Defining Moments: Dust Caps
I genuinely miss the eighties. Funny Bikes, which I say without thinking this though. Then again, time trial bikes today are basically road bikes with a position for tuned for “more speed”. In other words, switching to your TT bike today is like switching from your road bike to a slightly less comfortable road bike, with your arms sticking out. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, switching to your TT bike was roughly the same as swapping out your warmblood for a dragon.
There are many more reasons I miss the 80’s, for the record. Black shorts, off the top of my tiny brain. Also the adorable electrical tape patterns mechanics made over the valve stem hole on disc wheels, for more speed, as generously modelled by little Andy H. Also those Lycra covers on the hairnets they used to wear, also for more speed.
I don’t have to tell you that the shades back then make my heart go pitter-patter. I still have a pair of Factory Pilots/Eye Shades; I also rushed out to the store to buy a pair of Jawbreakers last week, just because they look so old school. Also because they are orange and white and I am a sucker for orange and white.
Everyone has a “shades sponsor” these days, but if you lacked one back then, it was all-in on the sweatband sponsor. “Wow! You make a double-tall sweat-band? These ‘roids make me sweat ‘double-tall’ so…YES PLEASE.”
Then there were the gears and chainsets. The first version of a “compact” was introduced in the 80’s; it was a 52/39, downgraded from the usual 52/42. Which was a downgrade from a 44 which was the smallest chainwheel my 70’s-era Raleigh’s Wiesmann crankset accepted.
But my favorite thing about the 80’s was the missing dust caps on cranksets; Andy doesn’t have one here, and I didn’t have one either. The day I realized I could shed 0.0032 grams by pulling out the dust cap was the day I became a Velominatus.
Fuck Yeah Eighties. Fuck yeah.
He’s terrifying!
Sorry, that was meant to read: He’s terrifying alright!
Nah… Not pulling dust caps to shed gramms, pull them out because you had to. Not being able to ride when they’re still there. That’s being a velominatus.
@Gianni
Campy pedal dustcaps required a special tool for removal/installation, not a whimpy allen wrench. As such no decent 80’s mechanics tool box was complete without the tool, not to mention a few other job specific Campy wrenches.
@McMaster
Yeah, apparently he broke a Serotta-built one earlier in the the season and had a replacement built by Slawta.
@frank
Barrachi Trophy 1984 I think? Spent the whole TT trying to drop each other and then had a sprint I beat the other at the line.
@Oli
Doh! (Hangs head in shame). That’s what happens when I try to be a smart arse and do a quick search at work. Will. Research. Better – repeat 1000 times.
@Ullrich’s Buffet
Late invite?
@Teocalli
What’s the story with the left shifter/lever? It’s only the coolest artifact of the 90’s and the move to STI! In an effort to cut weight down, riders often used a dt shifter on the left for the less-frequently used front chainring and used the STI for the rear when in the mountains.
For Campa, they would often just gut the left ergo and the position on the hoods would be comfortable, but the Shimano setup looked cooler and had the benefit of being wildly awkward feeling because they were uneven.
Massive Coolness Points to @chuckp for having that rig laying around.
@Oli
Very cool; I was familiar with the race but it never dawned on me they allowed mixed teams like that. Fabian and Der Panzerwagon would be a force in that race today!
@WarioCipollini and others
Nailed it; lots of the Huffys are reported to be Serottas but Andy’s was a Landshark.
@Ron
Mine was a 1980 Cutlass Cruiser I called “The Brownie”. Diesel. Sprayed starter fluid of some kind into what I thought was the carburetor (Diesels don’t have those) on cold days to get to ski practice. Could through bikes, skis, whatever into and I was off to the races.
Like the dog in “Mr Bojangles”, it just up and died one day and I still mourn for it.
@frank
Holy shit. I remember those diesel Oldsmobiles. We had a beige on beige ’80 or 81 Cutlass Cruiser wagon (3.8 L gas V6, not an oil burner) before we got the Buick. It had those cool pod shaped sport mirrors GM featured back in the late 70s-early 80s. Those were my favorite feature of that car.
@Nate
This, but hangover brown.
Every care I’ve own since, barring the car I named the Jolly Green Giant, has been a station wagon or a Landy which is kind of like a station wagon but can go off road like a mutha.
@frank
Yup, that is like the one we had. Beige/beige with brown pinstripes. Sadly, neither of the 80s GM wagons that went thru our family had the faux wood paneling on the sides.
Finally, those mirrors ARE the droids we are looking for. If you follow my meaning.
On the subject of the badass Jawbreakers I picked up, I am loving them especially in the Witte jersey with a white helmet.
Unrelated but relevant, black and orange socks are for Fall, Winter, and Spring. Its summer, and its back to white.
@frank
Colour-matched Bonts! Too good.
@Teocalli
I recall seeing a set up like that on Bjarne Riis’s rig in the ’95 Tour. It seemed then that he must have liked the idea of shifter-hoods only so far. It only caught my attention when I saw him reach for his downtube shifter to drop the chain on the little ring on an ascent. I gather the convenience of shifter-hoods hadn’t outweighed the risk of accidental mis-shifts. I’d hate to accidentally put it on the plate as I’m creaky up the Galibier. I’d fall over.
@Teocalli
Andy Hampsten. Alpe d’Huez. 1992.
@Teocalli
No problems with my front downtime shifter lever slipping. FWIW, I run full STI on my Felt FC carbon bike but still love being able to “manually” trim my front derailleur when I ride my Hollands.
@chuckp
Downtube not downtime. Damn spell autocorrect.
@frank
Thanks for the kind words. But … yeah … exactly. Since I built my Felt FC at the end of last season, I don’t ride my Hollands as much but actually love shifting the front “by hand.”
Just like what Andy Hampsten rod eon Alpe d’Huez in 1992.
@chuckp
The “leg pull icon” did not come through. The photo was obviously on the Galibier. Stunning photos though.
@frank
Nice! I prefer the black/orange combo on the the original jawbones. Matching Northwave Speedster helmet optional…
@chuckp
LOVING the fact that the rear shifter has a braze point to hold the cable and the front does not. Some framebuilder at Holland loves that setup!
@VeloJello
Sorry, but I reckon Frank’s ensemble is cooler.
@Oli
Your welcome.
@frank
Thanks Frank. John Hollands (now retired) built the frame for me (Reynolds 653) circa 1990. Originally with downtube shifters. When I had it re-painted, I the thingie (I believe that is the correct technical term) for the rear STI cable brazed. Just a nice little custom touch on a custom frame. :-)
@chuckp
That really is a gorgeous bike… and well photographed.
@DeKerr
Thank you. More about it here http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/readersrigs/readers-rigs-5/#.VXBd40ZvJKg