on fussy bikes

[sparky33]

A recent thread on a purchase of a collectible sort of bike got me thinking about some first world problems. Stop reading here if that makes you gag.

I'm losing my love for fussy bikes.
A fussy bike is a bike that is could easily be a display bike, rolling art, living bike porn. a bike where every aspect is carefully curated to achieve perfection. These bikes are complex and place form at least on par with function where more ordinary form would do just fine.

Case and point, I have a Weigle 650b randonneur. I patiently waited yeeeeeeeeaars for this bike. I fussed over every part and carefully assembled it. It is lovely and has all the features one would want in a pitcher full of randonneuring kool-aid, right down to the Mafac "brakes". The French fit is a nod to the bikes I used to ride rather than the modern fit I now prefer - takes some adjustment. Still there is no denying that the Weigle rides very nicely. It corners remarkably well. Yet I ride it only occasionally. It has a few nicks in the paint (which I took to heart), but I take good care of it. It has never seen rain. It does not participate in the usual rotation of service.

When I go for a ride, I just want my fine Kirk road bike or my trusty Zanc cx bike (yes, 1st world). Well-built alloy wheels, nice tires, good brakes, and a tuned and clean drive train, nothing more. Rule #8 is just black in my mind. No worry, no fuss. If the bike gets dropped, then I pick it up. I don't spend much time thinking about what I'm riding, just that I am riding.

I don't think I could actually part with the aforementioned fussy bike, because I do like to bring it out on occasion..... and it was damn hard to get. It just bugs me that that I cannot subconsciously regard certain precious things as just another piece of gear that gets used -that is not in my nature.

Is this me sliding into real adulthood finally!?!
Or am I just not cut out for rack-queen ownership?

Someone please lay some perspective on me.

Discuss.

[MattTuck]

The aesthetic considerations of a bike mean nothing when you're grinding your way up a 13% grade on a dirt road.

That said, having a nice bike that makes you smile when you look at it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just means that you can appreciate the benefits in two seemingly opposing aspects of frame building.

My next bike will almost certainly be a welded 'tool' bike in the spirit of Flash's recent Lobster and others on the forum. After that, I have some ideas.... but will keep them to myself.

[witcombusa]

It's a bike, ride it. If it's a good bike, you'll want to ride it more. If it can't be ridden it's of no interest to me...

[R3awak3n]

You just have to drop the weigle and ride it like your other bikes. All my bikes are in rotation and I take good care of them but I try not to care if I get a scratch on them anymore.

[giverdada]

indeed first world problems, but i know just what you mean.

i was riding home one night and some idiot bumped me a bit with her car and i nearly lost it because it was the last warm night in october (before our traditional 9 months of winter) and i was on my serotta. my dream bike. my titanium frame made for someone else and paid halfsies for with my dad. my reason for being on this forum in the first place. my entire learning curve with campagnolo and actually nice road bikes. and she bumped me on it! so i checked everything over and it was fine and then i rode home, resolving to not ride that bike as a commuter ever again.

these days, every chance i get that the road isn't wet and it ain't snowing, i take out my nice bike, my Strong. it's absolutely beautiful. i had to wait a little while to get it, it was meticulously built up, including wheels. it has had some details like the fork and seatpost custom painted to match the frame. it is gorgeous. and i ride it most days to and from work, because it's waaaay too nice to not be ridden. i remember its first scratch. i remember it falling over. i remember patching all the chips in the pansy liquid paint job. and i ride the ···· out of it to the best of my ability. it wins every time, outrides me every time, and the quality of it is extremely noticeable as i switch bikes to ride the same commute. i love looking at it. i love riding it more.

i don't have the cash to build up period bikes with matchy matchy parts. if i were to collect things, it likely wouldn't be bikes because they're so involved and i've got all the bike i need in my Strong. there are other types of bikes i'd enjoy, but i don't know about 'collectibles'. my medium format camera is pretty awesome though, and totally obsolete, and a pain in the ass to carry around compared to my dslr. but it slows down my process. it makes me look longer at each frame that will end up costing about $5 per. it's heavy. and maybe a little collectible.

if you have the cash margin to play host to such pretty things, i don't know that you should be forcing yourself to ride the stuff that you collect for riding and aesthetic/collector purposes. without people like you, artists would be out of work and crappy designers would take over the world and everything would look like a pc computer with no apple to imitate. it would be bad. we'd all be on cervelos… :eek:

[gomango]

It's a bike, ride it. If it's a good bike, you'll want to ride it more. If it can't be ridden it's of no interest to me...

