Winter Lusts

[dbrk]

Okay, so I have a thing about stupid French things, especially things involving bicycles like the Simplex cable-splitting demultiplicator used on the best bar end shifters ever. Alas, it is winter and I can imagine puttering the summer away (after a long, long ride) in this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2454799686

In the meantime I keep my current noggin' warm wearing one of these:
www.stormykromer.com
Use the brimless one as a cycling cap if you think that helmets are made of wool or if you are me.

I've been shellacing bar tape (new-to-me nearly NOS '84 RichardSachs and a Rivendell), so perhaps fumes are to blame. But I have found that if you sand down the shellac on the cotton tape and then rub your hand oils into the tape some before you apply the next coat of shellac that the tape gets this fine, glossy cover. For you weight weenies, black Tessostar cotton tape with a few coats of clear shellac (I prefer to mix my own from flakes, go to woodfinishingproducts.com for the good stuff from, where else? France...), a pair of glossy black shellac'd bars on your Ottrott would be the talk of the club. Who else would do this? Wanna be a little...uhhh...a lot different? But best of all this feels great and lasts nearly forever, plus it gives you something to do over the course of a few ride-less days (you winter types, I mean).
In fact, here's my offer. If you decide to come riding with us at the second Tour de Finger Lakes (not scheduled, not formal but reasonably well-organized inasmuch as I can point you to nice motels and lead some lovely rides...), I'll shellac your bars for you. Russ? Darn cool, I assure. Bike shop guys look at shellac'd bars and say, "What is that leather?" and "How _did_ you do that?" Feels great, less filling.

dbrk
looking for 650B rims with eyelets...something I am sure everyone else today is also doing

[dave thompson]

Only the French would have a car with seats that can be removed and used as lawn furniture. I think they build goofey stuff just to be contrarian. It's probably because they just love a good argument.

[dnovo]

Douglas, you NEED Spring. A 2CV? Next you will want a Fiat 500, the car that they used to build out of recycled Cinzano ashtrays.

Hey, I know where you can get a Trabant.

Take a deep breath. Relax. This too shall pass. Dave N.

[bags27]

Hey, I'd buy a Stormy Kromer just for the advertising: I don't want to be a "gruesome statistic"!

[Climb01742]

douglas, is your basement well ventilated? apparently not. :D

[Kevan]

at least wear one driving that thing, least you suffer a shellacking!

Wonderful notions: goofy hats and carmel colored bars (With white tape that is.).

Headwear-wise: I'm partial towards Kangol style caps (worn backwards, thank you) by day and during nights, when the heat (if any) has slipped west with the sun, and dogs need to be walked their last relieve, I'll go for a combo turtle fleece/knit cap with tassled ear flaps. STYLIN'!

And speaking of stylin, how would that shellacing look on a carbon bar? I'm thinkin the amber color of the tape would look pretty nice against the black cf weave. Old meets new.

Why not?!

Work has really sox'ed me of late. I mean SOX of the Sarbanes and Oxley variety of punch. Seems everyone's a bit itchy to have corporate financials signed and substantiated. Busy...busy with no time to gab here.

[shinomaster]

I'm just stuck here shoveling French Food into my fat face. Grilled chicken with pomme frites and creamy tarragon sauce with thin green beans...Oink oink..

[CIII_bill]

I love the way the top opens up on those Citroen's.

[oldmill]

I got a Stormy Kromer cap for Xmas, and it put me in such a warm, retro frame of mind that I went out and bought a Rambouillet. The cap is getting a lot of use. Can't wait to ride the bike

[slowgoing]

I may take the plunge and buy a Fiat 2000. Been thinking about it for years. Beautiful look to that car.

I'll never buy a french car. Rented a Renault once and it overheated every 10 minutes.

[PaulE]

I've owned one French car in my life - a Peugeot 505 wagon. Talk about your mixes of old and new. This car had electronic fuel injection and a catalytic converter, combined with solid valve lifters with mechanical adjustment and an oil-bath, wire mesh air filter. It had a lot of room, was very comfortable and handled reasonably well for what it was, but it was way too much car for its anemic 4 cylinder engine and 3 speed automatic transmission. Drivng down the highway at 70 mph, the tach read something like 4,500 rpm. The head gasket blew twice. The second time, the cylinder head was cracked and a new cylinder head cost more than the car was worth, so that was the end of it for me. No more French cars for me.

[jerk]

dbrk-
take it from one who has removed a deux cheveaux's engine and tried to fix it on his kitchen table....neither you nor the jerk, nor anyone save some insane blackjack stuck in a time warp 5km outside of lille has the tools necessary to fix this thing in any sort of proper way...
make sure you have plenty of adjustable wrenches, preferably with crowbars attached to the other end.....jesus christ, do know how many pro-cyclists that piece of **** car has inspired? no, not because 2cv's were pulling drafts off of them but rather because, if they failed and had to go back to work at the royal vlaamse mattress factory they would certainly never be able to afford one.

the jerk

(p.s. saving the shelllac for emma...which dario is presumably saving for me. never telll senor pegoretti your project is not a priority...the jerk waited twelve months for his mtb frame...but the jerk is a courteous lout and couldn't tell a llie this time either.)