Market Proof Stash

[dbrk]

I don't know if anyone else is as nuts as I am about this sort of thing but Ben's living room has always been a place of personal revelations among friends...

Experience has shown me that when I really love a "product" that I actually use a lot it's almost certain that it'll be "improved" or discontinued. Sometimes stuff, like old Simplex or Mafac, is relatively easy to find NOS and efforts to hoard are patently foolish, though I do in fact have a few extra sets of Racers, Raids, 5500 ders for that proverbial day of rain. In my maladjusted world I rationalize a fine line between saving for a rainy day and thinking that the sky is falling. I reject the appellation "retro", admitting only to somewhat grumpy, okay maybe luddite-ish tendencies in bicycles but too much that is passed off as progress is marketing or it's actually stuff that I don't like as much as the older stuff.

So, a list of a few things involving love, loss, paranoia, and till death do we part:
*Indexing Downtube Shifters. These will go away in the next few years is my prediction. Shimano has been kind enough to make them in 10spd. I think I am now SFL (stashed for life). I don't think there will be tons of these in years to come and doubt anyone will make them again.
*Centerpull Brakes. Need'em for the randonneuse bikes.
*Simplex/Huret/Maxicar hubs: If you never loved the French, you won't miss this stuff either.
*Alex Singer Cycles: Still made. Don't wait. Now would be a good time if you want one.
*Julbo Glacier glasses: in the perfectly ROUND shape without the nose piece and with the sides. One pair left. Broke two in the past ten years. Discontinued.
*Aurora Shoes: much like, in fact, the same as fernandshoes.com. My broken feet depend on these. I have a steamer trunk full. When I run out of these I will be dead or required to use velcro sneakers and a walker.
*Myspex.com folder reading glasses: these fold up like ninjas and while they are a bit costly (about $70 a pair), they are far and away the best find of the year.

Hope:
*Gran Bois tires and 650B revivals
*Velo-Orange and Rivendell futures
*Brooks Saddles didn't go away
*The Great Ones Among Us: Sachs, CPG, Weigle, Sacha, Toei, Mariposa, Spectrum, et.al.
*Bike shops like Jitensha, Wheelfine Imports, and Mendon Cyclesmith

I'm not just sentimental or nostalgic, just old enough to know the difference. It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.

dbrk

[Ti Designs]

I'm not just sentimental or nostalgic, just old enough to know the difference.


Words I live my life by.

I'm not as old school, I remember Mafac brakes, mostly for the lack of stopping power and that distinctive noise. I still have my old Peter Mooney with Nuovo Record parts and Simplex retrofriction shifters. I'm fond of that bike, but it's hard not to notice the performance differences. Somewhere along the line brakes got better, shifting got better (I could switch back to down tube shifters today and not miss a beat, but...), bikes got lighter and more responsive. Then they started taking things too far - as they always do. How many gears is enough? I started racing on 5-speed, ended my racing career with 7-speed. Now there's 10-speed, and with each new generation there's a whole season of problems. Generations are getting shorter and shorter but the debugging times aren't, yet people still want the latest and greatest. I'm with DBRK on this one, find what it is you like and buy a lifetime supply - and think chase it down the line, 7-speed freewheels don't count for much if you don't have the chains...

[Fixed]

bro if ain't broke don't fix it imho too many cats replace stuff just for the sake or replacing stuff
cheers :beer:

[Ray]

Already Deceased - Nitto narrow (42cm) dirt drop bars - the only drop bars I'm comfortable with. Hope I'm SFL but, if not, there are no acceptable alternatives. I better not live too long.

Still Alive - Aliante saddles. Still the best thing I've plunked my a$$ down on for a long ride. They haven't messed it up yet, but I have faith!

I used to think the old Ritchey compact crank was gonna be the last decent compact double out there and it was a good one. I was pretty close to SFL when the compact craze hit and now there are plenty of good to great compact cranks on the market. And the old Ritcheys are actually too narrow to clear the chainstays on my Spectra. So modern it is for cranks.

-Ray

[Ti Designs]

If we must list items that have long vanished from the bike shop shelves, how 'bout them Cinelli 65's??? I'm running Modolo Curvisima bars on my new tandem, but they're just not the same...

[Dekonick]

Sadly, the Hors Categorie is no more.

[Ti Designs]

Sadly, the Hors Categorie is no more.

The DKS rear end is something I never saw the use of until I watched Dave Kirk ride. We were at the top of a hill, waiting for the rest of the group, Dave rode off into this rocky dirt section like it was part of the road (guess they don't pave roads all the way to the top in Montana). I've had my road bike off road plenty, my fixed gear has seen more mountain bike trails than most mountain bikes, but I change my position to do that. Dave didn't change a thing, he, his big blue bike and those big tires just rode over rocks like it was smooth pavement.

