My visit to Calgary is over and I am in the process of trying to fit six very nice vintage road bicycles (actually seven counting the mid eighties Proctor Townsend that I brought with me) into the Ford Ranger. I stopped carrying money in my pocket with hopes of no more bicycle purchases. I promised my wife that I would not buy anymore bikes and broke the promise when a gorgeous Miyate 1000 Grand Tourer presented itself for a very low price.

I will take pictures of the bikes and send them along when I get back to Thunder Bay. All that said, I had a great time in Calgary and was stunned at the number of road bicycles that I see here there and everywhere in the incredible city.

There is, of course, one last bike that I wish to purchase but I am going to have to pass on it. What is the bike, you ask? A very clean Polagai that is just my size. Bummer! But I am going to add the Miyata 1000with full touring gear to my humble collection of vintage road bicycles. I am also going to keep the C-Record grouppo that came with the way too big Marinoni Special I found during the visit. The rest of the bikes, a Proctor Townsend, a Gianni Motta, a Gitane Professional, a Bianchi, are up for grabs. Watch for them on Ebay soon.

And, in closing, I cannot wait to get home to see my new early eighties Tomassini Prestige and my late sixties Legnano Grand Premio that arrived while I was on vacation...

What size is the Gitane?

Was going to ask the same thing (For a friend who is a Gitane enthusiast)

I have started to carry a bike rack as I had the same problem once, and had to pass on SIX really good deals on vintage bikes. My rack would have held at least three of them.

Carry a couple locks. Buy em, lock 'em up, and come back and get them.

Why don't you stop in Regina and we can deal or trade on the Miyata?
I have been looking for one locally but the deal is a bit "shaky".
I got a few bikes you would like.

Bike rack

Thats a cool road trip. Im impressed with the way you hunt for bikes, the dump ritual this spring and now the western road trip. These Calgary bikes were they bought before or found upon arrival. It shows that perseverance and igenuity and you will get that elusive classic bike we all want. Good job

what a haul, how did you muscle in on sixty fiver's territory!? You should send me the Marinoni so you don't feel so guilty

I have a complete (sans the seat) & original late 60's/early 70's Service Course (or Professional...basically a Tour de France with Campy bits and no Nervex Lugs) with a broken frame. I have been looking for a replacement.

Yes, the Calgary trip was good to me in the bicycle department. Last time I travelled west I hunted up twelve vintge road bicycles and had to disassemble them to fit into the Ranger bed.

I found all of this trip's bikes while I was here in Calgary. The whole mess is now packed up in the pick-up, tied together and padded with saddles removed. There is a chance that I will have to unpack in Regina to (perhaps) make a trade.

The Gitane is a very nice turquoise blue and the paint/art is in really good condition. So too is the chrome plating but the handlebars and brake levers are missing and the crank set has been changed out. The Mafac Competition brakes are near mint but I have no levers on the bike. The wheels mounted are Campy Record low flange laced to Fiamme tubular rims(stainless steel spokes). The seat tube is 62cm(c-c) and I did not measure the top tube or anything else.

The Marinoni is really nice but does need a good cleaning. I am going to keep the C-Record grouppo for my Gitane Anniversary issue road bike but the Marinoni frame set is up for grabs. It too is a 62cm seat post with chrome stays and fork blades.

To the fellow in Regina, do give me a call this evening if you wish but not after 9:00pm since my mother is quite old and I do not want her sleep to be disturbed. My cell number is 1-807-624-7811 and I will call you right back on a land line that does not have long distance costs in the evening.

Though I hate leaving the Polagai I already have over a hundred bikes in The Old Shed and all of them are for sale or trade. With that in mind I don't get all that upset when I have to throw one back, so to speak. But I do like the Polagai...

I will end there and suggest that you have a look at another post that I am considering. I have been thinking of making my website, MY "TEN SPEEDS" a free site but I do not know how to go about it since I really do not want to disappoint those people who have been good enough to subscribe. That said, if you want to find lots of vintage road bicycles, I share all of my bike hunting techniques in MY "TEN SPEEDS" and support each with many examples of exactly how I use each one.

My guess is that some of you might think that I am BSing about finding bikes. I honestly find more than I can handle these days. As mentioned, there will be at least two nice old Italian mounts waiting for me in Thunder Bay when I return, and probably a few more. I should also add that I expect a considerable inflow next fall.

As for infringing on someone else's hunting ground - sorry. It was not my intention to damage anyone else when I look for bikes. I just like finding them, fixing them up and riding those that fit an interest me.

Too big for me.

I rarely get to Calgary but if Randy is feeling guilty and has something nice with a 54cm frame he could ship it up to me.

Back home with a haul of six pretty nice old road bikes and one bent Proctor Townsend. I took my PT with me to ride here and there while on my trip. I particularly like riding the bike trails in Calgary.

At any rate, my Proctor Townsend (not the blue and yellow one on Ebay at the moment) suffered damage. While visiting a loved one in Winnipeg, that loved one ran her Jeep into my bike. The poor thing was jammed to solidly to the wall that I had to get my son in law to back the car up to release the bike.

The night I got home I set the bike up in the stand and did some measuring. The frame set might be OK but the Mavic rim is toast. Gotta find another rim to fit the bike and it does not have to match. Just work well. My PT is the daily ride and not the sort of bike I want to attract attention with. So not matching is just fine with me.

Had a good time on the trip, me a couple of nice people and found another Miyata 1000 that a friend in Regina might like to swap something for.

Glad you had a safe trip home. To bad about the PT!
Oh well, I ran over my freshly restored Criterium weeks after finishing it.
To bad that Miyata was to small........

That Gianni Motta is nice.

Hi D;

Good trip home for my wife and I. Not so good for the Proctor Townsend. Have to settle for riding my Gardin Anniversary until I get to installing a new rear rim. But the Gardin is a treat to ride just a bit too flashy for my liking.

My son is onto a nice Miyata 1000 in Toronto and, if the bike is worthy condition and size wise, I will let you know. The boy is quite willing to trade or sell the bicycle, if he gets it. Like father, like son. By the way, my wife described you to my daughter as a "hottie". I fall pretty much into the wet dish rag category

Thanks again for letting me view your bikes and I would like to consider a trade for that Marinoni you have. Too bad we didn't discuss the Gianni Motta, the one with the paint that you liked.

R