything is only as long as you care to, given any precautions or preservation activities you take.
Make your choice and go.

If you want someone else to have the same feeling you had, when riding what used to be your bike...keeping that in mind may assist in your protocols.
If there are people for whom you want happiness and contentment regarding your presence on the planet, same situation.
Pretty simple, actually. Make your choice(s) and go forth.

BFisher

Just try not to let it go to your head that you are, by default, automatically cooler and sexier than all the other cyclists. Nobody likes a braggart. Take the accolades with grace.

randyjawa 

That would be me! Personally, I don't even begin to understand the mentality that drives such behavior. But, as others have said, its your bike, if you wish to treat it with a lack or respect, go for it.

jonwvara 

I had been wondering when the OP would check back in and make it clear that the original post was meant to have a certain tongue-in-cheekness about it. But it did generate some impressively solemn responses.

3speedslow

My Father, being a bike tourer himself, gave me one good rule: The only time your bike is out in the rain is when you are on it. Never let it suffer alone!

cudak888 

You want to bring A&S into here? Fine.

It so happens I do give a damn that someone can be so narrow-minded to throw things like this on the Board of Things Thou Shall Deem Uncooth - especially when it has jack to do with C&V.

First, there are certain vintage bicycles that were made for curb jumping and other similar maneuvers - BMX, for one. You're saying an entire subculture of bicycling is not OK.

Secondly, cars ≠ bicycles, and you can't blindly apply the chasm of suitable facilities to both. That type of thinking led to vehicular cycling, which has led to 40+ years of piss-poor bicycle infrastructure for riders to get killed on.

This same auto-centric approach has led to a general indifference amongst traffic engineers and cities to provide safe bicycle facilities for riders. As such, every now and then, a bass-ackward city planner will force you to jump a city curb on something not originally intended for it, e.g., a commuter bike. You can't correlate this with motor vehicles, because road engineers take comparatively great pains to make sure such things do not happen to motorists.

Whatever the reason, someday, you might be on an old bike and find yourself in a situation where you have to jump a curb. I've curb jumped my '51 Raleigh Sports before because I had to. I knew I could do it, and I knew the old boat anchor could do it as well, so I did it. Maybe safety nannies and petty elitists like you lose their minds over it, but I'm not letting them, you, or a city planner prevent me from getting to my destination over a curb hop.

Rant out.

-Kurt

CliffordK

Many people have a small fortune invested in their cars. But, they are tools. Treat with care, and change the oil every once in a while and they'll treat you well. But, over time everything wears out, and/or becomes obsolete.

Most of the 1950's or 1960's cars on the road today have spent some time in a barn or field somewhere and went through at least one restoration. 1970's, 1980's, or even 1990's cars mostly show a lot of wear, or have also been restored at some point.

And the car world is split between traditionalists, and those who choose to restore and upgrade.

Nonetheless, if you have a beautiful classic car, get it out on the road and enjoy it in whatever fashion that means to you.

Your car might not like hitting a curb at 80 miles an hour, but it should be able to come off a curb just fine depending on clearance. And, depending on the vehicle, it should be able to go over it in certain situations.

On your bike. Change the oil and grease every once in a while. Replace what wears out, and keep riding and enjoying it.

If you can bunny hop 6", then coming off a curb shouldn't be that bad, as long as you're not riding like a sack of potatoes. Bunny hopping a curb going up?

Nonetheless, I avoid curbs and sewer grates on my road bike, new or old, cargo or not.

CliffordK

Not Vintage... But...

Youtube: Road Bike Party

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZmJtYaUTa0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhabgvIIXik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjN2cjBKWO4

CargoDane

I'm all for restomods, rather than keeping things original. One of my favourite restomod cars is the Volvo P1800 (the second-favourite is an Alfaholics GTA-R 290):

https://www.thedrive.com/news/36126/...-from-yourself

Nemosengineer 

Always wear proper attire when out and about.



: Mike