Gone the way of the frame pump
Returning to your roots can be both a rewarding and sobering experience. The nostalgia one feels for the halcyon days of youth, the memories of carefree times in the sun with the only concern to make it home in time for dinner, the hidden alleyways and secret spots where the bike would take you and not another soul in the world would know your whereabouts. To return to those very places only to find that they are gone, buried, replaced or neglected beyond redemption is a slap in the face, as if to say, times change, the past is gone, move on.
These past few weeks spent back in the stomping grounds of my childhood, youth and most of my adult life have reinforced a few things: some memories last forever, others are wiped fairly quickly, and sometimes the grass really is greener etc. Other times, the grass is burnt brown and crisp, but it’s still grass. Even with the ‘better’ choices we have in all aspects of our lives, there remains a certain romanticism and sense of ‘doing it right’ that comes with utilising the very things that were once themselves new and exciting. Like driving a Triumph Stag, or pedalling trails that you last rode under power of internal combustion in the 80s, or drinking a coffee in a building that was last used to vend goods in the 70s…
And shifting your Bicycle’s gears by taking your hand off the bars, reaching down and moving a lever.
Although it may be easier to push a button on an electronic device to play a song or shift gears, the ritualistic quality of placing a vinyl disc on a turntable or manipulating a lever and cable to achieve the same result still seems that much more… cool. We strive to Look Pro, but feeling Pro is so much harder to accomplish, even with the same equipment available to us. Jump on an 80s steel frame with 8 speeds controlled by down tube shifters, and immediately the Pro-ness quotient is doubled or tripled. Sure, you may need to employ a bit more coaxing to perfectly mesh chain and cog; granted you’ll be looking for an even lower gear that just doesn’t exist; fair enough you’ll struggle to keep up with the electronic carbon freaks as they beep and blip away up the road.
But they’ll never be cool. Not proper cool. Not Greg Lemond-playing-The Cure-on-a-Walkman-while-climbing-l’Alpe-in-the-19t cool. While those days may appear to be well behind us, we can still honour them and transport ourselves back in time by simply reaching down, not only into our memories but to a pair of small articulated levers, and shifting consciousness.
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Did someone mention DT shifters and vinyl in the same article?
These are both about the same age too.
@davidlhill
Don't know what the wrong side of 50 is, but I'm the wrong side of 55.
Yes, that's a carbon seat post (replaced the original DA seat post, which I still think is one of the coolest/best designed alloy posts for setting up your saddle). You could argue that there's a lot "wrong" with my bike. The original Reynolds fork was replaced with a Kinesis carbon fork (actually suggested by the frame builder himself, John Hollands). Quill stem replaced by a threadless adapter and modern stem (first a -10 degree Shimano PRO and now a -6 degree Ritchey). The ITM bars (25.4mm clamp diameter) in the pic have been replaced with Ritchey bars (31.8mm). The Ritchey stem/bars were to get my brake hoods into the same exact place as on my Felt FC without having to cock the handlebars into some ungodly ugly position (the bottom of my bars are level/parallel with the top tube, as it should be on a proper steel race bike). Oh, and the headset is a MTB headset ... Shimano Deore LX.
But it's my ride, so my choices. Call it neo-vintage (although it's not really that vintage a frame) or retro-mod. The carbon seat post was originally just an experiment to see if it made any difference in ride quality. It did. Along with the carbon fork, helps take the edge off of all the little jolts and irregularities in the road. Much more comfortable. So a keeper. And this was my primary (only) bike last year that I put ~4,000 miles on until I built up by Felt FC at the end of the year.
@davidlhill
Now that's just wrong.
@Rom
Which Denon turntable is that? I still have my Phillips 777 from college days. My (older) brother has one too, but he's geeked it out with a custom carbon wrapped tonearm (he did himself) and other stuff to make it even better.
@chuckp
DP-30L II
@Rom
I was wondering how long it would take to bring turntables into this.
@chuckp
It is. It so is. Inside I cried all the way home. I'd like to think I drank an Old Fashioned that evening in a fog of depression, but it was several months ago so can't be sure. However, beautiful lugwork (like your bike for example) lifts my spirits immeasurably!
My turntable still sees action on a regular basis - also a Phillips. Can't remember the model, and can't check as I'm at work.
David
@Oli
Ah, many has been the day when I'm struggling up a long climb and pull my bidon from its cage, only to knock my right shifter forward and drop down two or three cogs.
@frank
Holy fuck that was cool.
@Matt
D'accord