Your first "REAL" road bike?

[colker]

Pinarello Cadore. I don´t have any pics on this computer unfortunately.
It´s a cromor low end training bike on their line up. Heavy but rode fast and beautifully. It had shimano 105 8sp w/ the rattling levers and a pair of heavy aluminium aero wheels. Everything was very used.
You can build any high end frame w/ high end wheels and shifting but nothing will feel as fast as those first yards on your first road bike.

[Drmojo]

Originally Posted by BobO

I had injured my hip running and was pretty depressed because I had to accept that my promising running "career" was over. Then, one day after work I walked past a cool little bike shop in Bristol, Ct. There was this black and red bike sitting out front that had caught my eye.


*Not mine, picture found on internet*

"Hey, I can afford this!!!"

It was a Univega Supra Sport. It came with Suntour running gear which shortly got upgraded to the new indexed 105 8 speed equipment, the wheels got upgraded to a nice set of Mavics. I spent thousands of hours on that machine, and it helped me get my head right to move forward in life.

I still have it, maybe in a couple of years my boy can ride it.

stollen from my apt in 82

[RobJ]

It was a toss up between a Bianchi (not celeste, but a deep burgundy) and a Motobecane. The 'Moto won out. It was a Jubilee Sport with Suntour Blue Line shifters/derailleurs. I then spent numerous years trying to track down a La Redoute team jersey to no avail.

[EchelonLeft]

Schwinn Peloton.

[VTR1000SP2]

I guess this is a hard one because I had 5 road bikes in quick succession (less than a year) until settling on a 2012 Cervelo S2.

[mrvnmrvn]

1987 Schwinn Tempo - Shimano 105 with Biopace rings

[T-Crush]

Mirage in the classic Black with red head tube and panels and gold pin-striping and font. Loved that bike. Sold it a decade later and 'upgraded' to a Vitus 979 with complete Campy SR. I was 6' 4" and 235 lbs at the time and didn't know any better. Still hold my PR on a local downhill at 52 MPH on the Vitus. At the time, I thought it a very cool ride.

[bicipunk]

My first nice ride just got totaled in freak accident a month ago. It was a 1973 Raleigh Competition that I had Norther Cycles in Portland modify into a 650b low trail randonneur bike. Reynolds 531 throughout, Compass taillight, SON Edelux II headlight, White Industries T11 rear hub, SON front, 1st generation Suntour Cyclone with Simplex Retroflection shifters and a Stronglight 49D crank.... It was such a nice bike. I rode it everywhere.

[srcarter]

I had an early 1990s Centurion Dave Scott Ironman... Shimano 105? components. Red and white. Saw a hipster with one in San Francisco recently, and it brought back some memories.

That frame was not very stiff though (at least in the large size I had).

[ripvanrando]

A white Cannondale circa 1984 fit by John Allis in Belmont if I remember. A mix of campy and suntour superbe

That ugly bike took me from middle of the pack on wells avenue to winning regular.

It got stolen over seas in Germany. My previous circa 1970's 531 British framed bike was better on paper and I always attributed my better speed to a good fit. In the end, I never missed it but when I banged the 13, it was something. To be a kid again.

[fishbolish]

gios torino super record,rode better than the cinelli it was replaced with....

[myth_jimmy]

Somec with Super Record.
Recently sold before moving across the country...riding a custom one I had built a few years ago.

[Tabl10s]

Originally Posted by William

Sorry if I'm re-hashing something that has already been done.


What was your first "real" road-racing bike?

I'm not going to count the Lime Green Schwin Varsity, or the Schucks Monte Carlo, or any of the BMX racers I had. My first "road racing" bike was a 1993 Fuji Roubaix. 63cm, 59-ish TT. 105 equipped with DT shifters. After the first ten miles I chucked the saddle that came with it and tried a few others until I found one that agreed with me. I switched out the original stem and seat post to get the reach and height I needed (Zoom mtb stem & AC mtb post). I also switched out the 175mm 105 crank set for DA 180mm. Other than that I raced it just as you see it. Even though it was a wet noodle when sprinting, it had a nice feel to it and I won a lot races on it. Unfortunately right after this photo was taken, the frame was broken in a crit. In the last corner, someone planted a pedal and caused a major pile up. I was able to avoid the guy who caused it when he slid across the ground in front of me, but I shot off the course into a big Rhododendron bush...ouch!

What was yours?

William

I had this bad habit of locking my bike to the railing at the bottom of the stairs to the apartment by the back wheel only. One morning I found the wheel still secured, but no frame.

I picked up a bike magazine and settled on a Dave Scott Ironman by Centurian. This was 1984.

[wallymann]

1986 -- i was a total nugget i graduated from my trusty huffy strider and picked up a trek 510 (with 501 tubing and a full campy gruppo) from cross country cycle and ski on high-street the summer i graduated HS. paid $439 i think. was chuffed to bits.

1990 -- a few years into the sport, i picked up a used ciocc mockba-80 frame/fork from ten speeds on bethel road, including a super-record crank and headset. it was well worn and i think i over-paid, but i had my first legit eye-talian race bike! still have this one.

[TDot]

Was a Falcon Competitor 105 that I stared at through the LBS window for weeks when I was maybe 15? My grandma bought it for me for birthday and I raced my first race in Niagara Falls on it that year ... came in second last and got lapped. Great memories