Might as well dream big!
I mean BIG!
Okay, maybe not so big.
Big enough for me.
Then again, I can dream pretty darn big.
Anyways, what I'm getting at is The Next Big Thing(TNBT).
Of course I'm talking Italian steel here.
First of all, I was thinking to myself, "Hey Mr. Flat, what's the big deal about Italian steel?"(see the rhyme there? big deal? Italian steel? nevermind)
I mean why steel and why Italian?
To tell you, the reader, the truth, I don't know.
Hell I don't even know why I need another bike or why it should be steel.
All I know is that I want one.
To answer my own question I said, "Why not?!"
So once I gave myself a good plausible answer, I started to look around the webz to see what's out there.
First of all, despite what I said earlier about lugs, it had to be lugged.
Or brazed.
Not that I have anything against TIGed bikes, it's just that I been there done that.
Traditional geometry was the other thing I wanted.
I don't think I could ride a bicycle with a sloping top tube.
It just looks right and say it with me: image is everything.
With this in mind, I went straight for the Big Two, Colnago and De Rosa.
I gotta say, I was a bit disappointed.
For one thing, no one is really sure what kind of steel Colnago is using on the Master X Light. It seems they are no longer sourced from Columbus, although they claim the steel is proprietary, or at least designed in conjunction with Colnago.
The tubes are also shaped, meaning not round, so that kind of turned me off.
Still, a nice bicycle.
De Rosa has sizing that looks good for me.
The Neo Primato is pretty, but from what I've read it's also a heavy weight coming at over six pounds for frame and fork.
I think the company has gotten a little too big though as I'm not sure who exactly is making these frames; they use Deda steel.
New for De Rosa this year is the Nuovo Classica, looks like the Neo Primato except it has chrome lugs.
To take a gander go here.
Both nice bicycles, but in the end, not exactly what I was looking for.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't kick either out of bed, but not the frames I was willing to really make a commitment to.
So just what was I looking for?
Besides the above I mean.
Well, I wasn't too sure.
To get a better idea of what floated my boat, I looked at the two bicycles I have now.
Both bicycle as basically the same, but in small ways, very different.
Some differences are intrinsic, some by my own design.
It was interesting for me to note that some things, even though small, made a large difference in how I judged the bicycle.
Take the stems for instance.
The Celeste Devil looks perfect with a quill, the Ciocc with a conventional stem.
Now look at the bicycles above.
They both, in my opinion, need quills to complete the composition.
The conventional stems just seem out of place.
If you've been following along at home you know that small details drive me crazy.
Now if I'm gonna shell out large amounts of hard earned cashola, I don't want a frame that's gonna drive me crazy!
Unless it's crazy in a good way.
If you know what I mean.
Here's something that drove me crazy:
I mean in a good way.
Stay tuned.
10 comments:
Steel bicycles should be made from the finest steel. The finest steel for bicycles comes from Reynolds. Coincidentally, the front subframe of my Jaguar XKE was also provided by Reynolds. Of course, Columbus isn't a bad copy. Not good enough to fool even the French, but not bad.
If you are serious about a steel bike, get a Mercian, a good Falcon or Raleigh, or a good early Trek and let your grandchildren fight over which one gets it when you are gone. I am keeping my eyes open for a Mercian myself.
Almost forgot. And learn about tubular tires. Tubular tires go with a fine steel bike frame like wine and cheese. Clinchers are, simply, like wine and a box.
All my bikes are steel. One has some carbon pieces which seem like a happy marriage with the steel. Three of them happen to be varieties of True Temper OX steel, but I'm not devoted to that particular type. I am keeping my eyes open for a nice Reynolds frame at every swap I attend. Can't wait to see what you go with.
Oh and I almost forgot, it's my distinct impression that tubular tires are a tremendous pain in the butt to use if you don't have a support team with extra prepared wheels following you around all the time.
What is this Reynolds and True Temper you speak of?
Is it similar to the acciaio that is forged by the hands of gods?
Please, not to bother me with inferior imitations.
Oh, and boxed wine IS like a clincher tire, they both take you where you want to go.
If you know what I mean.
I can see a quill stem on the Colnago. It would go well with the retro-looking drop bars that bike is fitted with.
JRA has never ridden on tubulars. It iike riding on lightweight clouds. As long as you do not have to fix them.
tracy w, I'm not sure if a threaded fork is available on the Colnago though I think I've seem some with a quill.
Steve A, you know if I was a weight weenie I might consider it.
Then I can ride around looking all olden days with a spare wrapped around my shoulders.
It almost sounds like Steve is volunteering to set me up with a pair of tubulars and follow me around with a spare or two in a support vehicle. Sweet! Although it seems a little excessive for a daily commute, I'm willing to give it a try. I like the sound of commuting on clouds.
Wow!
JRA got his very own support vehicle!
A Jaguar even!
Way cool.
Go Team JRA!
Post a Comment