Here's someting I haven't seen in a while

[Dr Luxurious]

No, not the Avocet itself. Although I know many people haven't seen one of those in at least a decade. (and yes, that's MPH not KPH)

Gotta love a tailwind and -12%.
Next time I'm gonna use a disc & tri-spoke and an 11.



http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/tmge/photo-1_zpsf5793c5b.jpg

[saab2000]

Whatever happened to Avocet anyway?

[Peter P.]

I always loved my Avocet computers. They had a very simple, large display with the right information and 2 simple buttons. I just wished they came in a wireless version...

[Dr Luxurious]

Went out of business around 2000.
I rode for Avocet in the 90's; had a box of A45s and those gawd awful, prostate piercing saddles.
This is my last A45.
I think I still have a team hat someplace...

The only problem with A computers was that current speed couldn't be constantly displayed while cycling through the other display modes..

[Mark McM]

Went out of business around 2000.
I rode for Avocet in the 90's; had a box of A45s and those gawd awful, prostate piercing saddles.
This is my last A45.
I think I still have a team hat someplace...

The only problem with A computers was that current speed couldn't be constantly displayed while cycling through the other display modes..

While they may no longer be making new products, some version of Avocet is still in business, and selling spare parts over the web: http://avocet.com/

I found the Avocet O2R saddle was one of the most comfortable saddles I've used (and not too heavy, at about 220 grams), and still have them on 3 of my bikes.

[fogrider]

where were you riding to hit that speed? I regulary ride down the east side of San Bruno Mountain and get above 45 pretty regularly and hit 55 once! the weather conditions have to be just right to get above 50 and it makes me a little nervous since there are a couple of stop lights that come up pretty quick.

[thirdgenbird]

I always loved my Avocet computers. They had a very simple, large display with the right information and 2 simple buttons. I just wished they came in a wireless version...

Properly installed, that harness disappears. sometimes you can even run them in/out the vent holes.

[unterhausen]

I had an avocet computer from 1985 that I finally gave up on about 5 years ago when the sensor ring got to be too much of a bother. Actually, I gave up on computers, it was still working. I suspect it would still be working if I hadn't thrown it away. According to that computer, I got up to 60 once, on the back side of North Ogden Canyon. Decided to sit up from my tuck when I saw that, going faster didn't seem prudent.

[Dead Man]

Max speed 54? That's a good clip..

Fastest I've gone so far is 51mph down Cornell Blvd in Portland. We just don't have anything steep that's run-out enough to hit those kinds of speeds on.

Oh, and that was when I had a standard crankset... now that I'm rolling compact, and haven't yet gone to an 11t cog, I can't get above 45mph anywhere, even on the really steep roads.

I'm still sporting a Cateye Astral... wired, two button... super simple, super reliable.. see no reason to change. Have the wires neatly wrapped around a cable housing- no trouble there.

[bikinchris]

Went out of business around 2000.
I rode for Avocet in the 90's; had a box of A45s and those gawd awful, prostate piercing saddles.
This is my last A45.
I think I still have a team hat someplace...

The only problem with A computers was that current speed couldn't be constantly displayed while cycling through the other display modes..

Their women's saddles were very good and command a decent price on Ebay. I have one extra Avocet O2 40W saddle for my wife.

[beeatnik]

Avocet 02 is dope

[guido]

Avocet was a good company. Great computers, tires too...

[carpediemracing]

Properly installed, that harness disappears. sometimes you can even run them in/out the vent holes.

What was nice was that you could disconnect the ends and reconnect them, unlike the super fine wires in use today.

I still have a new 45 cadence with harness etc. I was thinking of putting on my track bike or maybe my "spin" bike (aka DX-900).

The ring magnet was nice, better speed readings (but it got wonky trying to fit on some hubs).

[jmoore]

My customers LOVE their Avocet saddles. To a person, they are through the roof happy when I recover them and they ride them again.

[berserk87]

I have yet to find a saddle that works better than the Avocet O2 for me. I have them on my road, TT and MTB.

I have a small stockpile of them in my garage. Some are new, some are gently used, and some are toast. I have enough to last me a few years I would guess.

May have to use the re-covering service in the future. I am glad to hear that this is a viable option.

[jmoore]

May have to use the re-covering service in the future. I am glad to hear that this is a viable option.

Bring it. Avocets are generally very straight forward to recover and always turn out well. I can't count how many I've done. Here is one in white faux leather from my site.

http://www.recoveredsaddle.com/wp-content/gallery/main/2011-07-25-07-21-30.jpg

[Bostic]

Markleeville Death Ride 2009 I got up to 56.5mph on the Carson descent heading back to Woodfords. I didn't know at the time as my eyes were glued to the road ahead but I had the feeling "this is fast, like really really fast." Two taller riders zoomed by me so they had to be hitting 60 at least. In 2010 I noticed CHP SUV's parked along the side of the road..

On the tandem my wife and I have gotten to 50mph pretty easy on the Mt. Rose descent. I don't have much of a desire to push it higher than that these days

I had a 40 and a 50 for most of the 90's, great cycle computers. Some days I want to go back to the "less is more" approach to them.