Agreed.

I ride everything I own, including the 1980 McLean I just picked up last Monday.

They all get their turn, although some get more than their fair share.

FWIW I'd ride a Weigle for sure. I'd sell my Bilenky so fast I'd make heads spin for that opportunity.

[palincss]

Case and point, I have a Weigle 650b randonneur. I patiently waited yeeeeeeeeaars for this bike. I fussed over every part and carefully assembled it. It is lovely and has all the features one would want in a pitcher full of randonneuring kool-aid, right down to the Mafac "brakes". The French fit is a nod to the bikes I used to ride rather than the modern fit I now prefer - takes some adjustment. Still there is no denying that the Weigle rides very nicely. It corners remarkably well. Yet I ride it only occasionally. It has a few nicks in the paint (which I took to heart), but I take good care of it. It has never seen rain. It does not participate in the usual rotation of service.

When I go for a ride, I just want my fine Kirk road bike or my trusty Zanc cx bike (yes, 1st world). Well-built alloy wheels, nice tires, good brakes, and a tuned and clean drive train, nothing more. Rule #8 is just black in my mind. No worry, no fuss. If the bike gets dropped, then I pick it up. I don't spend much time thinking about what I'm riding, just that I am riding.

I don't think I could actually part with the aforementioned fussy bike, because I do like to bring it out on occasion..... and it was damn hard to get. It just bugs me that that I cannot subconsciously regard certain precious things as just another piece of gear that gets used -that is not in my nature.


You should sell it. It is not for you. What are its dimensions?

[sparky33]

It is settled then. You can all thank me for ending the Cervelo epidemic.


if you have the cash margin to play host to such pretty things, i don't know that you should be forcing yourself to ride the stuff that you collect for riding and aesthetic/collector purposes. without people like you, artists would be out of work and crappy designers would take over the world and everything would look like a pc computer with no apple to imitate. it would be bad. we'd all be on cervelos… :eek:

[sparky33]

I knew that was coming.

I know you don't mince words... I'm nowhere near there yet.

You should sell it. It is not for you. What are its dimensions?

~55

[bikingshearer]

FWIW I'd ride a Weigle for sure. I'd sell my Bilenky so fast I'd make heads spin for that opportunity.

FWIW, I, too, would cheerfully sell your Bilenky in order to get a Weigel. :p

[Dead Man]

I'm gonna take it a different direction; I usually only have one built bike at a time, and I usually feel bad about it. Just the one makes me feel rotten, when I think about it. Do I need brand new Dura Ace and carbon wheels when other people can't even find food to eat? What kind of a disgusting person am I that I'll ride excess and let other people starve to death? At least I ride "cheap" frames, but even a "cheap" Ti frame is $800, used. How long would that feed an entire village in some third world ···· hole?

Yea.. try to rationalize. Doesn't usually work. Usually I just chose not to think about it.

But, point being; yea, dude. First world problem for sure. Sell the ····in' bike and give the money to an African mission group..... or just continue to ride it every once in a while and let it hang useless in the garage in the mean time. Nobody around here is gonna begrudge you. But whatever you do - don't complain about it.

/doseofreality

:banana:

[sparky33]

doseofreality is a fair clip.

Don't worry, I'm paying it forward elsewhere. :)

This is purely a casual discussion of something that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

I'm gonna take it a different direction; I usually only have one built bike at a time, and I usually feel bad about it. Just the one makes me feel rotten, when I think about it. Do I need brand new Dura Ace and carbon wheels when other people can't even find food to eat? What kind of a disgusting person am I that I'll ride excess and let other people starve to death? At least I ride "cheap" frames, but even a "cheap" Ti frame is $800, used.

Yea.. try to rationalize. Doesn't usually work. Usually I just chose not to think about it.

But, point being; yea, dude. First world problem for sure. Sell the ····in' bike and give the money to an African mission group..... or just continue to ride it every once in a while and let it hang useless in the garage in the mean time. Nobody around here is gonna begrudge you. But whatever you do - don't complain about it.

/doseofreality

:banana:

[gomango]

FWIW, I, too, would cheerfully sell your Bilenky in order to get a Weigel. :p

Not until I get back from the trip around Lake Superior in July.

