Your first "REAL" road bike?

[William]

On a lighter note:

I brought this out again in case there are any new folks on the forum who might like to add their experiences to the thread and bring back some cool memories.


William

[Joel]

First "Real" road bike was a '74 Peugeot PX-10 with the self exploding Simplex plastic group. Upgraded to the Simplex Super LJ set, which were wonderful. Bent the fork a bit when I ran into a curb - but when you're 14 years old that what happens. It got stolen two years later...I still miss that bike...

Replaced the Peugeot with a used '75 Raleigh Pro in Silver and Black. Cursed machine. Crashed it twice, and got hit by a car from a hit and run driver. The frame and I were totalled. The Campy equipment was fine.

Took the equipment and put it on a '80 Raleigh Team Pro (531) which I still have and still love riding on sunny Sunday afternoons.

Best,

Joel

A Carlton....
I loved that bike
A

[quattro]

The year was 1973, life was simple, I had already had two Schwinn Continentals stolen, stepped up to the Schwinn Super Sport, the bike I dreamed of however, the Fuji Special Road Racer S-10-S. I purchased it used for $150, traded my clincher wheels with freewheel to a friend for his set of sew-ups with freewheel. What a joy, I was on top of the world, life was simple.

[Hard Fit]

Bianchi Limited - Blue

I still have this bike and after getting it back from my father, I rode it a little after my main bike bit the dust and did a lot of riding on it during the winter. After being on carbon fiber and now aluminum, it was a revelation to get back on steel. I now understand the "Steel is Real" that is trumpeted on this forum.

Still, I can't believe I rode this bike. The brakes were too big for me and the only way I could grab them was from the far reach of the drops. I couldn't stop by using the brakes from the top of the hoods. The old Dia-compe brakes really do not compare to the stuff made today. It somewhat scares me how long it takes to actually stop. The cranks bend like crazy, although this might be an adjustment problem.

I might convert this bike to a fixie, but I am not sure if it is worth trying to do it. After a winter of salt, it is starting to rust.

Originally Posted by LegendRider

1991 or 92 Trek 2300. Tob tube, down tube and seat tube were carbon and the rear triangle and lugs were aluminum. The aluminum was painted neon yellow with black paint drizzled on it. The bike had 7 speed Ultegra with down tube shifters. I put a Tioga stem and Scott Drop-in bars on it along with a then brand new Flite. It wasn't a bad bike at all...

I still have one of these, althought it's a 1990 model. But it sounds exactly like yours. It's gone through several generations of parts since then, but currently it has 1999 Ultegra drivetrain, 2002 brakes-brifters, CXP-12s laced to Ultegra rims, a Flite saddle, SR TallCoolOne mtb post, Cinelli stem and Modolo anatomic bars (the bars, stem, and post are from the original 1990 build-up).

Still a sweet bike, but compared to my Serotta it does feel a bit like a U-Haul truck. :-)

1987 Centurion Dave Scott Ironman. Purchased for $550 on extra student loan money. Shimano 600 components except for DiaCompe brake levers. First generation index shifing on the downtube. Used toe straps until a friend gave me some first generation Look clipless pedals. I still ride this bike today. Waiting to save enough denero's to buy my Serotta CdA.

[Kevan]

I did have a circa ’65 Schwinn Varsity Lime-green and loved that bike for about 4 years until it was stolen on its first day at Coral Gables FL High school…. the bastards!

Second bike, another Varsity, root beer colored, made uglier and heavier, with metal spoke and chain guards. Stolen within 24 hours of ownership. Father was super pissed! Okay…. new rule… use chain at all times, weighing more than bike and rider soaking wet. That thing could have prevented a Saturn rocket from lauching.

Third bike, a brief hiatus while father and son came to terms with second bike’s loss, Atiala (???), white, all aluminum, certainly lighter than the Varsity’s plumbing pipe. It and I got into a head-on crash on the bike path with a Schwinn Continental in Coconut Grove (Russ, pay attention here) on a blind curve of Douglas Rd and Main Hwy. I drove my incisors into the guy’s forehead and he twisted his fork to a pretzel and ended up walking. Looking down at my bike while resetting my teeth, all appeared fine until I noticed underway that my front wheel was rubbing the down tube. The frame was bent. My dad, being the genius he is, tied the bike to a palm tree and the fork to the bumper of the family car and pulled the frame sorta straight. You just can’t make this stuff up. The fork too was toast, even before the draw and quartering , so we dropped in a solid steel fork in its place. That lasted until the bike was stolen 2 weeks later…

Fourth bike, Raleigh Record. Had to be a 25 inch frame. It was a monster, but a beautiful golden yellow with black lugs. It too weighed a ton. Shifters were located on either side of the stem. Loved that bike and it never was stolen! Probably because it was so big.

