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09-05-2022, 05:53 PM - 1 Like   #31
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Steel bikes with those skinny tubes and a straight top tube and curved forks (and lugs!) are the most elegant bikes.

I chickened out buying one time and time again.
The effort to maintain one in Singapore is crazy.
RH is 85-95% all the time and shiny bits take the hit really fast.
My small size limits what I can find on ebay too since most vintage bikes were built for giants...

09-05-2022, 05:59 PM - 2 Likes   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ernie C. Quote
I see a lot of pentaxians are into steel as well!

Jan Janssen Super Prestige bad weather bike:



And the nice weather Tommasini Tecno:


Still to come: the lightweight climber and the MTB (both steel of course) and a good shoot on all the great details on the Tommasini...
Lovely lug work on the Tommasini. Steel bikes can be works of art.
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]
09-05-2022, 06:01 PM - 1 Like   #33
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A Tommasini was one of those makes that I always lusted after when I first started riding but could never afford. I was able to finally buy one of their Sintesi frames a few years ago and built it up with 9 speed Ultegra bits from my stockpile. It was painted in their wonderful dark blue snakeskin pattern with the chrome rear end and fork and the ride was terrific. Alas I begrudgingly accepted that it was a bit too small for me and I sold it last year when I decided that I didn't need so many bikes and enough parts to equip a Protour team and I had a clear out.

Tommasini are still at the top of my Italian wish list though.
09-06-2022, 01:44 PM   #34
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There were some lovely British frames around in the sixties - do Mercian, Condor, Bates and especially Hetchins ring any bells with anyone ? I also fancied one of the Kirk Precision magnesium road frames.

09-06-2022, 04:48 PM   #35
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QuoteOriginally posted by 35mmfilmfan Quote
There were some lovely British frames around in the sixties - do Mercian, Condor, Bates and especially Hetchins ring any bells with anyone ? I also fancied one of the Kirk Precision magnesium road frames.
The Hetchins Magnum Opus used to be the dogs danglies of custom frames back in the day. And I think the originals still fetch a bucketload of cash if they ever come up for sale. Aren't Mercian still around?
09-06-2022, 07:19 PM - 4 Likes   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by paulh Quote
Where is @scratchpaddy ? He's got some nice restorations to show off
Hey, thanks! I don't have anything quite as nice as some of the rides here, but I enjoy them all!

My first bike was passed down to me from a relative before I was tall enough to ride it. But ride it I did, eventually, I don't know how many thousands of miles. I didn't keep track well when I used to ride it to school. It's a 1988 Basso Arrenacia (according to the folks on Bike Forums), with Campagnolo Chorus Athena components. It's actually a little too small for me now, but I still have it and ride it. It's the best (material) gift I've ever received.



I had an older bike for a while, a 1974 Schwinn Le Tour in "Kool Lemon." I found it for $50 on craigslist, completely original, including crumbling Schwinn Approved Gumwall tires, hard vinyl seat, and heavy chromed-steel wheels without a spec of rust. Of course I replaced the tires and seat, but kept the heavy, shiny wheels in the obsolete 27" size that offer absolutely zero stopping power when they get wet. I loved that big, shiny dork disk on the back wheel. I had a good time with it over about a thousand miles, but eventually had to sell due to limited space. It's not a rare or expensive bike, but I had more positive comments on it from people out and about than any other bike I've owned, especially from men of a certain age. They all "had one just like it" when they were young.

(check out the original catalog page )



My most-used bike is another Schwinn, somewhat newer and more practical, with indexed shifting and alloy wheels. It's a 1986 Prelude, brazed together in Mississippi from Italian steel Columbus tubing. The Mississippi plant was a last-ditch effort by Schwinn in the hopes of saving money away from the unions in Chicago. It didn't work; they went bankrupt in 1992. The "Schwinn" of today is just a zombie badge slapped on department-store junk. Most of their stuff in the '80's was solid, but it wasn't enough to save the company.



My most modern bike is a Soma Smoothie. Soma is a California-based company that imports welded steel frames from Taiwan. They still make the Smoothie, but not quite like mine. I bought the frame used from a guy in Tuscon. I sent Soma a picture of mine with the serial number, and they told me it's a first-generation model from around 2001. They called the color "Nuclear Copper." It's the only bike I have now without Columbus tubing, using Reynolds 631 instead. As the name suggests, it's the smoothest-riding bike I have, even though the Schwinn has bigger tires. It's a joy to ride. I equipped it mostly with the Dura-Ace 7700 groupset (9-speed indexed, from the late '90's) for aesthetic reasons. I'm sure a modern 105 groupset is technically superior, but I don't like the look of black components.



