It wasn’t so long ago that the majority of bicycles were made by hand, from raw materials, in places that aren’t China or Taiwan. While some of these artisans are still around, their wares are increasingly harder to come by, and to procure an example of their work means an outlay of time and money which is more than most are willing to commit. This is a problem with not just bikes; mass consumption is big business, not only in everyday necessities but for ‘luxury’ items as well. A bicycle can be considered a luxury item for some, so to bring them to the masses, they must be produced in ways that lower the cost of materials and labour to a point where the average consumer can feel like they are getting a quality product at a reasonable price. And they usually are.
They just aren’t getting anything unique.
Now that three of the four bikes in my possession are made by hand, I have made a commitment to only own machines produced not by robots, not from composites and not from ‘factory farming’ methods. While there are many excellent bicycles produced en masse, the little bit of personality that is instilled in each of my rides sets them apart and I know I’ll see not many, if any, similar steeds on my roads or trails. How many dudes you know roll like this?
Riding the cobbles of KT12 on my Merckx Team SC and KT13 on the Pavé steel Cyfacs re-opened my eyes to the subtleties of a well-made frame and the characteristics which can be incorporated into the bike by the maker; each one can be tweaked to offer a ride quality specific to each frame, each rider, even the environment in which they are created and which they are intended to be ridden. The Merckx was fairly hard to come by, and I stumbled upon it by chance rather than through any concerted effort to find it. I sometimes think it found me. It’s a bike I love to ride, but also to just appreciate its lines, its pedigree, its Made In Belgium heritage, no doubt welded by a grizzled Flandrian who cut his teeth in the very factory he still works at 40 years later. I’d like to think so, and there’s some small likelihood of it, at least. Maybe I will return it to Belgium once more, in Spring, from where its journey started and where it made its mark in history more than a decade ago.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/brettok@velominati.com/merckx sc/”/]
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@roger
And all casually deliberate no less! Awesome shot!
@roger
this is a great shot!
And I too love the feel of Ti
The YouTube video above is the epic 2001 where Peter Van Petegem proclaimed "I like this weather". He is a awesome Belgian guy. What a race that was. Whew, thanks to merckx no Keepers Tours have gone off in those conditions.
Still made in Italy, surprisingly low cost too:
I'll try that again:
The downside of hand built custom frames is that once you break them you don't just switch them for another just like it, you have to find some way to fix it.
That being said, anybody know how I can fix my frame?
A screw broke that held the rear triangle together, at the end of the chainstay.
Please, anyone?
I'll buy you belgian alcoholic recovery drinks!
@biggles
1. Remove screw from other side, take it to fastener supply place and see if they can source a replacement.
or
2. Get a friendly machine shop to turn up a new one.
Option 2 might be more costly, but hey, no cost is too great for a Loyal Steed. And would cost less than a new frame.
@biggles If you break a custom, all the more reason to buy another bespoke frame, plus steel is real, and weldable/repairable...
If you are referring to a screw that broke off the head but left the thread in the frame rather than just needing a new screw (looks like it from the pic), any engineering shop or bike shop worth their weight should have the tooling to partly drill out the screw, then back it out with a screw remover, or drill it out fully and then retap the threads...
@biggles
Now there's a novel idea - fixing something instead of disposing and replacing it. It seems many framesets these days can be likened to a Bic pen. I'm not singling out carbon (of which I have one), but it I wouldn't consider riding it 20 years from now. I favor the cycling equivalent of a Montblanc writing instrument. Certainly, there's a higher upfront cost, but it will be cherished for years and can be passed down to future generations. And it's usually fixable.
By the way, nice picture of your ride. @Beers has it right on the fix.
If only more riders thought this way. Of my four bikes all four are hand made in Europe. 1988 Raleigh Race 531 (1992 Campag Chorus Groupset) 1998 LOOK KG176 Team Carbon (Campag various - it's my training bike) 1998 Colnago Tecnos (2006 Campag Centaur groupset) and 2006 Colnago Mix with 2006 Campag Chorus. I'm Scottish and shop around. I paid less for these bikes than I would have for a made in Taiwan full carbon frame with fishing tackle (my name for Shimano) components on. They're not light but they're all smooth and a joy to ride. Most modern riders think I'm nuts. I'm happy.