Got my stuff....

[saab2000]

....from Switzerland. Yesterday a huge container showed up with the rest of my stuff from Switzerland. Naturally, the only things I cared about were my bikes!!!

My red Croll was the first thing out of the box! I pumped up the tires and installed the front wheel and was ready to go.

The thing that struck me again was how my Chorus bike works better than my Record bikes!! People often ask about which they should buy. Of course I would always recommend Record simply for coolness factor. I like to be able to ride with the "best", but I also know that mechanically they are identical. The difference is that this is last year's Chorus. The metal stuff. I prefer the look and for some reason I cannot figure out the stuff actually seems to shift better.

I have a Record crank and hubs and these will have no impact on shift quality at all. But the brifters and derailleurs are Chorus, as is the cassette. Cannot figure it out, but I like the result!

Deep in those boxes are a lot more bike stuff too, including another Croll frame/fork, 2 sets of wheels, tools, truing stand, work stand. Basically all the bike stuff I ever owned.

The clothing and dishes and all that crap don't matter! :D

[Kevan]

your bike is.


Congrats on the reunion! :D

[Too Tall]

Saabster, I missed a reference...where is home now and when are you coming to DC so we have a ride and a beer?

[dbrk]

saab2000! It's just _got_ to feel good to have your bikes. When we moved, only about 15 miles, into the woods, moving the bikes took all day! I entrusted it to my best pal who brought them over three at a time in his van.

Anyway, a question: are your Crolls from the time Croll himself was making them or as the company now is? Not that it really matters who puts torch to frame so long as they are made the way they are spec'd. Just curious. Also, since Croll is better know in Minnesota and the mid-west, how'd you end up with one of these? Errr....two of these?

What size do you ride? You can always ride one of mine if you visit Rochester or the Finger Lakes of western NY.

dbrk

[saab2000]

dbrk,

I actually own 3 Crolls!! At least 2 of them were built by Walter Croll and the other one I think was. Like you say, it does not matter who made them. They are cool, but far from perfect. All of them have had issues which are not cool. But, they were my main bikes for several years.

Anyway, the reason I have them is because I lived in Minneapolis for a while and still have family there. I know Walter personally and my first Croll was one of the first bikes he made.

I will get out to DC in about 6-7 weeks for some riding. Initially it will be irregular, what with my initial flying for my new company taking priority over riding.

Anyway, I hope to be fully up and running in that respect and have my own place sometime later in the summer. I know that sounds like a long time from now, but that is just the way it works in the airline world.


I would love to get to upstate New York for some riding in the Finger Lakes area, dbrk, and shooting the breeze for an afternoon. My handlebars are probably too low though! :D

[shinomaster]

my chorus bike does shift better too...

[vaxn8r]

My DA stuff shifts better..............


Heh

[saab2000]

Your DA stuff may shift fine. But it is hard for me to imagine that it might be better than my Campagnolo equipped bikes. I click my lever and it shifts. Simple as that.

I had DA once. It worked. But because it did nothing more than work I went back to what I knew well: Campagnolo. I am not really a Campy snob. But it is what I have always used. Well, actually not always. I could not always afford it. Before that I used Suntour, which also worked really well.

Anyway, I really don't care what anybody uses. As long as it works. It is not material. What counts is riding. :banana:

[vaxn8r]

My "heh" meant it was a joke. Just seeing if somebody would bite.

I have Record on 2 bikes and DA on 4 with a few Ultegra bikes.

It all works. However, like you with DA, I have been less than impressed with Record. Some people make it sound like Campy walks on water but to me it just shifts. Nothing fantastic, just what you expect it to do. I find the drivetrain noisier than Shimano's...that bugs me a bit.

It all works. I like Ultegra, even 105, Record. I did have some 8 sp. mid level Campy shifters in the late 90's which were crappy. I think/hope they have corrected the deficiencies of their lower end stuff of late.

To me the frame is 95% of it. If the components are good it's all good. If they suck you have huge problems.