My most obnoxious bike, I built from a new-old-stock De Bernardi frame I found on eBay. De Bernardi is a modest prosumer brand based in Cuneo, Italy. The frame is Columbus Aluthron, which was the white dove's first foray into aluminum, around 1997. It bears the mark of that decade, the world's last gasp of color before fading into the grey miasma of today's products. The frame is a radioactive pearlescent yellow-green I picked out specifically to go with the anodized red Mavic Helium wheelset I already had in the closet, another product of the '90's. It reminds me of the Hot Wheels I used to play with as a kid. I built it up with mostly Dura-Ace 7700 again, but the crankset is Ultegra 6500. It's my only bike with brifters.


Last edited by scratchpaddy; 09-07-2022 at 05:21 PM. Reason: factual error
09-06-2022, 09:44 PM   #37
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Wow! Great story and great shots. Thanks for posting @scratchpaddy .

09-07-2022, 05:22 PM - 1 Like   #38
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Thanks, Mark! I really like bikes.
09-07-2022, 10:15 PM   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by scratchpaddy Quote
Hey, thanks! I don't have anything quite as nice as some of the rides here, but I enjoy them all!

My first bike was passed down to me from a relative before I was tall enough to ride it. But ride it I did, eventually, I don't know how many thousands of miles. I didn't keep track well when I used to ride it to school. It's a 1988 Basso Arrenacia (according to the folks on Bike Forums), with Campagnolo Chorus Athena components. It's actually a little too small for me now, but I still have it and ride it. It's the best (material) gift I've ever received.



I had an older bike for a while, a 1974 Schwinn Le Tour in "Kool Lemon." I found it for $50 on craigslist, completely original, including crumbling Schwinn Approved Gumwall tires, hard vinyl seat, and heavy chromed-steel wheels without a spec of rust. Of course I replaced the tires and seat, but kept the heavy, shiny wheels in the obsolete 27" size that offer absolutely zero stopping power when they get wet. I loved that big, shiny dork disk on the back wheel. I had a good time with it over about a thousand miles, but eventually had to sell due to limited space. It's not a rare or expensive bike, but I had more positive comments on it from people out and about than any other bike I've owned, especially from men of a certain age. They all "had one just like it" when they were young.

(check out the original catalog page )



My most-used bike is another Schwinn, somewhat newer and more practical, with indexed shifting and alloy wheels. It's a 1986 Prelude, brazed together in Mississippi from Italian steel Columbus tubing. The Mississippi plant was a last-ditch effort by Schwinn in the hopes of saving money away from the unions in Chicago. It didn't work; they went bankrupt in 1992. The "Schwinn" of today is just a zombie badge slapped on department-store junk. Most of their stuff in the '80's was solid, but it wasn't enough to save the company.



My most modern bike is a Soma Smoothie. Soma is a California-based company that imports welded steel frames from Taiwan. They still make the Smoothie, but not quite like mine. I bought the frame used from a guy in Tuscon. I sent Soma a picture of mine with the serial number, and they told me it's a first-generation model from around 2001. They called the color "Nuclear Copper." It's the only bike I have now without Columbus tubing, using Reynolds 631 instead. As the name suggests, it's the smoothest-riding bike I have, even though the Schwinn has bigger tires. It's a joy to ride. I equipped it mostly with the Dura-Ace 7700 groupset (9-speed indexed, from the late '90's) for aesthetic reasons. I'm sure a modern 105 groupset is technically superior, but I don't like the look of black components.



My most obnoxious bike, I built from a new-old-stock De Bernardi frame I found on eBay. De Bernardi is a modest prosumer brand based in Cuneo, Italy. The frame is Columbus Aluthron, which was the white dove's first foray into aluminum, around 1997. It bears the mark of that decade, the world's last gasp of color before fading into the grey miasma of today's products. The frame is a radioactive pearlescent yellow-green I picked out specifically to go with the anodized red Mavic Helium wheelset I already had in the closet, another product of the '90's. It reminds me of the Hot Wheels I used to play with as a kid. I built it up with mostly Dura-Ace 7700 again, but the crankset is Ultegra 6500. It's my only bike with brifters.
Wow! Envy to the max!
Beautiful bikes all.... !
09-08-2022, 05:43 AM - 1 Like   #40
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Some lovely steel bike out here! I've owned a Basso Loto in Columbus SLX tubing once. Should have never sold it. A Cinelli Super Corsa is also high on my wish list.

