For sale: 1979-ish Ranson frameset

To help fund finishing the Fuji I picked up, I'm putting the Ranson up for sale. The frame set is a bit rough in spots, but it is a nicely made Reynolds 531 frame with interesting lugs and Gipiemme dropouts. The headbadge features world champion stripes. Sizing: 58cm seat tube (c-c), 56cm top tube, 73 degree seat and head tubes. Including a seat post, BB, and Shimano 600 headset, I'm asking $50 plus shipping.

To go along with it, I have a complete Shimano 600 Arabesque group: front and rear derailleurs, brakes, levers, cranks, Uniglide hubs (with cassette.)

I also have the original 3TTT Competizione bars and stem and a Wrights W3.N saddle that are currently hanging on the bike. Email me with offers.

Fine food, fine wine, fine bikes?

Many of my colleagues are self-described “foodies,” emphasizing their appreciation for, and almost the necessity of, fine foods and wines. Likewise, many people I’ve talked with about bikes always want the best, whether it is their classic “holy grail” of something ultra-rare or the latest-and-greatest ultra-light carbon wünderbike. I’ve never quite understood either.

To me, both are about status and unnecessary consumption. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate quality (I eat fresh fruits and vegetables rather than canned, my road bike is equipped with Ultegra and not Sora, etc.), but I never feel I need or want the best. Yeah, it might look pretty or taste good, but at what cost? In food, I want something tasty and nutritious, but having something “gourmet” just makes me roll my eyes. In bikes, I want something that rides nicely and is reliable. Taste and ride quality are both quite subjective, I realize, but at some point enough is enough.

Case in point: I have two bikes from BikesDirect, a Motobecane road bike I bought as a frame and a Windsor 29er. I’m quite content with both. In the fixed gear realm, I ride an old Panasonic road conversion. It suits me well. In vintage, I’m rebuilding a 1985 Club Fuji. It’ll be right around 20lbs with tubular and Suntour Cyclone, but it’s nowhere near top of the line or exotic.

I like my toys (and my food), but I guess this is just area where I try to distance myself from wanton consumerism and keeping up with the Joneses.

(Sorry for the philosophy post. I'm just getting sick of hearing discussions of "good taste" and constant desires to upgrade people's bikes...)

MLK Day Ride, and a New Friend

With today being Martin Luther King Day and my employer not being evil, I decided to use my day off to go for a road ride and stretch my legs a bit before getting on to my other projects of the day. Unfortunately, when I woke up at 7:30, it was foggy, misting, and barely over freezing. I waited an hour for the weather to clear (it didn't), so I set out anyway. I headed out into the 'burbs and had my first shot of the year at Cemetery Lane, a semi-steep, 3/4 mile climb I use to gauge my fitness. I discovered that I am not fit at all, or at least not fit enough to turn over a 39/25 on that hill.

I cut the ride a bit short and returned to the city as I was cold, wet, and a bit under-dressed for the temperatures. Sure enough, by the time I got a shower and a cup of coffee, it had warmed up into the mid-40's, the sun was out, and the pavement was dry. C'est la vie.

Sunday, though, I did pick up a new toy - a 1985 Club Fuji frame, fork, and wheels. The paint is a little rough on the rear triangle, but I plan on using part of today as an opportunity to start cleaning the rust and sealing it. I'm looking to build it up as a period-correct racing bike in the 21 lb. range. Thanks to some good friends on BikeForums.net, I already have leads on a few of the parts I'll need.

Cycling's Golden Age

As I make my way through the thick stack of cycling-related reading material I got over the holidays, I've come to Cycling's Golden Age, a history of road racing focused around the memorabilia of Shelly and Brett Horton. This time period (1946-67) is an era I know little about, so it's been a great read so far. What is even more stunning are the photos of the Horton's collection: photos, jerseys, flyers, and correspondence from the riders. While the writing itself is not quite as engrossing as many of my recent reads (Paul Fournel's Need for the Bike and another book I started this week, Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals), this is more of a true history book so I can't reasonably expect the prose to be quite as colorful. The photos and the information so far more than make up for that slight downside.

Along with a lot of cycling-related reading, the weather is turning a bit, and that means actually riding outside. I took my fixed-gear to work a few days this week, and I did 30 miles out on my road bike this afternoon. I'm definitely out of shape, but I did a lot of climbing today and was actually quite a bit ahead of my expectations.

I've switched my diet a bit as well. Last summer I went from rarely eating meat to a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, and I saw my performance improve significantly. I can't discount the possibility that I was just eating a healthier and more mindful diet all around, though. (I also can't discount the influence of losing a few pounds in Guatemala that summer, either.) To start this year, I decided to try eating a vegan diet or as close as I could come. After a bit of an unfortunate work lunch yesterday (no option other than a very buttery saute and an allergic reaction to a colleague's nearby shellfish), my resolve has been strengthened a bit. "Eating Animals" hasn't hurt, either. I hope I get the same performance boost I saw last summer.

To top things off, my girlfriend commuted to work by bike twice this week and loved it. I think this has the makings of a good year for riding.

Unfortunately, the weather is looking cold and rainy tomorrow, so it may be back to rollers and Spinervals again for me.

Why rollers?

Steve and Michelle, I'm sorry.

Steve and Michelle are my neighbors downstairs - a friendly, quiet couple who have the unfortunate experience of listening to me doing cadence drills on rollers directly above their kitchen. At the very least, they are spared the unfortunate experience of actually doing cadence drills on rollers. The weather has been less than cooperative lately, and it has forced me to ride indoors, one of my least favorite things.

As I look out the window and see more snow swirling about, I should note that I haven't given up riding outdoors. I still am running errands and commuting (a necessity as I don't own a car), but I just can't bring myself to do a workout ride at night when it is 20 degrees outside. I can't do it.

That reluctance makes me wonder, why am I even riding the rollers or doing cadence drills? I'm clearly not hardcore enough to go on 10pm winter road rides, and I can count the number of crits I've done on one hand. I'm not trying to climb the ranks of the local racing scene. So why am I doing it?

I have no clue.

Gone for a Spin

One of my resolutions for 2010 has is to start writing more, and I decided to start this blog to give me an outlet. Another of those pesky resolutions is to ride more and to have more fun doing so. This blog, I hope, will be a place to post my experiences, thoughts, and musings about the bicycle.

The title, by the way, was inspired by Paul Fournel's book Need for the Bike. He writes:

"It's been a sunny and twisting road, from the childish desire to own a bike to the need to ride it. Up to now every time I've questioned myself, I've jumped back on my lovely bike and gone for a spin."

How true.