Old Fat-Ass Racing Team

UPDATE: This bicycle is no longer for sale, although I suppose everything has its price, right? Now, the Flyte is fully-built with SRAM Rival, Velocity wheels and disc brakes. It’s a perfect rider for the dirt roads criss-crossing the plantations around Tallahassee, though I still have to go my Pugsley for real sandy stuff. Drop me a line and let’s go get muddy!

Here’s a good example of “best intentions.”

I purchased this frame and fork with the intent of giving cyclocross a shot in the winter of 2005/2006. I built up this bike, then looked at it….all….winter….long. I continued to look at it, hanging on my wall, for the next 2 years. Now, with definite running issues (knee related), I’ve come to realize that I’m just not going to be able to try cyclocross at all. Cycling is great, so I’m going to stick with my MTB and road bikes. No running. No muddy winters in Belgium. No cyclocross.

Anyway, you can have this built-but-not-ridden 2006 Flyte XLS 3 Cyclocross frame, carbon fork, stem, headset, seatpost, and bars for the low price of $450.

What it is:
* 2006 Flyte XLS 3 Cyclocross frame, 6061 Aluminum, 60 cm seat-tube(c-to-seatmast), 61 cm top-tube (effective 59-60cm or so, c-to-c)
* Stays are spread to 133mm, good for either road or MTB hubs (this was a factory option)
* Matching Flyte SLX carbon fork, disc-ready
* Matching 42 cm (c-to-c) Flyte oversize alloy bars, black
* Matching 100mm, 85 degree Flyte stem, black alloy with carbon faceplate
* Matching Flyte alloy seatpost, black
* Cane Creek integrated headset, black
* Frame and fork are disc- and canti-ready (braze-ons for both)
* Three sets of bottle cage braze-ons
* Includes headset brake hanger and rear brake hanger
* Includes seat collar, black

This bike is stiff, light, and very cherry for the guy looking to get into cyclocross with a minimum outlay. Taking this pictures, I’m pretty disgusted with myself for just time-capsuling it and never actually riding it. Pretty sad, really.

NO LONGER FOR SALE!

UPDATE: The Cinelli, against my better judgment, was sold. (Thanks, Derek!) If anyone has a Super Corsa with a 58.5 or 59.0cm top-tube–the older the better–I’m certainly open to purchasing another one!

And the second classic sales item:

This is a 1995 Cinelli Super Corsa frame and fork, including a Campagnolo Record Headset. The color is Rosso Ferrari (my favorite). Most people know the Cinelli Super Corsa as one of the stalwarts of classic Italian bicycles. In a world dominated by carbon and aluminum, Columbus-owned maker Cinelli still makes the Super Corsa with lugs and steel, the way fine Italian bikes have been made for years.

If you like steel bikes, this is a steel bike that is guaranteed to please you. It’s fine for racing, riding, or just looking at. There are few things in the cycling world prettier. I have experienced few better rides than those I took with this bicycle. It was my dream bike when I bought it, and it continues to hold my heart and eye as the pinnacle of Italian cycling.

Mine has been ridden a bit. I am not the original owner, and received the bike with a few cosmetic blemishes that have been touched up. There’s nothing startlingly wrong with the bike (see the photos), but a few spots have received touch-up paint. There is no rust on the frame, inside or out.

I am selling this simply to make room for the bikes I’m keeping, at the behest of my dear spouse. This frame is, unfortunately, just too small for me, so I must make room for one with a 59 or 59.5 top-tube.

This is:
* 1995 Cinelli Super Corsa frame and fork
* 58cm seat-tube (c-to-c), 57cm top-tube (c-to-c)
* Made of Columbus Neuron steel
* chromed lugs, seat stays, chain stays, and fork crown
* traditional fastback-style seat stays
* non-original seatpost bolt on one side (don’t know why, but this one is fine)
* includes Campagnolo Record headset in all-alloy
* includes down-tube cable stops (Shimano) if you want to install modern lever/shifter combo
* requires 70mm Italian bottom bracket

Photos show the frame built and unbuilt. The name decal shown has been removed with no damage to the paint.

SOLD!

So, I’ve finally found the bikes of my dreams, and the rest of these are just languishing away, unridden. My wife, with her own special way, has convinced me that they will be much happier, more-fulfilled bicycles if they are in someone else’s hands. Thus, with no small measure of regret, I introduce my “Frames for Sale” listing.

1985 Vitus 979, 59cm, Almost NOS
SOLD!

First off, a treasure of a Vitus.