That Bilenky is dialed at this point. :)

[bicycletricycle]

It is nice to have a super cool "fussy" bike but a bummer if your afraid to ride it or have some barrier that is in the way of enjoying it.

Both of my chapmans are Dream bikes for me and I use them constantly, rain or snow, I don't mind the scratches or dings.

I also have some nice bicycles that I rarely ride but I enjoy looking at and cruising around on a few times a year.

A bicycle is a form of transportation but riding it isn't the only way to enjoy it.

Some people feel guilty having nice things and feel that using them constantly is some way to justify the ownership of them.

Whether you use an expensive bike or not, the fact remains that you didn't use that money for some other altruistic purpose.

As far as the Weigle goes, it sounds like its a performance barrier that's causing you to use it less, sub optimal fit and brakes.

I try to remember that each of my bicycles have different standards and purposes, some slower, some faster, different fits, etc. and try to enjoy them with that in mind.

Holding all of them to the same performance standard makes it hard to enjoy them all.

[JAGI410]

I bet Mr. Weigle would chew your hide for thinking such things. It's a bike, ride it.

However I totally get where you're coming from.

[SPOKE]

I think I'll continue to support the custom frame builders. I have great respect for the small, independent builders. The guys I have purchased from are all at the top of the frame builder heap. They all have put a tremendous effort into delivering a product that is beautiful & functional. They also greatly appreciate their customers and I hope there is always a group of buyers that continue to support them.

[guido]

Too small. Keep it.
I knew that was coming.

I know you don't mince words... I'm nowhere near there yet.



~55

[sparky33]

I think I'll continue to support the custom frame builders. I have great respect for the small, independent builders. The guys I have purchased from are all at the top of the frame builder heap. They all have put a tremendous effort into delivering a product that is beautiful & functional. They also greatly appreciate their customers and I hope there is always a group of buyers that continue to support them.
+1
that is worth repeating.

[rwsaunders]

Sparky...pull out your JPW and fix your eyes on a lug...any lug or any detail for that matter. Then you won't call it a fussy bike anymore but realize that you are riding a bike built by a gent who has earned his stripes and contunues to take his work to the next level...every day. You don't get that chance very often.

[RyanH]

Fussy bike is a state of mind. I only ever have one bike at a time. My Parlee Z5 SLi was a weight weenie dream build and I didn't hesitate to race it in crits. Had I broken anything, it would have been expensive, but my concern, if any, was the time to procure replacement parts which meant down time.

I enjoy my Litespeeds more than uber carbon bikes because they are less likely to get dinged up by my aloofness. Thus, they become less fussy, but I'm sure if I began viewing frames as a disposable, replace every couple year objects, dings, scratches etc...would no longer bother me either.

[buddybikes]

Not like you are riding a Huffy for your main bike ... a Kirk....

Wonder what would be your thought if you had Weigle built for how you ride today would it be in your "inner stable" more.

[KidWok]

It's not the bikes that are fussy...it's the owners!

But then again...fussing over the bikes is a half the fun. Researching and acquiring parts, contemplating finish and the right accessories to match, lovingly assembled, and then fastidious maintenance. On occasion, I even ride my fussy bikes:banana:!
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c151/TaiLee77/Mobile%20Uploads/20140911_191324_zpswr95k1bb.jpg

On the flip side, I have bikes that are very functional and I take them out about 95% of the time. I fuss over them too, but not as much.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c151/TaiLee77/Mobile%20Uploads/20150423_111159_zps3mqnyjfv.jpg

Bikes are a wonderful thing to fuss over. So what if they're "art"? I put about $2k into that green Davidson...that's pretty cheap as far as art goes!

Tai

[sparky33]

Sparky...pull out your JPW and fix your eyes on a lug...any lug or any detail for that matter. Then you won't call it a fussy bike anymore but realize that you are riding a bike built by a gent who has earned his stripes and contunues to take his work to the next level...every day. You don't get that chance very often.


Oh my, that does help!

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/23/5668ae4e6abb414ad7103f2fc78c19fb.jpg

[R3awak3n]

oh my, look at that.

You should put all your other bikes aside and ride this for the next 3 months, all summer. I have a weigle myself, its not a custom or even a rando weigle which is what he is know for now even though he is also known for just being an amazing builder and a legend in american bicycle making. I love that bike, when I got it I was told by the seller that the paint was a bit thick (it was a repaint) so I immediately thought about sending it to Peter for a repaint. People in this forum told me, don't do it, just ride the hell out of it because if it is repainted you going to baby it. I agreed and have been my main ride this past month, I ride it everywhere and while I still baby it I have been forcing myself not to care as much.

