SurferRosa

Yeah, I cut out the main triangle and and replaced it with my Columbus frame.

Clyde1820

Ritchey Ultra MTB -- 1986 vintage IIRC (perhaps 1987). Scrambles up hillsides like a billy goat. Great components. Even better frame+fork.

The Golden Boy 

In case no-one's answered you-

If you're seeing what I think you're seeing- it's just the design of the caliper. Looks like it started around 1988 or so. Or possibly with recessed nuts, so a couple years earlier... It's not single vs. dual pivot- because my 6400 series single pivot brakes have it as well.

Best I got for you.




1986 Trek 400 Elance by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


If that's not what you're talking about, can you explain it a little better- maybe find some close up pix of what you're trying to describe.

merziac

Not sure if you saw the big blah, blah, if not this might help.

The old and the new, the ying and the yang, the good, bad and the ugly, you decide.

johnnyace 

Having observed your penchant for Black Mountain Cycles and myself keeping an eye on them for several years, I almost went this route for my brand-new bike (not C&V). Who knows, maybe I will still get one in the future. But I decided to go custom instead with the Hampsten. And as Tom Petty said, the waiting is the hardest part.

DMC707 

Great thread chronicling your build --- the wishbone seatstay arrangement is a work of art -- and sub 25 lbs for a bike that size is nice too !

krakhaus 

It's a tough choice between this and my Mondonico, but I have my best times on this SLX Tommaso.

rando_couche

Eddy Merckx Team SC. Regarded by many to be the best road racing bike EVER. May not be steel or vintage but it IS a classic. The last generation of EM bikes made in Belgium. (This pic isn't my bike, but it looks much the same).

Mr. Spadoni 

1968 Paramount. Was lent this frame while waiting for what turned out to be a year and a half for a Raleigh to be replaced under warranty.
The Paramount came to me in gray and red. The red was the original color. The gray was the rustoleum that had been applied to cover the various scrapes and scratches that the Paramount had picked up in the first 8 years of its life before it came to me.
It was the best bike because I never noticed it. It went exactly where I pointed it, it cornered predictably, and it rode straighter hands off than anything else I’ve been on. Plus it had fender eyelets, decent clearance so any tubular, including del Mundos fit without complaint, and it was of course 27.2 and BSA so parts were never a problem. Every other frame since then has had one or two little quirks that made me question the builder’s judgement. Not that Paramount.

merziac

Yep, tx again.

The crowns were the centerpiece of the frame, took plenty of Dave's superpower to get them dialed in for this even though Andy had them working well for a long time. They were designed for a 650b build that Andy was doing for awhile and I had to have them but not the 650b's. It turned out better than I hoped despite being a bit of a cluster.

sbrudno

Thanks for the explanation. OK, a second question. I have a pair of Campy brakes that are too short for the frame I have (obviously not matched in either vintage or style). I purchased a set of offset bolts but I cannot for the life of me understand how I am to convert the brakes to the offsets. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Chombi1 

My 1986 ALAN Record Carbonio. The best handling bike I ever rode so far. This is a bike tha I pretty much just have to only think to steer it..... In combination with the plushness of the ride the CF frame provides and the tubular wheelset I have on it it just flies like no other bike I ever rode!
Frankly, I was quite eurprised. I was thinking that at least one of my steel bikes would have been better,.... but no.....

The Golden Boy 

I've done a LOT of thinking about this.

My 1985 Trek 620 is the bike I've put the most miles on over the years. I think I more often grab the 720- and that's a most excellent bike- but the 620 is the bike that I stay out longer on.

1985 Trek 620 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

1985 Trek 620 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

The Golden Boy 

I would start a thread on it's own- post pictures.

Good luck!

panzerwagon 

Always such a treat to see your bikes— we have similar taste.

majmt 

I haven’t been on as many bikes as others here but I do have a few bikes that would be among the top tier of their respective eras.





As a measure for comparison, the three bikes above are exceptional and lack nothing. The Masi is the fastest of the three, the De Rosa might be the most fun, and the Serotta would be the most elegant ride (if that makes sense). I’ll never part with these very special bikes. That being said, however, I’d agree with your friend regarding the AD Ultima…….to an extent.