Here's the climber, a Vison Spirit, home brand of a local bike shop that went bankrupt a few years ago. It's part carbon, part Columbus Spirit. Bought it for 250 euro's as an "aluminium bike". Changed the alu cranks for some carbon one's from the parts stock, carbon seatpost, 100 gram stem, 120 gram Aliexpress saddle and the Marchisio wheels which are the lightest and stiffest in my collection today. Rode it in de Owl mountains in Poland and Tatra's in Slovakia this summer and absolutely love it. Rides almost as smooth as the Tommasini and no worries about my expensive bike getting damaged or worse on vacation and a lot lighter then the Columbus Brain tubing Jan Janssen:
09-09-2022, 03:28 PM   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by scratchpaddy Quote
but I enjoy them all!
Beautifully presented - nice work
09-09-2022, 03:59 PM - 2 Likes   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by pinholecam Quote
Wow! Envy to the max!
Beautiful bikes all.... !
Thank you very much! I enjoyed your collection as well. I never knew there was such a variety of folding bikes out there.

QuoteOriginally posted by paulh Quote
Beautifully presented - nice work
Much appreciated, and thanks for pulling me in to the thread.

QuoteOriginally posted by Ernie C. Quote
Some lovely steel bike out here! I've owned a Basso Loto in Columbus SLX tubing once. Should have never sold it. A Cinelli Super Corsa is also high on my wish list.

Here's the climber, a Vison Spirit, home brand of a local bike shop that went bankrupt a few years ago. It's part carbon, part Columbus Spirit. Bought it for 250 euro's as an "aluminium bike". Changed the alu cranks for some carbon one's from the parts stock, carbon seatpost, 100 gram stem, 120 gram Aliexpress saddle and the Marchisio wheels which are the lightest and stiffest in my collection today. Rode it in de Owl mountains in Poland and Tatra's in Slovakia this summer and absolutely love it. Rides almost as smooth as the Tommasini and no worries about my expensive bike getting damaged or worse on vacation and a lot lighter then the Columbus Brain tubing Jan Janssen:
Looks like a great find for €250. I see you mix-and-match your tires - Schwalbe in the back, Continental in the front?

Columbus has had some goofy names for their tube sets. I would get a kick out of having a bike made from "Brain tubing".
09-10-2022, 01:09 AM - 2 Likes   #43
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QuoteOriginally posted by pinholecam Quote
Steel bikes with those skinny tubes and a straight top tube and curved forks (and lugs!) are the most elegant bikes.
For me it is the skinny steel tubes that make them elegant. If you take a look at images of the 2008 Kona Kapu with its straight fork and sloping geometry, I defy you to disagree that it is not a beautiful looking bike. Best of old and new in terms of styling IMO. The 2015 model is not quite as pretty as they did away with the chrome lugs, but it's still pretty impressive. Needless to say I am yearning after a 2008 frame/fork. Unfortunately when they were around I could not afford one and now that I can they are not around, though I have tracked down a 2015 complete bike for £800. Which seems good value but I don't want all the running gear and it's still not the beautiful 2008 model.
Of the classic straight top tube bikes, my favourite would be the de Rosa Neo Primato. Unfortunately even with my relative wealth now, I simply could not justify the cost! Living in West Yorkshire, the lack of mudguards would also mean that it would get ridden very little. Nothing worse than riding with a cold wet arse.....
09-10-2022, 09:41 AM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by 35mmfilmfan Quote
There were some lovely British frames around in the sixties - do Mercian, Condor, Bates and especially Hetchins ring any bells with anyone ? I also fancied one of the Kirk Precision magnesium road frames.
I have a Raleigh Gran Sport from ~ 1973 that has sleek lines and was incredibly light for the time (made in Nottingham). It still isn't bad. I have an 80s Motobecane made in France while nice isn't even close to the sleekness of the Gran Sport. My every day bike is a Trek all terrain bike.
09-27-2022, 10:58 AM - 1 Like   #45
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Was heavily into biking until a few years ago. Planned on getting back into it this year but it didn't happen. Had a few vintage bikes over the years. Sold a mint '86 Schwinn Paramount that I still kick myself over. In the vintage stable, currently have a early 90's Japanese made Paramount & '85 Trek 400. newest is a '15 Trek Domane 4.3 carbon fiber.
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