There was a time when bicycles were lovingly handmade by artisans who themselves loved the sport more than those for whom they built the machines. Lugs were filed to become Luggs; chain and seat stays were beautifully chromed for durability despite the grams it added to the frame’s final weight; spokes were chosen for their purpose and laced to hubs and rims in a pattern that suited the specific purpose the wheel was intended to serve. Throughout the process – from building the frame to manufacturing of the components – extra care was taken to make every element of the bicycle beautiful; these bicycles, when you are in their presence, radiate La Vie Velominatus.
As was customary at the time, components would be pantographed and frames repainted and rebranded, leaving behind little evidence of their origin. But hidden in the components and frames were symbols that the manufacturers stamped into their wares to preserve their identity; Colnago their Fiore, Cinelli their C, and Campa their Shield. These symbols have come to hold great meaning within the sport and we of a certain ilk scour the photos of our heroes’ bikes for evidence of their existence.
For a variety of reasons including cost, proprietary tube-shapes, and repeatability of production, these practices have largely died away in mainstream bicycle manufacturing; in fact, nearly every element in the art of bicycle building that requires attention and skill is slowing being eliminated from the craft. Ahead-set stems have replaced the need for a carefully adjusted headset and stem, sealed-bearing bottom brackets and hubs have eliminated the subtle touch required to hold a race in place with one hand while tightening the assembly with the other. By and large, the machines and riders are stronger than the terrain they race over, leaving little practical need for the attention to detail and customization that once came as a matter of course.
There is, however, one magical week of racing where the terrain is still stronger than the riders: the cobbled classics of de Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. This is the one week during which the Pros still require highly customized machines and we, as fans, can scour the photos of our heroes’ kit, looking for the symbols tucked away in the components to discern their origins. One such symbol is the brass badge affixed to the valve-hole on Ambrosio rims.
These rims are chosen by the Specialists for their strength on the stones regardless of what wheel sponsorship obligations might exist within the team. Their mystique is further deepened for those of us living in the States because they aren’t available here. It follows, then, that the Golden Ticket, as I call it, is something I’ve coveted for as long as I can remember (which, admittedly, isn’t very long and, upsettingly, keeps getting less long) but have never had a good enough reason to justify procuring from Europe. But Keepers Tour, Cobbled Classics 2012 provided the perfect justification to go about finding a set and I wasted no time in doing so. Upon arrival, the rims spent the better part of two weeks sitting in my living room or next to my bed, patiently waiting for me to pick them up and rub my thumb over the badge, just to reassure myself they were still there.
Not long after the rims arrived, I excitedly loaded a picture of Boonen in the 2010 Ronde and turned the laptop to show my VMH.
Frank: Hey, what do you see.
VMH: Boonen. Goddamn, he’s a stud. Don’t let me too close to him; I can’t be responsible for my actions.
Frank: What about his wheels.
VMH: What?
Frank: Don’t you see? He’s got my rims.
VMH: You can’t possibly know that.
Frank: Openly shows his exasperation by groaning audibly and rolling his eyes. Yes, I do. Check it. You can see the Golden Ticket on his back wheel. Its obvious as shit. What’s wrong with you?
VMH: Sighs, pours another glass of wine. Exits stage left. Hopefully not for good.
*Coincidentally, on the same day that this article was being written, Inrng published a similar (better) article on a related subject of hand-built wheels. Well worth the read: The Dying Art of Wheelbuilding
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View Comments
@wrench
You will never see a disk brake on my road bikes. MTB, OK...Cross, maybe, but a disk brake on a road bike is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. All that will happen is you'll lock up your wheel and pop your tire. On a road bike with slick tires on pavement, the problem with stopping quickly has to do much more with slowing down quickly but without locking up the wheel. The brakes we use on road bikes, assuming they are well adjusted, work as well as they need to. In fact, I would argue they already work too well.
@Eightzero
A tandem is NOT a road bike. You have to stop a lot of mass, so it makes much more senes. Plus, a tandem is already an abomination of style and class, so fuck 'em. A disk brake on a tandem is fine. Let 'em do what they want.
@DerHoggz
The theory is that with disc brakes you get more modulation potential... I interpret that to mean a wider potential range of brake input from initial squeeze to wheel lock up, which should yield more control. There is an article in December Bicycling magazine that goes through the math behind the "more modulation" statement I led with. The look like shit on the bike whatever their technical advantages are.
@GottaRideToday
This.
@DerHoggz
And this.
Disk brakes would not have corrected his problem. He just made an error descending. Again. Disk brakes in this case are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
Braking on carbon rims is fine. There are no more crashes on descents with carbon wheels than there were with alu wheels. Descending takes skill. End of.
@frank
I have a pile of GP4's, GL330's and 280's in the attic I'm considering relacing onto new hubs for weekends but haven't pulled the trigger as I am barely riding the road bike on weekends any how.
Upon returning from a season on the continent my bike sat in the travel case for almost a year. A friend coaxed me into riding again and watched as I pulled it out of the case, mud from the last rainy kermis dried and caked on and I washed and rebuit it. When done, he chastised me for simply rinsing the Flemmish dirt down the driveway without any honor or respect. "it's just horse shit and potato field dirt" I said. He was bothered and that was when I first realized the belgieophile fantasy of Some American cyclists.
@frank
In all fairness to Bruyneel, his reasoning is more on stopping the peloton from slamming into crashes. The picture was just funny, along with the comment from wherever.
They do completely destroy the look of a bike.
@frank
I couldn't agree with you more..
I have always believed that road bike brakes are solely meant for scrubbing speed and I ride that way. Stopping is a bonus. Lock up a brake on a bike and you're jacked anyway you look at it.. Road bike disc brakes and the 'anti-lock hydraulic' rubbish that is about to be sold to us all is BS. There will always only be a certain amount of rubber on the road that these forces can be applied to.
And this doesn't even mention the complications of the 10 second wheel change while racing..
Discs have their application.. but nowhere near what I'll ride on the road.
@Oli
No worries Oli, you did make me double check myself though..!
@Gianni
Thanks Gianni, I doubt I would get another one either...when I bought it you could send it back to Pinarello for service or a paintjob, these days they won't even sell you decals for a resto job. Something about that doesn't sit right with me - but I can't quite articulate why...
@DerHoggz
I thought that the two spokes on either side of the valve were pulling together rather than apart, as can be seen here in my excellent diagram.
@Anjin-san
Haha! Something like that, no doubt...