Hardly a bike can pass through my gaze without invoking a visceral reaction; admiration for a well-manicured machine regardless of it’s discipline, delight at a vintage gem or a diamond in the rough, anger at an owner who has neglected a beautiful machine, horror at an abomination of sensibility and taste.
When I see these machines my mind flies instantly to what it must feel like to climb aboard and turn the pedals, if even for a moment. I imagine how difficult it must be to move the rusted pedals of an old commuter; I might wonder at the smooth feel of easing the downtube shifter forward as the chain slips into the next cog; I cringe at the thought of grasping bars rotated too far up or down. It is our lot as Velominati to feel this way about a bicycle. To identify with it, to want to care for it, to make it free. On some level, to feel as though each bicycle has a soul, and that it must be cared for.
This same love leads us to always find room in our hearts to aquire another bicycle, however magnificent the other bicycles already own may be. Always, there is the Next Bike, be it in another material, for a different discipline, or a different purpose; the combinations of carbon, steel, aluminum, titanium, road, cross, mountain, and commuting quickly collaborate to fabricate the justification of bike number n+1.
But never is the next bike acquired simply for the sake of owning another machine, for a bicycle must be ridden if its soul is to find salvation. A bicycle that stands by in a corner, year after year, waiting in great anticipation for the Next Ride as the air slowly seeps from its tires is a tragedy beyond articulation. My three road bikes are from three different eras, and each is an enviable beauty. The Bianchi TSX hails from 1997 and represents perfect Italian style; my only lamentation is that I was unable to acquire aluminum Ergo shifters and had to “settle” for carbon. The Bianchi XLEV2 hails from the Pantani Period and, while it sports the same top tube length, is more upright than the TSX, has a taller head tube, and boasts a higher bottom bracket. The Cervelo R3 is 2006’s Roubaix-winning carbon fiber lightweight masterpiece of contradictions: light, stiff, and strong.
But more importantly, these three bicycles represent three eras in my own evolution as a Velominatus. The EV2 was acquired upon my return to the sport and was my first experience with a truly fantastic bike shop. I bought the frame and wheels from Grand Performance and sourced the rest from eBay; after months of collecting the bits, the sight of the complete bike was one that shall never escape the gin-infested cobwebs of my memory. The TSX tested my patience to curate the perfect steel machine, learning where to compromise classical convention for modern convenience. The R3 is the end result of a design process that started when Cervelo’s engineers decided to better the design of their R2.5 after Tyler Hamilton rode it to victory in the 2003 Tour de France stage to Bayonne. As it happened, my VMH and I rode the 2003 L’Etape du Tour, which happened to be over that same route. And we were on the course the day of the stage, and watched on television as Tyler Hamilton held the field at bay over roads we ourselves had suffered on only days before from a cafe called La Calamity Jane. Suffice it to say, each one of these bicycles means a tremendous amount to me, and every time I throw my leg over one or the other, all of that climbs aboard with me.
Invariably, however, one of my bicycles always feels better than the others. Somehow, a note is struck that brings a harmony to rider and machine that can’t be found with the others. Thus begins the endless pursuit of identifying the nuances that create the unique conditions which coax the maximum amount of (either) pleasure or The V from our beings. This pursuit, this quest to find what the Italians call la Posizione, is the true work of the Velominatus – to never be satisfied with “good enough”. The tape measure and the plumb line both show the setback on the saddle to be the same, yet it feels better on one bike than it does the other. The bars are the same distance from the saddle on both machines, yet one is a stretch and one is perfect. These are the differences that mathematics dispute but our bodies know exist.
For me, the mystery of the bicycle begins with the notion that I can ride two identically set up machines up the same climb on the same day and have one deliver me to a back ache and the other into the arms of La Volupté.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@fasthair, @Jeff in PetroMetro
My dad rides year round to the Uni in Minnesota, similar weather to yours, I'm sure. (About an hour and a half each way, I think, in Winter; 45 min to an hour in Summer.) Road bike in summer, 'cross bike in mid-weather, and a mountain bike with studded tires for the real bizniz when the snow and ice is thick enough. A big part of it is the studs, but another big part is surface area on the wide tires when you're riding in a snow storm.