[Dr Luxurious]

Man, those O2 saddles KILLED me!!
Flites, too.

For me it HAS to be Turbomatics or Regals for road & track, San Marco Titanios for dirt.

I'm very glad to know that Turbomatics can be recovered! I have a few that are just about dead.

And, yes, Avocet tires were/are cool. Made by IRC, I think. I still have a few 26" slicks.

I hit that 54 on a hill in Gilroy. It's a short, straight bomber. Short but steep. It's on Strava, I think.
Fastest I've ever seen is 62; done on a road off Arastradero, can't recall the name - it was circa 1994 when my legs matched my license category...

[Keith A]

Found this on the 'net about Avocet and thought I'd share...

Avocet was always located in Palo Alto, but are essentially no longer supporting products. They never produced anything at all, they developed a schematic for a bike computer in the late 1970's and built a prototype above a Palo Alto bike shop based on a prior design using a new mass produced 1 inch LCD, later they made design improvements with the help of the local silicon valley brain trust including the added 2 button silicon function controls. That original design eventually lead to the Avocet 30 released in 1982-83 which was and is the best selling bike computer of all time with what amounted to a 60% market share by 1990. Both Greg LeMond, Dave Scott also of Northern CA heritage all rode with Avocet 30's, and helped make the company a huge success in fact nearly every Tour rider had a Avocet on a bike in the 1980's, including non US teams like Panasonic and even many of the European teams like Motobecane, so lots of people assume they were French. The 30/31 was available in 3 original colors then 8 then 16 colors, later they added models with altimeters stating with 35. They expanded their line to rebranding of other bike products including tires and, saddles, which they neither designed or manufactured. All of the early cyclometer models were all originally made in the USA but generally outsourced production to 3rd parties in both Texas and Nevada. Then the early to mid 90's many other designs started to flood the market form Asian manufacturers. Soon Avocet was forced to follow suit and outsourced all production overseas and the quality declined they lost market share and the company was soon sold several times over. They now have fewer than 10 employees with annual sales of <1.5 million mostly on sale of technology and intellectual property used by other manufactures. So go out an get a Cat's eye Urban its just as good but you can only get it in Black. LOL!

[jmoore]

Nice find Keith. I'd love to talk to one of those 10 employees about relaunching that saddle

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

[kenw]

Have Avocet 31s on two of my bikes. Had 3 at one time
until something gave out in its innards. They tell me all I
need: speed and distance (& time if I remember to look).

[martl]

I loved the Avocet Altimeters, had 3 of them over the years. The menu structure was so intuitive one could immediately use them again after a year or two not using them.

Wasn't Jobst Brandt somehow connected to that company?

[Keith A]

martl -- You are correct about Jobst Brandt being involved with Avocet and their products, I just don't know the extent of his participation. I do know that his book "The Bicycle Wheel" is published by Avocet.

[Hindmost]

Wasn't Jobst Brandt somehow connected to that company?

Jobst was particularly proud of the cyclometer; I believe he was involved in its design. He showed me one of the first units on his bike while on a ride to coast once, tried to convince me that I needed one.

[Mark McM]

martl -- You are correct about Jobst Brandt being involved with Avocet and their products, I just don't know the extent of his participation. I do know that his book "The Bicycle Wheel" is published by Avocet.

As noted, Jobst Brandt was involved in several Avocet products. For example, he was behind the smooth tread on Avocet tires (which gives better grip on asphalt, wet or dry, than a patterned tread). He was also involved in the Avocet 50 Altimeter computer, which used a hysteresis algorithm to filter out noise to improve accuracy when calculating altitude gain.

Here's a famous photo of Brandt demonstrating the traction of Avocet tires that was featured in an Avocet tire ad:

http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/images/tiretest.jpg

[CunegoFan]

Aside from QC problems, didn't Avocet have distribution issues, like in the 90s it sold direct to LBSes and would not sell via distributers like QBP? I think I remember something like that hammered its market position.

[Dead Man]

Googling... looks like Avocet pioneered the slick? It's a shame they couldn't keep the business end of things together.... they'd own the market.

[Bob Ross]

Markleeville Death Ride 2009 I got up to 56.5mph on the Carson descent heading back to Woodfords.

^^^That's a great stretch for going for a PB: Not too steep but relentlessly consistent, and almost perfectly straight, w/ just enough gentle curves to keep you from getting bored. It's almost impossible *not* to exceed 50+ on that descent. My wife & I did the Markleeville Death Ride in 2010, and on that stretch the missus and some other woman got into a friendly-but-intense all-out drag race down the mountain! I was just rolling along behind them, not making too much of an effort and I still hit 52-something.

Come to think of it, it's probably been 3 or 4 years since I've gone over 50mph. I need to ride out west some more.

[Dr Luxurious]

DAMN! look at that head tube!! ^^^^

[Dead Man]

DAMN! look at that head tube!! ^^^^

I actually had to google it... could not believve

[Dr Luxurious]

no kidding! what's that frame size, like an 80?!?