iab

Umberto Dei was doing 'em that way in the early 30's.

Cinelli was doing 'em that way in the early 50's.

Good artists borrow. Great artists steal.

Chris Kvale makes a lovely bike.

JAG410

Absolutely perfect.

rando_couche

As did Albert. Maybe some day one of his in my size will come up for sale...

And yes, cycling has a fascinating history. Too bad so few seem to know about it.

gomango

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

VR- There is an overpriced 60cm CK languishing on our local CL. Contact me if you want my two cents on that one. It is a very pretty red frameset.

Willydstyle- A 70's Brooks Swallow- It is in very nice condition. Jury is out if it fits though. I'm more of a Swift guy.

DD- Yes, your beautifully remodeled Ergos have found their new home. Not going anywhere, as I can always rebuild the innards on these babies.

Rootboy- A former student of mine makes these tool rolls and she is working on a black one for me. Good eye.

As for the lugwork, he is known for the tasteful, exquisite lugwork on his framesets. What some people miss though is the incredible ride quality of his framesets. I'll try to post some pics of my white Kvale soon, as it is my favorite rider. It has full 10 speed Campy Chorus and a Campy/Ambrosio wheelset with Veloflex Arenberg tubulars. What a dream ride.

As for the Eisentraut comparisons, I think Kvale would hold his own. His bikes have their own identity and certainly stand on their own considerable merits. Let's remember Chris Kvale only builds a handful of framesets every year and his total production I believe is less than 400 framesets. So not too many chances to get on board one of these machines.

I really want a sport tourer from him before he hangs it up.

gomango

I'll find one eventually. I'm very patient.

bibliobob

Sweeeeet, Grady! Color me green with envy! Love it.... What's the ride like?

gomango

I only rode it 30 miles yesterday, but I felt like I have owned it for a very long time.

Please remember that this one has a little more aggressive steering than my other two, but I really like the way she dodges the giant potholes on our streets.

You'll recall the condition of our roads from your visit?

I'm extra flabby from this winter, so I am looking forward to really opening her up when I get to May and have decent riding legs again.

RobbieTunes

Ridiculously beautiful.

Sir_Name 

Lean and mean. Very nice.

Roger M

Very nice. I like the group you chose for it. When your weather permits, I'd like to see all three in one picture, please.

gomango

Thanks. It rides quite nicely.

Sounds good about the photo plan.

I can do two of them straight away, as they are here in the cities.

The third is up at the cabin, so we have a bit of a logistics issue to overcome.

I suppose I could do the un-built frameset for grins.....

oliver1

gomango:


Could you please share any details on the red Chris Kvale for sale in Minneapolis. I seen that bike listed on craigslist about a year ago. I was a little concerned if he did know the size of the bike. He indicated it is a 60 cm, but a stand over height of 30 inches.


If you have seen the bike do you recall the size? Seat tube center-center is one of my first measurement I check for a possible fit. Condition and any additional information would be great if you have seen the bike.

I am about 300 miles away from the bike, but if it looks promising I could make the trip to see the bike as my travels may bring me close to Minneapolis.


Thanks much for any information.

jet sanchEz

Which handlebars are on your Kvale? Lovely bike.

gomango

I am so sorry I never answered this post.

My full apologies. Not very classy on my part.

gomango

Thanks!!

Those are ITM Pro- 260s.

Really comfy bar for me.

[IMG]Untitled by gomango1849, on Flickr[/IMG]

crank_addict

This thread should be bumped once a month just look at that seat lug work.

The only thing I got from Mister Kvale is a pair of tubulars from his online garage sale. Included in the carton was his brochure..... what a tease!

bikingshearer 

Seeing pics of your Kvales never grows old. Absolutely beautiful in a clean, understated way.

So when you find that Eisentraut, will that make you a Kvalsentraut collector?

gomango

Hah, thanks!

I ride with a fellow that has a beautiful Eisentraut.

Just my size as well.

I am first in line for his bike when the time comes, although I'm not holding my breath.

He's 69 years young and is a lean, mean riding machine.

In fact, he rode on our trip to Lake Superior last summer and made it the entire distance.

Very impressive.

gomango

Happy to bump the thread occasionally.

I'll add some ride pics at some point, as this one goes out fairly often in decent weather.

Great riding bike, but fairly quick steering.

He's still building some frames and he's not anymore expensive than a lot of guys.

Here's a pic of the seat cluster.

Rather tasty I think.

[IMG]Untitled by gomango1849, on Flickr[/IMG]

beech333

I assume this is the one that I went to look at while I was in Minneapolis months ago. The bike had signs of a head-on crash. The downtube was damaged just behind the head tube. The seller said he wasn't aware, but didn't act surprised when I pointed it out to him. I passed.

gomango

Yes, I think you are correct!

When I originally looked at the bike it was fine.

It was too big for me though.

I often wondered why it languished on CL after that.

Now I know why.

beech333

It wasn't terribly obvious and probably would have been fine to ride, but I wasn't going to pay that price with it being damaged. If not for that, I would have certainly bought it. Instead, I ended up with a Mooney and a Lebsack for less $. I still want a Kvale and Sachs though.

gomango

Finding a Mooney in the correct size is very cool.

I know of a gorgeous Mooney locally that may be available.

Finding a Kvale can be tricky nationally, but not so bad locally if you are patient.

He didn't build that many and most of us hang onto ours.

I do know of a gorgeous smaller Kvale that's available at a very fair price.........

No direct affiliation.

beech333

That 60cm one would have been a great fit. If you find a larger one, please let me know. The one currently on your CL looks great, but is too small.

MeadMan2

Another fact about Chris Kvale. *He & his brother set a new speed record for cycling across the US in the '70's. *Of course it has since been broken but they did not have the big support teams that are now part of RAAM. *When I had him do some work on my Mead & my Colson, I asked him about it & he said that his brother doesn't bike anymore & has put on weight. * *