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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  • @Chris I remember just about every V0Dubya in the UK being missing its front badge around this time.  Personally my favourite was

  • @ Frank

    You sir have given me a vision of love with that Campy Van. The sikest of siks it's now in the cemetary! If I saweth that van I would maketh like the bricks and have that shit jacked in a minute, I would gladly do jail time as a serious Campophile to have the goodies that lie there in however that Buick Station wagon is a close second on the hitlist. Should old mate in the pic turneth his back for a moment it would be gone as well. Imagine those 2 vehicles sitting in ones drive way!

  • Hi to every body, it's my first visit of this weblog; this webpage carries
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  • A bump on this thread a.  because I love the pic and b.  because I think I may be falling out of love with Campag...it has been a while since my last post and for a while I turned away from the prophet lured by the pool and an escapade in to free diving (awesome sport by the way).  The bike however has never been far away and a return to "peaking in 2 weeks" combined with lots of belly breathing has seen my second set of Campag Centaur levers fail.  I sent one set back after less than 3k kms and the next set has failed at about the same maker.  These things are turning out to be utter shit!  I cycled on old Shimano for 10yrs without a fault until I went all Italian on myself and turned to Campag but is it my imagination or has the quality slipped in the last few years?..open question for discussion..

  • I've got two pairs of Centaur levers that have been thrashed with impunity over several years. Perhaps it's incorrect installation? What's failing with them?

  • Same question as I have Centaur, Chorus and Record with (touch wood) no issues and a combined many 1000 Km.

  • @Oli On both occasions it has been the internal ratchet.  I read somewhere they now have more plastic in them (Chorus and above apparently is all metal).  In effect on the shift down it drops to the bottom of the cassette.  I have tried all the usual suspects, replaced chain, re-indexed, checked stop screws and replaced gear hanger.  In the end i rounded off a hex screw and took it to the LBS who then straightaway said it was the shifter.  Apparently Centaur pre 2010 was all metal innards (but that info is just coming off a blog.  @Teocali are your shifters 2010 or earlier?

  • @Deakus

    My oldest is the Centaur around 2010/11 10Sp on the #9 bike so gets the cruddier conditions.  The Chorus/Record/Athena are all newer.

  • @Teocalli

    I had heard Chorus and upwards are all still metal (less plastic on the insides) whereas Centaur was all metal till 2010.  Either way 2 sets of shifters in 3yrs is starting test my loyalty...I would love to go Chorus but the pennies are not in the piggy bank at the moment.

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