I got to try out an Ultima in the early ‘80s and it seemed perfect until I rode the beautiful AD Vent Noir that was next to it in the shop. It was perfect for me but I didn’t have the good sense (or bank balance) to buy the Vent Noir then not realizing how rarely perfection is found. At long last, I was able to get the one below this past summer equipped with impressive 1st generation Dura Ace. I adapted it a bit for Cino and have posted photos all over the place praising it. If I were to do a blindfold test ride of these four bikes (without hitting a telephone pole or semi-truck because I was stupidly wearing a blindfold) I’d have to go with the modest Vent Noir as the “best overall bike” I’ve ever ridden. It may have not a pedigree as prestigious as the other three but this is truly the best every-day, all-day, and all-road bike for me.

The Golden Boy 

Thank you!!!

Yelbom15

A Somec that I found at a thrift store for 100 dollars. I had no clue what I was riding at the time either. “Just some old bike”.I stuttered trying to say what the group set was which was, of course, “Campagnolo”. I hate every part of me knowing that I let go of this one without knowing what I actually had.

However, ignorance was bliss. I never felt so comfortable and fast on this bike.

scarlson 

Of course, it's my René Hubris gugie-fied Trek 61x, 1982. Fast, supple, lightweight, and basically a copy of a '50s René Herse.



The problem is, I keep breaking it! First the fork, so I made a new fork. Now it's the head tube.
Maybe time to put the 650bs on the Ron Cooper and see if it's just the wheels/tires/fenders that make things special?

repechage

time for a replicant frame.
maybe you should apply for a position doing destructive testing to failure while you wait for a replacement frame.

scarlson 

I will make one myself when the time comes. It's heartening to know that the Trek never broke anywhere I did any brazing or modification. Just pretty much everywhere I did not.

Maybe to get my toes wet, I will do a replacement head tube. I will learn something, this way, at least. Sorta ease into framebuilding by doing a couple joints, you know?

Sure, I am not keen on throwing good money after bad, but I don't know. Lots of nice things on this Trek. The Trek is an experiment, a prototype, and a training exercise for me to learn framebuilding on my terms. I am not keen on doing the stuff over (especially the handmade brazed-on front derailleur), given the rest of what I have on my plate.

Head tube won't be that big a deal. I don't think I need a jig, I'll just pin it and check the angles with the digital protractor and go to town.

And yes, the only frame I haven't ridden to failure would be my Ron Cooper. And my tandems, I guess. But do they really count? Does any bike count if you braze it back together?

Schlafen

That's funny, I've experienced that myself in group rides (can't tell riding by myself) since I finished building up the PX10, with the wheels I built myself.

I've asked club riders which were in front of me, why were they feathering their brakes while coasting (it didn't make sense to slow down in the areas we were riding in and was annoying), but everytime I asked they stated no braking while coasting. A few times where I simply let it pass 2-3 riders in front of me while everyone was coasting.
I've also had riders behind me ask why I keep using the rear brake while coasting (rear caliper creaked while riding in the rain, needed some grease on the spring) my response was 'well not because I feel we're coasting too fast, just so I don't clip the rider in front of me, why do you think?' Never experienced it before on any other bike though, felt like cheating, lol.
It's kinda crazy and funny at the same time (or other riders may be behind on maintenance, who knows, but wouldn't guess that with the fresh carbon most are riding), so current Peugeot PX10 Puymorens is my fave ridden and owned.
Indeed, it planes on 32mm tubeless Gravelkings

Triplecrank92

Very Nice! If I may ask, with what did you wrap the DS chain stay? The combination of the offsetting colors is striking with the rest of the bike. Much better than the "dead" inner tubes I use on some of my bikes. I'm in the process of collecting parts and pieces to spruce up a Fuji TS-IV I recently obtained and a chain stay wrap like yours would work well.

Lazyass

My '89 Koga-Miyata FullPro that I sold like an idiot. The handling was pure race, you almost can't ride it slow. My '86 Trek 560 does feel similar.

Triplecrank92

My contribution. I'll confess that I have been acting like a kid with this thread and admiring the pictures first without reading all the comments. However, I believe some of the comments that I've scanned have referenced that their one bike "disappears beneath them". For me, it's my 1983 Trek 700 that has that "Je Ne Sais Quoi" ride. With its sports tourer geometry, Reynolds 531C tubing and friction Suntour Superbe and Pro drive train, I can get in a groove and forget the bike is under me.