I came home from the Giro del Toga and looked at the streets in the Boston area. OK, I get the Hors Cat now - but it's too late!

[Fixed]

Sadly, the Hors Categorie is no more.
there is something about those bikes.....

[Fixed]

bro you have one no ?
cheers :beer: :beer:

[old_school]

how 'bout them Cinelli 65's???

+1

Is it that effin hard to make a set of bars that are actually purposeful? Anatomic bars are a joke ... I still haven't figured out whose anatomy they are supposed to fit - especially with those little snub ends. I am currently running Deda deep drops just for the clearance, but I would much prefer a shallower drop. (And I just can't justify $300 for a set of handlebars - I am quickly losing my sense of humor for all these carbon bits.) The last time I rode a set of shallow bend 'classic bend' bars, I ended up jamming my wrists so hard they were bruised for 3 weeks. *** - do people not use the drops anymore - or just not sprint? Lets see: reasonably shallow drop, flat longish bottom (something to hold on to), round bend, forward sweep (clearance for wrists), maybe a little wider at the drops than the tops (again, the clearance thing), nice transition to current style of hoods - is that too difficult to ask? :crap:

[regularguy412]

+1

Is it that effin hard to make a set of bars that are actually purposeful? Anatomic bars are a joke ... I still haven't figured out whose anatomy they are supposed to fit - especially with those little snub ends. I am currently running Deda deep drops just for the clearance, but I would much prefer a shallower drop. (And I just can't justify $300 for a set of handlebars - I am quickly losing my sense of humor for all these carbon bits.) The last time I rode a set of shallow bend 'classic bend' bars, I ended up jamming my wrists so hard they were bruised for 3 weeks. *** - do people not use the drops anymore - or just not sprint? Lets see: reasonably shallow drop, flat longish bottom (something to hold on to), round bend, forward sweep (clearance for wrists), maybe a little wider at the drops than the tops (again, the clearance thing), nice transition to current style of hoods - is that too difficult to ask? :crap:

Just for fun, you may want to look at some of the Cinelli ergo styles. Yes, I agree. Ergo is not for everyone. However, I managed to find a style that works well for me.

When I originally built up my CSI in 1997, I put on Cinelli Eubios bars - 42 cm. They work(ed) great. I recently purchased another set of Eubios in 42 to go on my TG. I was _AMAZED_ that they were still available. However, there are some slight differences between them. The old ones were sleeved at the clamp point; new ones are bulged, drawn and butted. This is a good thing, since I think the NOS Serotta Ti stem I put on my CSI (which has the old Eubios) clamps the sleeve too hard and makes a slight creak on the left side (never did that with the Cinelli Grammo Ti stem). One drawback to the new Eubios is that they have a shorter (slightly) lower flat section for sprinting. It's not really caused me a problem, but I can see how a person with larger hands than mine could easily not feel comfortable there. The good news is that these bars have a slight forward sweep at the hood/flat area which allows the flat to get outta the way of your wrists.

So with the shorter flat on the drops on the 'new' Eubios being an issue, I recently ordered a Cinelli Solida bar. From the pix it 'appeared' to have the same dimensions as the Eubios but with the slightly longer flat on the drops. It, too, has a bulged, butted and drawn center section and is made from 7075 aluminum. It's advertised at 215 grams in 42 vs. 245 grams for the Eubios. I'll see how the three sets of bars compare when the new one arrives. The best part: the Solida was on sale at Ital-Tecno for $29 USD + shipping. Even if it doesn't work for me on my singles, it may find time on my tandem.

Mike in AR

[Ken Robb]

The DKS rear end is something I never saw the use of
I came home from the Giro del Toga and looked at the streets in the Boston area. OK, I get the Hors Cat now - but it's too late!

Well a Hampsten Strada Bianca w/Moots YBB rear end would be a good alternative. PB Wrench had a revelation riding it last week.

[sg8357]

Nitto and Panaracer, which are supporting the entire non-racing road bike market by themselves.

Nitto 2 bolt silver seatposts, lots of Technomic deluxe and Pearl stems.
All the handlebars worth using.

Panaracer, makers of Gran Bois tires, Rivendell tires, and Paselas.
Tires with tan sidewalls, made with real rubber(tm) just like Fausto rode.

Scott G.

[93legendti]

Well a Hampsten Strada Bianca w/Moots YBB rear end would be a good alternative. PB Wrench had a revelation riding it last week.

As well as a Kirk Terraplane.