Great pic of the cockpit - particularly from that angle. I'm going to have to try that :)

Bike looks superb - and it's good to know she delivers in the ride department, too. Enjoy!

Oh, and Happy Anniversary :)

DD

First off, I'll re-position the brake levers. Longer term, I think i'll contact Eric Eastlund of Winter bikes and order up a custom stem


I have some Berthet pedals coming in. I am not too fond of riding in the old Detto's. I'm hoping the new pedals will enable me to run a thin soled street type shoe when I feel like going out on a casual ride. Campy pedals are too narrow for that.


I have a TA water bottle cage to mount on the handlebars but I'll also look around for a TA Criterium cage for a second mount on the seat tube.


I'll put some fatter tires on before summer for gravel road riding. Scozim n I have plans to do an interesting route around Colfax in Eastern Washington then later in September there's Cino.


I'll be keeping an eye out for special things that I can hopefully afford here n there..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Drillium Dude (Post 15006452)

Happy Anniversary

---

Thanks Jeff. 28 years and it gets better every year.

Love that bike. It's my size, even with the current stem so I was rooting for a "doesn't fit me; gonna have to part with it" outcome. ;)

Nice bike from a top-shelf builder. Very, very nice.

I agree, it's a very nice looking bike, however I don't think it was built in the Singer shop. I think it might be one of the out-sourced frames that Singer ordered during the Boom.
By 1974 the Singer built frame serial numbers were only in the 4 digits. Somewhere around the 1650-1700 +/-.
Adding a fifth or sixth serial number matches up with the frames I have seen that were out-sourced.
Also, the lack of the E. Csuka name on the decals would make me think this.
I'm sorry, I don't mean to rain-on-the-parade, but for posterity I thought I should at least say something. And I will ad that I'm certainly no expert.

I not too worried by it's pedigree. I bought it from a respected and well known collector in New York (Douglas Brooks) - he said the bike came originally from Canada and I got this reply from Jan Heine when I asked him about it (submitted photos of the bike with my questions):
" Hi Matthew,

Yours is a nice bike. Mid-1970s sounds right - I'd say late 1974. It appears to be one of a multi-frame order - the 7th of that order. The only shop who took that many in Canada was Bloor Cycle in Toronto.

These bikes ride very well, and I am sure you'll enjoy it.

Best regards,

Jan Heine"
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...d/P1040937.jpg

Might have to do the Iron Horse too.

Matt,

Two items.

1) Congrats on your anniversary. Outstanding!

2) You have an excellent eye for choosing highly functional and beautiful bicycles.

This one is certainly no exception.

Perfect bike for Iron Horse, that's for sure!

DD

What a beautiful bike, again the simple elegance comes through in a C&V presentation. Well Done, Sir!

A very Happy Anniversary to you and the missus, that is a great accomplishment for both of you. Monica and I have 36 and 1/2 years together, I would not give up even one minute of that time. Hope you both had a great day.

Bill

New stem, handlebar and wrap. 2 coats of of clear shellac on the tape..
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...P1010292-1.jpg

That sure is a beautiful bike to look at. I'm glad to read that it rides well also, otherwise it would just be a chunk of steel with lots of hype... IMO at least. Are the head tube and seat tube running parallel with each other?

Droolworthy, and pardon me but you did a better job on the bike than with the camera Northbend, she deserves better lighting! And the rest of us more pics.

Wow what a gorgeous piece of equipment! Gotta love those lugs! Very classy! Must be about the nicest bike I've seen on this board and the one I'd certainly covet the most! (Although it looks a bit bit for me! 22" is my size, yours looks like it's about 25-26"

Thanks for sharing!

- Wil

Beutiful example of a classic French ride Northbend. I visited their exisiting shop in Levallois, Paris this last summer, the thread is here:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ht=alex+singer

Just so you can see where this beauty was brought to life!

Grail bike! Congrats!

Beautiful indeed. Only one complaint, Northbend. If you'll allow me. I sure would like to see some pics of that bike taken with the white balance on the camera set properly. ;) Those indoor shots don't do it justice. How 'bout some outdoor closeups so we can really see the details on it? Thanks.
Really fine looking machine. They don't get much classier than this.

First, Mrs. Road Fan and I are coming up on our 28th, so congrats!!

I got a set of Berthets for my Trek for exactly that reason, and they do work. You still need toeclips because the Berthets are single-sided. My feet aren't too big, so I'm ok with standard strapped clips, but I could see going with mini-clips if your feet tend toward the girthy side. I have the MKS GR-9s on the Terraferma for the same reason. I'm also working out a mod to a pair of standard rattraps for my UO-8 to fill in the space between the pedal rails. But that bike is lower priority, and it needs better wheels first, anyway.

Yea that last photo wasn't very good. Sorry
I'll be sure to take some outdoor photos when the weather cooperates. I live up against the west side Cascade mountains where we average 90 inches of rain a year. It may be a while...
:)

Thanks NB. I hesitated before I wrote that, not wanting it to seem too critical. After all, it IS an Alex Singer. I'll take one so-so pic of a Singer over a thousand shots of lesser bikes...most bikes are....any day. ;)

Some better pictures today for rootboy. I bought this small shockproof point n shoot camera after I destroyed the old one on an MTB ride and I still haven't quite figured it out. these photos are a little betterhttp://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...P1010333-1.jpg
Fiamme Stem, Grand Bois Hbar, Mafac Competition brakeset, Nuovo Record Derailluers, Simplex shifters, TA Crank, Berthet pedals, Tipo Hubs, Mavic G40 rims
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...d/P1010332.jpg
Fork detail
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...d/P1010336.jpg
Ideale Seat
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...d/P1010335.jpg
I wrapped the bars in Viva beige cotton tape, then varnished with clear shellac. I really like the color
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...d/P1010334.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...P1010337-1.jpg

A little better!? Man. With that background, that bike really jumps off the page. I can't think of a better color to contrast that bike against. Those are beautiful Northbend, thanks. What a bike.

Just beautiful.

The colors on the bicycle blend exceptionally well.

I'm etching this color scheme into my head for a future project.

Have fun!

She's exceptional.

Yes. The different shades, saddle, bar wrap, hoods, frame.....all a very complimentary package.

Thanks for the compliments. Now if spring would just hurry up n get here I can hardly wait to do some long rides on this thing


You're right about the background. I actually put a little effort in those photos. The light was pretty good when I got home from work so threw the bike in the car and drove around the valley trying to use different backgrounds for a photoshoot and that cream color is almost chameleon like. It kinda blends in with bricks
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...d/P1010327.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...P1010326-1.jpg
And grass fields
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...d/P1010316.jpg
Finally gave up and drove home and shot those pictures against my garage door.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...d/P1010316.jpg


Money shot.

That's my new wallpaper right there.

So, what camera did you buy again?

Yeah, that one is also very nice. Great light. I'm keeping that 'in front of the green door' shot though. With your permisio of course, Northbend.

Gorgeous! What a bike. Love the cream-n-chrome, with the pin-stripes in between. Style and class. You need to show this bike at the Expo in March! Can't wait 'til spring myself.

Nomination for best of C&V bikes, Northbend. Your upgrades were done in perfect taste. Good choice on the Grand Bois bars, they're perfect new replacements for bikes of this caliber. And the TA Hbar cage is a sweet touch. I thought about doing that with my Mercian; with your lead I will certainly follow!