One of the worst things about it is the salt in the sand they put down; it'll eat through a steel frame in one year. Get an old 80's or 90's Cannondale MTB, no suspension like JiPM says, and get some warm clothes.
Oh, and fucking A+1 to take that project on. That's burly.
@Buck Rogers
No but he will be riding the community stage (open to public entrants, ridden before the big boys ride it) of the TDU next year...needless to say I'm signed up & frothing at the mouth!
@Jeff in PetroMetro
i could play up the early 90s hardtail angle but I'm not sure it would have so much meaning.
@Nate
Yeah. That's gonna get taken the wrong way and then both you and the mtn bike will reside under the house.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
That was the beer talkin'. Glad I ran it by you before I tried it in the real world.
Went oh-so close to pushing the boundaries of s-1 overnight, only to be saved by ebay & its overlords.
Some late night wishful ebay trawling uncovered an 09 Wilier Mortirolo with full Veloce kit that had been started as a 99c auction, 8 hours left & it was still only $65 US. Was pretty doubtful about the legitimacy of the vendors but looking through previous feedback they seemed solid & there were a couple of other high end bikes there in similar auctions...
Cue quick calculations on postage out here to Aus & just how dead I might end up if I bought a bike & I figured why not have a cheeky punt and enter a $100 bid as a starter. I knew I'd get to work with about 25 minutes to spare on the auction & could look in to what had happened at that stage and make a solid decision then.
Woke up & was getting ready for my ride, figured "can't hurt to have a look" and lo and behold I'm still sitting pretty with the highest bid @ about $80. 30k spin up in to the hills & then to work flew by as I'm dreaming of a proper Italian Carbone steed and what excuses I might need to come up with to dodge divorce proceedings in the week of our 1st anniversary.
Jump off the bike as I get to the office, fire up the ebay app & go to the "bidding" section, empty??? That can't be right. In to my calendar to see where I'd saved the finishing time (wasn't taking chances) and clicked on the item link in there and get a message that the item couldn't be found, WTF??? Suddenly stressing about whether I'd dreamt the whole thing (surely my subconcious isn't that cruel) when I notice an email on my phone from ebay...
"Sorry, the item you were interested in has been removed from sale. We do sometimes take this action in the interests of our buyers. This could have occured due to:
- The sellers not having rightful ownership of the item
- The item not meeting our regulations concerning items to be sold on ebay
- Other extenuating circumstances"
Basically what they were telling me was they'd just stopped me making a huge mistake by not only threatening my marriage by purchasing "more fucking cycling shit", but also buying something that was so obviously dodgy even ebay couldn't sell it with a clean conscience!
@Chris
Cool! My post wasn't at BMXers, whose tricks are schweet, it was at losers trying to do something aethetically pleasing on something designed for something else. I have no idea what my actual BMX riding will entail, but I know I wants one!
My precioussssss.....
Late in the thread but I'm with @Ron
I'd be the first to admit to a serious bike problem and many near divorce moments have occured to acquire the current collection.
Rather than apply n-1 I've always subscribed to the theory that one should not own more bikes than one can (and does) ride on a reasonably regular basis and I have reached that limit.
Carbon Merckx AXM - regularly raced
Merckx corsa extra in columbus max - ridden several times a week for training (built up NOS);
Gianni motta columbus SL - 9 speed chorus - rain bike and commuter (built up NOS)
Perkins reynolds 853 track bike - regularly raced
Ridley crosswind CX bike - raced through winter and ridden on the trails
no name steel track bike - used as a commuter pig
1960s Malvern Skidstar GT - fully restored steel cruiser (3speed T gear change) for getting around the 'hood in style.
I love riding every single one of them.
@Mikael Liddy
You going to wine and dine with the Prophet at the Legends Night Dinner?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrlM42pU4AQ
@itburns
Mmmm, dinner...
I'm so hungry.
It's 1130 and I've already eaten my lunch.