1985 Specialized Allez SE

 

Drove a couple hundred miles round trip for this (almost) all original 1985 Specialized Allez SE. The original owner only rode it for a year and the bike spent the last 38 years hanging in a garage. He replaced the bar tape at some point, but other than that - it's original. Even has the original Specialized toe straps - pretty rotten at this point. 

I think I'll keep it all original - even the cable housing and brake hoods. I'm going to replace the bar tape with white. 

What would you do with it? Overhaul the BB and headset? Replace cables and housing? Or just leave it as-is to admire?

2004 Trek Madone 5.9 SL with Campagnolo Record

 

I purchased this frame about a year ago in the midst of a "Trek" kick, which lasted several months. I brought it out of storage a couple weeks ago and just finished the build a couple of days ago. I suppose I was chasing the seller's remorse from my sale of my 2005/2006 Discovery Channel Trek 5.9, which was such a fun, great bike to ride. 

This frame came to me from a fellow vintage bike enthusiast, and yes, one could argue that an early 2000s carbon fiber (gasp!) bike does NOT qualify as a vintage racing bicycle, to that I say - Phletph! It's my site! :D

I removed components from my Time VXRS ULTeam Tom Boonen Special Edition (I challenge you to find a longer name for a bicycle) and am selling that frame RIGHT NOW, if you're interested. 

The black Campy Record group with the black/blue Andromeda paint scheme on this bike is stunning, if I do say so, myself. 

And no - it's not for sale at this time. I'll post it on my my VRB Facebook page if that ever happens, so join and stay tuned. 

In the meantime, you may be wondering how it rides. I have no idea. I need to put pedals on it today and take it for a spin. I envision the ride is like butter. 

Happy pedaling, ya'll!

1984 Peugeot PZ10E

 

Picked up this mid-80s beauty for a song and was pleased to see the Campagnolo Super Record levers were in very good condition. Unfortunately, there's a dent in the fork as you can see in this picture, below. 

Beyond that and the tiniest of dings in the top tube (ugh), the frame is in excellent condition for being nearly 40 years old. 

The three main tubes are made of Reynolds 531P - The red decal was for 531P, the "P" designated a lighter tubeset than 531C, the original and most widely produced. The "C" was for competition. 531P shared the same wall thickness (with some minor variations) as 753 for the three main tubes. It didn't have the metallurgy or the heat treatment of 753. The stays and fork would be 531. The "P" variant made for a light and lively frame without the cost of 753 nor the need to silver braze it.

The mixed Super Record and Nuovo Record components are great, generally scratch-free, and all need a little rust removal and polishing. 

I took two dozen pics of it in its completed form because... I'm going to sell the frame and keep the parts. Say what you will, but at least I got some great pics of this rare beast. 

This frame will hopefully go to someone who will ride and appreciate it for years to come. 

New - Vintage Rides - Bicycle Inventory and Bicycle Ride Log Book

 

                                    QR Code will take you directly to the Amazon page.

Or click HERE if you're using your mouse.

I've created something you might like...

This is a 6" x 9" paperback bicycle inventory and ride log book. It has enough room to inventory 40 bicycles and enough room to log 790 rides. 

And... it's only $8.29!!  

Many of you might be thinking... "But I have 140 bicycles!" Yes... yes, I know. The N+100 folks out there will be glad to hear that I will be coming out with a book within the next month to help you, too. It will have enough room for 200 bicycles, so sit tight. :)

In the meantime, grab this one HERE. 

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Please help me spread the word to fellow cyclists. Here's a handy link to the book you can copy to let them know about it. 

https://bit.ly/Amz_Vntbic_Blog

I thank you! 

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From the book's description:

Whether you ride a modern bicycle or a vintage one, this log book is the perfect way to keep track of your bicycles and your daily rides. With room to track 790 rides, this will be a handy companion for months or years to come.

If you're a collector, you'll love the space up front with room to inventory up to 40 of your favorite bicycles.

Key Features:

• Four full pages up front with 10 spaces per page to do a basic inventory of your bikes for a total of 40 bikes
  • Year
  • Make
  • Model
• Handy 6" x 9" size is easy to carry with you and can even slip into a jersey pocket
• Glossy front cover helps discourage spills from coffee
• Room to track 790 rides!

Two pages per ride with fields for:

• Date
• Bike (the one you're riding that day)
• Distance
• Time

Second page:

• Date (for reference)
• Destination
• Bike issues
• Comment/Notes

Eroica California 2022 - Bicycle Concours d'Elegance and Swap

 

The 2022 California Eroica Festival was held for the first time since 2019, and, again Cambria, California was chosen as the host city. My wife and I rented a beach cottage near Fiscalini Ranch and had a splendid weekend. I didn't do the ride on Sunday, but enjoyed much of what the festival had to offer. This time around, though, I didn't purchase anything at the swap as I had three years ago during my visit. I have too many parts sitting in drawers already.

As you can see, the bikes on display represented many of the finest around - brought here by collectors from far and wide. Ted Ernst, who just turned 90 a few days ago, was one of the judges. Few men his age have got the zeal and pep he does. Great to see Ted out there accompanied by another judge, looking over the minute details of these vintage beauties as he made his rounds - what a true classic and class act he is, himself, in so many ways. 

I did bring a bike up here to Cambria to ride around. It's my newly-built Klein ebike conversion, and it was very helpful climbing the hills in this neighborhood - see photos, below. I look forward to coming back here again next year for another Eroica and more of the same beautiful bikes, wonderful scenery, and terrific people.