College, drinking, driving, and women (all at the same time) became more important and not until I was fat, soft, with kids did I wake up to my passion…

Fuji Roubaix mid-90’s model. Bought thru Colorado Cyclist for $800 it had 105 brifters and was a sporty blue. Actually, a pretty good bike for the buck. Tig steel frame with some chain rub during out of the saddle climbs. Definitely felt some of my effort was being misdirected towards flexing the frame.

Calfee…

[weisan]

Originally Posted by Joel

First "Real" road bike was a '74 Peugeot PX-10 with the self exploding Simplex plastic group. Upgraded to the Simplex Super LJ set, which were wonderful. Bent the fork a bit when I ran into a curb - but when you're 14 years old that what happens. It got stolen two years later...I still miss that bike...

Replaced the Peugeot with a used '75 Raleigh Pro in Silver and Black. Cursed machine. Crashed it twice, and got hit by a car from a hit and run driver. The frame and I were totalled. The Campy equipment was fine.

Took the equipment and put it on a '80 Raleigh Team Pro (531) which I still have and still love riding on sunny Sunday afternoons.

Best,

Joel

Wait a minute, I thought you were totalled.

[shaq-d]

heh, cool posts. my first road bike was bought this year, used serotta. i had no idea what a serotta was, but when i saw on teh classifieds at RBR that i could get a TI bike (it's a stock geom) for ~$1000, i didn't hesitate. i did research and hoped that 58cm was my size, and lucky for me, it is. it's a great bike and i love the campy chorus/record mix that came with it.

sd

In 1973, $250 bought me a re-built Dawes touring bike that I rode off and on until I acquired my first Serotta (a Nova Special X) in 1990. The Dawes is still out in the shed, unridden for many years. The Nova is hanging up in the garage and gazing with admiration at the 2001 Hors Cat that receives all of my attention.

[toaster]

I post this for purely vain reasons since like many I don't have the time to read of the very interesting posts here. It's not that I don't care, I just want to join the chorus. So, with out further ado:

My first real road bike was a Masi 3V with Shimano 600 Ultegra 8 speed and STI.

Steel baby!!

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . on what you mean by a "real" road bike.

If an orange Schwinn Varsity counts, then that would be mine--bought it with money from my paper route delivering "Suburban Life" in LaGrange, IL. It was the first hundred dollar bill I ever held in my hand and I remember the bike was about $105 at the time. I put one of those rim generator lights on it and some "mini" fenders, because I was getting mud on me, but the full size ones looked so dorky! . . . I have no idea what landfill or garage it's in now.

If an Orange Schwinn Varsity DOESN'T count, then it would be my '84 Vitus with Campy Nuovo Record drivetrain and early DA short reach brakes. I still have that one and it's fitted out as a tri-bike.

BBDave

[sspielman]

The allure of cycling must be strong, because some of the equipment that many of us used to start our cyclling careers would have discouraged less rugged individuals......My first "rider's" bike was an Atala "Grand Prix" It had to be one of the most sloppily built bikes that I can remember. I was 12, paid for it by grass cutting jobs, and very proud of it at the time. It had Campy "Valentino" derailleurs and "Tipo" hubs. It actually worked very well, and it fit. My second bike was a Libertas. It had a mix of Campagnolo Record and French parts....but it had a full Reynold's frame. This is the bike that I owned when I really became addicted to cycling. I wish that I still had it for sentimental reasons. A couple years later, I developed my first serious case of bike lust....for a Bertin. It had a beautifully constructed frame of Super Vitus tubing and was outfitted with the best French parts of the day...Simplex Super LJ's.....Stronglight 105.....Mafac 2000's....Ideale.....Atax....MAillard 700. Bertin made a beautifully constructed frame at the time. This bike was so nice that I still have a weakness for decent French stuff.....

[William]

Any new forum members want to add their first real ride to the list?


William