Categories: Il ProgettoLa Vie VelominatusNostalgiaThe Bikes

La Vie Velominatus: One Piece at a Time

Its a 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 bicycle.

Patience has never come naturally to me – I’m more Calvin than I am Hobbes in that regard. Yet I am meticulous and demanding of myself and those with whom I journey through life. It is a conflict that has caused its fair share of grief; my childhood is piled high with memories of incidents where I made choices and mistakes that robbed me of the satisfaction of a job well done.

One such episode involved my eagerness to have bar-mounted shifters in the early nineties. STI had just come on the market, and they were priced so high it would require disciplined saving in order for me to afford them. Rather than patiently saving, I spent my money on lower-cost options which differed in their implementation but shared in their failure to quench my thirst for STI. At one point, my father pointed out that with what I’d spent on cheaper compromises, I could have already bought what I really wanted.

Some lessons in life are easily learned, but to practice them is another thing altogether. While I have learned patience, it is often stretched to its limit as I have also become more exacting in my expectations. What the Prophet giveth, he taketh away.

I have finally reached the point in my life where I enjoy the journey as much as I do the destination. I can’t imagine buying a complete bicycle and forgoing the process of hand-picking the kit to dress it up in and embarking on the quest to source it. For me, a bicycle begins as an idea which slowly materializes through the curation of its frame and components. The process of assembling it is a ritualistic undertaking, a kind of spiritual offering to the Elders on Mount Velomis. The assembled bicycle marks the end of a journey during which we’ve already bonded.

Only as this journey comes to a close are we ready to begin a new one, one where we evolve through prolonged exposure to The V. The path to becoming a Velominatus is built on taking the time to do things correctly, and building our machines is no exception.

Vive la Vie Velominatus.

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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frank says:

Nov 26 2013 at 2:28 pm

@Gianni

Frank, I met that Bianchi before I met you! How amazing is that? And what a good impression that bike made on me, once I lowered the saddle. This guy rules if this is his number 3 bike and he is loaning it out to a stranger.

...And then during our actual meeting at the pub after your ride, you promptly chastised me for having crap components on it and leaving it on the trainer all the time. I promptly started upgrading and riding it.

@Nate

Great topic. Pandora served up One Piece at a Time to me Sunday night. Hilarious song.

I had such a good time building up my Kirk this summer after it arrived. Being in the build/paint queue for over a year, I had plenty of time to stew on the component choices and make my purchases.

I'm itching to do some more wrenching this winter. Might have to transfer the 11s Chorus group on my plastic bike over to the Pegoretti.

This is the sort of thing that occupies a Velominatus' imagination constantly. It is our lot in life.
frank says:

Nov 26 2013 at 2:36 pm

@zeitzmar

@frank Is that a Velo Orange seatpost? I love their simple, elegant components.

Yeah, this is my first component from them. Its a very nice one.

@Buck Rogers

Is your seatpost Campagnolo as well? Looks like it.

My steel '92 Merckx is only a 53 frame (told it was a 56 when I bought it on line and I ride a 58) and it came with the aero Dura-Ace post from that year's Group-san which does not extend at all secondary to being very short.

I have the same issue with the Campa posts with them being too short so I have to resort to substitutes that have the same overall look and shine to them. That Velo Orange post is reasonably priced and is very simple and elegant looking. I can recommend it.
Nate says:

Nov 26 2013 at 2:46 pm

@frank Although to truly embrace the spirit of the song, one would have to do the new build with a kludgy mix of components of many different vintages.
Buck Rogers says:

Nov 26 2013 at 2:57 pm

@frank

@zeitzmar

@frank Is that a Velo Orange seatpost? I love their simple, elegant components.

Yeah, this is my first component from them. Its a very nice one.

@Buck Rogers

Is your seatpost Campagnolo as well? Looks like it.

My steel '92 Merckx is only a 53 frame (told it was a 56 when I bought it on line and I ride a 58) and it came with the aero Dura-Ace post from that year's Group-san which does not extend at all secondary to being very short.

I have the same issue with the Campa posts with them being too short so I have to resort to substitutes that have the same overall look and shine to them. That Velo Orange post is reasonably priced and is very simple and elegant looking. I can recommend it.

Tracking! I'll be ordering one shortly as long as they have the correct diameter for my Merckx!
frank says:

Nov 26 2013 at 3:23 pm

@CFADave

In my process of building I have included my VMH on HER builds. What a cool process AND gets you more negotiation with your own builds! Thus, My wife's girley ride!

Ah, the entanglements of Rule #12. I am a huge proponent.

(You have to log in to be able to post photos.)
Gianni says:

Nov 26 2013 at 4:23 pm

@frank

@Gianni

Frank, I met that Bianchi before I met you! How amazing is that? And what a good impression that bike made on me, once I lowered the saddle. This guy rules if this is his number 3 bike and he is loaning it out to a stranger.

...And then during our actual meeting at the pub after your ride, you promptly chastised me for having crap components on it and leaving it on the trainer all the time. I promptly started upgrading and riding it.

Did I? Oh bless me.
Buck Rogers says:

Nov 26 2013 at 4:27 pm

@frank Beautiful. Ordered the VO seat post. Should be here by the weekend. Thanks!
Puffy says:

Nov 26 2013 at 5:38 pm

@Barracuda

@frank

Excellent, again.

Having bought my last three steeds "off the shelf" then proceeding to change them to something that I like i.e. different wheels, different saddle, different cranks, different pedals, you would have thought that the penny would have dropped by now.

The differential between just a frameset and a complete bike is not that big a gap when you take into account the post purchase changes and cost involved.

Well, I have recently found another way with a good LBS...

I just bought an off the peg, BUT I sat down with the store owner and had them change quite a few parts; cranks/wheels/bars/stem/tape/cable routing. All the parts were exhanced at or very close to FOC, with the cranks costing an extra $50 for the change over. Custom bike for off the peg prices.
piwakawaka says:

Nov 26 2013 at 6:15 pm

@Puffy

@Barracuda

@frank

Excellent, again.

Having bought my last three steeds "off the shelf" then proceeding to change them to something that I like i.e. different wheels, different saddle, different cranks, different pedals, you would have thought that the penny would have dropped by now.

The differential between just a frameset and a complete bike is not that big a gap when you take into account the post purchase changes and cost involved.

Well, I have recently found another way with a good LBS...

I just bought an off the peg, BUT I sat down with the store owner and had them change quite a few parts; cranks/wheels/bars/stem/tape/cable routing. All the parts were exhanced at or very close to FOC, with the cranks costing an extra $50 for the change over. Custom bike for off the peg prices.

Same here, your LBS has more room to move on a manufacturers "package deal" out of the box, I changed stem and bar and tyres but was more than happy with the rest
xyxax says:

Nov 26 2013 at 7:40 pm

Calvin,

I can't comment on the finer points of componentry, but that frame will always be my favorite among the legions here. Rosebud.