Now I am just rambling since I have had a couple wiskeys ahah. My 2 points are, ride your weigle and weigle makes one hell of a bicycle.

[rccardr]

Wait a minute.

You guys only have one fussy bike?

And here I thought we were dealing with professionals....

[thirdgenbird]

I've got a fussy bike and I'm not afraid to admit it. My tommasini tecno was my dads grail bike that he passed to me when his health went downhill. I spend a fair bit of time hunting down parts to make it ideal. Then I swapped parts out to make it better, and then I swapped out hardware and parts of components to make it perfect. I ride the bike, but not nearly as much as the others. I am careful about the conditions I subject it to.

I was also pretty fussy about setting up my colnago, but the end result is different. I've got no problem seeing it as a tool. I debated replacing it with a custom this year, but couldn't pull the trigger. The colnago is an extent looker and rider that I'm not afraid to subject to travel, rain or gravel. It's liberating. I don't want to loose that feeling.

[rcnute]

I know what you're saying and am leaning that way too. I was composing a more thoughtful response but that seemed sort of inconsistent with the larger point.

Ryan

[rwsaunders]

Sparky....may the fussy force be with you.

[thermalattorney]

If you've got the space and the extra $$ there's nothing wrong with having a rack queen.

As a city dweller I *wish* I had the space to have a special bike that only saw pavement a few times a year.

Bikes in general are fussy, getting my 3 bikes all dialed in and noise-free at the same time has proved impossible. The most I can manage is two at a time. :p

[R3awak3n]

The JPW is on NYC summer commute duties.

http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r522/r3awak3n/IMG_2476.jpg

[oldpotatoe]

http://www.universalmedicalinc.com/titanium-ball-pein-hammer-450g.html?gclid=CMLOqKX5qMYCFQ4paQodZiIOOw

It is beautiful, too pretty to use:)

It's a tool, not a trophy, a bike.

[palincss]

I'm losing my love for fussy bikes.
A fussy bike is a bike that is could easily be a display bike, rolling art, living bike porn. a bike where every aspect is carefully curated to achieve perfection. These bikes are complex and place form at least on par with function where more ordinary form would do just fine.

Case and point, I have a Weigle 650b randonneur. I patiently waited yeeeeeeeeaars for this bike. I fussed over every part and carefully assembled it. It is lovely and has all the features one would want in a pitcher full of randonneuring kool-aid, right down to the Mafac "brakes". The French fit is a nod to the bikes I used to ride rather than the modern fit I now prefer - takes some adjustment. Still there is no denying that the Weigle rides very nicely. It corners remarkably well. Yet I ride it only occasionally. It has a few nicks in the paint (which I took to heart), but I take good care of it. It has never seen rain. It does not participate in the usual rotation of service.



That Weigle of yours isn't "fussy." You are fussy. That bike is up to anything you can throw at it; if you want proof, go look at what Peter does with the "shop bikes" he rides himself, or go read Jan's reviews in BQ to see what kind of service he's put the Weigles he's tested to. You're simply afraid of messing it up, and you've made it seem a reflection on Peter's bikes, but it's not: it's a reflection on you.

[jmoore]

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c151/TaiLee77/Mobile%20Uploads/20140911_191324_zpswr95k1bb.jpg



schwing!!




so nice. back in 5...

[54ny77]

It's not often that I fire up my 2.0 tesla magnet in the basement workshop, but when I do, I'm sure glad the channel locks sitting around are quality titanium at $1,377 a pair.

http://www.universalmedicalinc.com/titanium-multi-position-automatic-pliers.html

http://media.giphy.com/media/ZiDnfvNB4PjVu/giphy.gif

http://www.universalmedicalinc.com/titanium-ball-pein-hammer-450g.html?gclid=CMLOqKX5qMYCFQ4paQodZiIOOw

It is beautiful, too pretty to use:)

It's a tool, not a trophy, a bike.

[Brian Smith]

http://www.universalmedicalinc.com/titanium-ball-pein-hammer-450g.html?gclid=CMLOqKX5qMYCFQ4paQodZiIOOw

It is beautiful, too pretty to use:)

It's a tool, not a trophy, a bike.

