Categories: Anatomy of a PhotoDefining MomentsNostalgia

Anatomy of a Photo: Campagnolo Candy Van

Every night I pray to Merckx that in the morning when I wake up I’ll have a Campagnolo Free Candy Van with a Super Dome.

And every morning, its a fresh disappointment that it didn’t come true.

This photo also serves as further evidence that Cool peaked some time around the summer of 1977.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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strathlubnaig says:

Feb 15 2013 at 4:00 pm

Dude, where's my bike ?
the Engine says:

Feb 15 2013 at 4:28 pm

@graham d.m.

@the Engine

@graham d.m.

Don't know if it was the coolest or not, but 1977 also gave us: Star Wars: A New Hope and classic records from The Jam (In the City), Elvis Costello (My Aim is True), The Clash (The Clash), and Television (Marquee Moon).....just saying

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Was "A Tale of Two Cities" also released in 1977?....seriously, you are an amazingly quick with the literary, my friend

1977 - 79 was the closest we ever came to revolution. Great art, great music, great literature - and what did we get for our efforts? COTHO and the X Factor.
the Engine says:

Feb 15 2013 at 4:32 pm

@PeakInTwoYears

@the Engine

Was it really always thus? I'm told the 1140s pretty much sucked ass except for a couple of smoking hot manuscript illuminations.

Yeah that whole Second Crusade thing wasn't anyone's finest hour.
the Engine says:

Feb 15 2013 at 4:34 pm

@strathlubnaig

@frank

@Pedale.Forchetta

I like/want everything plus this buckle, 1975 circa.

Too cool. TOO COOL.

I'm not nearly cool enough to rock that bastard. But you're Italian, so there's no issue. I'm Dutch on my good days and American on the bad; not exactly the epitome of style or cool.

Except Hendrix was from Seattle, so there's that.

There is a Scottish-Italian waiter at a well known Stirling cafÃ© popular with cyclists, he wears big ass buckles with eagles and snakes and stuff, he would go for that buckle. The same cafÃ© also has a photo of COTHO and signed jersey on the wall.

COTHO's picture is no more - I think they have one of Sir Chris's signed Scotland jersey's in its place. You up for a ride tomorrow?
Al__S says:

Feb 15 2013 at 4:34 pm

So, having been first a non-cycilist (with a bike), then a commuter for several years (16km each way every day. 17-18 when it snows), I finally got myself a "proper" bike. £1200. Influenced by here, that included an upgrade from a basic Shimano groupset to Veloce.

This has left me with one question- why would you buy american or japanese when you could have Italian?
the Engine says:

Feb 15 2013 at 4:36 pm

@Al__S

So, having been first a non-cycilist (with a bike), then a commuter for several years (16km each way every day. 17-18 when it snows), I finally got myself a "proper" bike. £1200. Influenced by here, that included an upgrade from a basic Shimano groupset to Veloce.

This has left me with one question- why would you buy american or japanese when you could have Italian?

Or British....
Nate says:

Feb 15 2013 at 4:49 pm

@Al__S

So, having been first a non-cycilist (with a bike), then a commuter for several years (16km each way every day. 17-18 when it snows), I finally got myself a "proper" bike. £1200. Influenced by here, that included an upgrade from a basic Shimano groupset to Veloce.

This has left me with one question- why would you buy american or japanese when you could have Italian?

I, for one, don't have an answer to that question.
Jay says:

Feb 15 2013 at 5:11 pm

Campagnolo: It was the standard to which all others were compared. Shimano was barely gaining a foothold at that time.

I remember my first serious bike, a Raleigh International with all Campy Nuovo Record components (except for brakes), Reynolds 531 lugged frame, and Brooks saddle. It was a nice ride.

Led Zeppelin was in its heyday. Best rock band of all time (sorry Stones fans)...

These topics that produce all of these differing, yet related threads are what makes this commmunity so interesting.
Sauterelle says:

Feb 15 2013 at 5:58 pm

@PeakInTwoYears

@frank

And I love that both White and The Edge walk over and are like "How the fuck are you doing that?"

White had more class. He just put his instrument down and sat quietly before the Master, his smile saying, "Yep, that's the bad old motherfucker, right there in front of me."

You guys can hate on Santana if you like. He music was...uneven, but he had the capacity for a melodic and textural subtlety that few could match. The man could play a grace note. There was another guitarist of that era, from England, Bill Nelson, who fronted a band called Bebop Deluxe, who was similar in that some of the songs were unlistenable, but sometimes his playing could rip your guts out with sheer melodic gorgeousness and virtuosity.

HUGE BeBop Deluxe fan here! Bill Nelson was amazing, way ahead of his time.
Daccordi Rider says:

Feb 15 2013 at 6:06 pm

Neil Young and Crazy Horse did this in 1977, Santana can lick my salty balls.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HLwm9P-n194