That web page states "usually ships in 4 weeks" - don't you believe it.
The Snap-On truck was wearing a trough down my street supplying me with all the gap tools I needed while I was waiting for my order.
When it finally did arrive, however, it was just what I needed to adjust all the loose nuts behind the handlebars that I encounter.

[oldpotatoe]

That web page states "usually ships in 4 weeks" - don't you believe it.
The Snap-On truck was wearing a trough down my street supplying me with all the gap tools I needed while I was waiting for my order.
When it finally did arrive, however, it was just what I needed to adjust all the loose nuts behind the handlebars that I encounter.

I get it!!!

I got a couple of bikes where I really like the ride of but a few dents here/there, blue tire front, black rear, label gone off (Moots) seatpost...oh well. Cycling IS fussy.

[k(id)]

This exposes me as something... not sure what exactly ...but I'm a 1-bike only kinda guy. So, I've gone through my share of bikes, purposes, styles over the years. I recently took delivery of my 2015 Speedvagen Road Machine. As my only bike, and consistent with other previous rides, I'm forced to ride it and see it as a piece of gear that I use to DO what I love to DO as a cyclist. Yes, it's all about the bike, and yes I've taken the first few chips I've put in the paint VERY MUCH to heart as well, but as an amazing bike, I just want to ride it more and more. That's ultimately why I chose a comfy steel ride and an SV at that (over my previous stiff, painful, yet very fast aero bike).... to ride it in. to. the. ground. ...with long (for me) epic (for me) & exploratory (for me) days in the saddle, those nicks and chips and scratches are inevitable battle scars and I've come to view them pleasant reminders (and also a lesson-learned here or there) of what's happened on those happy rides doing what I love most.

-kellen

[rustychisel]

[

It's a tool, not a trophy, a bike.


Yep, a bike is a bike for riding, and if it isn't that....

I always felt a fussy bike was one which required more than the norm in maintenance hours. Some just build up right, everything works, and you keep it in good condition because you have pride in performance and tool.

On the other hand some bikes always seem to need that little bit of attention, the headset feels marginally loose, the back end not as 'tight' as it should, gears seem to go out of indexing to quickly.

Whilst it can be fun sorting that out, why would I conceivably waste time doing that when I have 2 or 3 other bikes good to grab and ride?

[rccardr]

Ah. Here I thought a fussy bike was just one whose every individual piece was carefully selected. Like mine.

I play with my toys, I don't just hang them on the wall.

[rustychisel]

Ah. Here I thought a fussy bike was just one whose every individual piece was carefully selected. Like mine.

I play with my toys, I don't just hang them on the wall.

Could be. It was just my idea... interpretation of the question. The thing about a bike where you select and instal every individual piece is that when it comes together you know whether your plan was right; whether the pieces fit right and play together.

I find this is manifest in a track bike, where it's gotta work right and there's no room for compromise.

[54ny77]

i have a fussy bike. it's equipped with early generation sram red. fart too loud and poof! rear derail. goes slightly out of adjustment.

:D

[gomango]

@op

I looked at the pics of your beautiful bike across the hall just now.

To my eyes, it is gorgeous.

Time to fall in love with the bike you commissioned. It looks like a great relationship is just waiting to happen. Just for fun, why don't you set aside the other bikes for a week and let this Weigle do its magic on you.

1 solid week and report back. :)

[rain dogs]

It's not the bikes that are fussy...it's the owners!


I think in this context you are correct. This is fussy owners,

BUT, I had the king of fussy bikes - Look KG386 HM. That thing creaked from the bolted seatstays. It had adjustable dropouts that slid back and forth between "TT mode" and "road mode" The allen screws - 4mm (I recall) holding said dropouts in place were so small you couldn't get any torque on them without risking stripping them.... so, as a result, you could get the wheel to slip on the drive side if you really laid down a ton of power. The integrated cable guides for the FD were garbage and it was difficult to feed the cable. The clearcoat was brittle and easily damaged. It had a 25.0 ergo seatpost.

I hated that bike.... but I LOVED that bike and rode the heck out of it - all over Europe - Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites. It road like a dream, but I gritted my teeth everytime I fought with it. So I sold it... here I think. who got it?

It was a beauty.

https://cimacoppirides.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/look-kg-386-hm-record.jpg?w=1000

[8aaron8]

This thread has given me Weigle envy :)

[dave thompson]

This thread has given me Weigle envy :)

Practice boy, more practice!