This is a 1985 Vitus 979 frame and fork, with headset and seatpost. As you know, Sean Kelly won a pile of victories on these things. I didn’t win squat on this one, as it was purchased new-old-stock in 2004 or so, and hung on the wall with a Mavic group on it as an objet d’art. Yes, it is a bonded aluminum frame and no, the rumors about catastrophic disassembly are just not true, no matter what you heard happened to a “friend of a friend.” These frames are all-aluminum, heated, then bonded together with an adhesive in their lugs. Like most lugged frames, any problems with the bonds become apparent through rattles and other giveaways long before disintegration. I even have the number and address of a guy who’ll take it apart and re-bond it if you’re just freaked out at the prospect.

It’s a bit of a noodle to sprint on, but this translates to serious comfort over the long haul. I’ve rarely found a bike more comfortable; it’s right up there with my Moots Ti and my Kirk Terraplane. Plus, you’ll garner just as many comments and stares about the “cool bike.”

Again, this is:
* 1985 Vitus 979 aluminum frame and fork, 59cm seat-tube (c-to-c), 57.5cm top-tube (c-to-c)
* Ritchey Logic headset
* American Classic 25.0mm seatpost
* 68mm (English) bottom bracket
* anodized red with Mavic decals (easily removable if desired)

SOLD! You can purchase this rare, almost-never-ridden (about 100 miles on it) Vitus 979 for $350, plus shipping. SOLD!

There was a time when Campagnolo could be relied upon to provide the highest level of cycling style. Perhaps it wasn’t bleeding-edge technology, but it was almost invariably a durable yet beautiful component that anyone who fancied themselves a “cycliste” would proudly display on their Made-in-Italy wonderbike. Sure, Suntour and Mavic had a few neat parts, but Campagnolo simply exuded class.

My money is now on Shimano. It works well–very well–and it looks good, too.

April already, and bearing down heavily on May. Cycling season is in full bloom for us Floridians, as we’ve been riding steadily since February, with only a few short cold snaps to contend with.

David Kirk Custom joins the stable

The purchase of a Kirk has done much to incite my bike lust again. Luckily, the misfortune of a fellow Serotta Forumite allowed me to acquire his beloved Kirk without either the steep expense or the ever-growing wait time that David Kirk’s handiwork has begun to command.

Here she is, Kirk #66.

She’s steel, of course, currently sporting a Shimano Dura Ace group, Shimano R700 compact crank, Dura Ace wheels, Nitto bars, stem and seatpost, and a Brooks Swift saddle. She’s definitely setup to be a “long rider.” Since her purchase, she’s done about 400 miles or so, including the weekly Sunday morning long ride and the Blue Line Century back in March.

I’ve been riding steel bikes forever, and currently own a couple very nice Italian ponies. They’ve got nothing on the Kirk. I repeat, nothing. I have not ridden a bike that feels better than this, period. Maybe it’s the geometry, setup to get some of the weight over the rear wheel, maybe it’s the square-crown steel fork, maybe it’s my Roubaix 25mm tires. Whatever. This bike is amazing. It rides smooth as clean teeth and fairly corners like a slot car. It’s heavy to all you weight-weenie carbon lords, but who cares? It’s supple and responsive, and the perfect bike to ride off with no thought of how far or how long you’ll be gone. Man! I get worked up just thinking about it.

Oh, and it’s got fender eyelets, just perfect for a pair of Full Wood Fenders. Booya!

Blue Line Century

Speaking of long rides, I rode the recent Blue Line Century the last weekend of March. Put together by the Policeman’s Unity Fund to raise funds for the memorialization of officers killed on duty, the ride was great! I was accompanied by two of my recent partners in crime, Mike and Jeremy from Higher Ground (dig the kits, yo), as well as a few new friends who’ll definitely be on my short list of ride partners so long as they can stomach my jokes and horrible conditioning.

The ride attendance was poor, at best, due to conflict with the Big Bend Bicycle Festival the subsequent weekend. Lucky for the riders, the sponsorship of food and support was plentiful enough more many times the participants. I have never seen more radio cars and turn-indicating-wavers in my entire life. The final 25 miles, we had our own guy, just motoring along behind us–probably trying to determine if we were dead in the saddle and merely coasting along on reflex.

As this was the first century I’d ridden since 1991 or so, I was happy with my performance. I ate MUCH better than I used to do, and actually made it to about 90 miles or so before I really started feeling the bonk. I should’ve had another gel at the last SAG, I’m sure, but I was far too captivated by the amazing navel oranges. Sure, I live in Florida, but who knew these things were so damnably intoxicating? Anyway, the last 10 miles or so were torture. In fact, the final 5 miles were administered directly to my ass and lungs. When Mike came back and said, “Only about 4 more hills,” I swear I actually started crying.

Stopping was a relief. The tri-geeks hadn’t eaten all the pizza, so we noshed hard, if terribly slow, cradling our food to keep from dropping it. I hated everyone for needing to leave, as I could’ve taken root in that chair and sucked down smoothies for at least another couple of hours. Driving back past Cracker Barrel brought tears of joy to my eyes, and became the post-ride gorge. Biscuits are perfect recovery food. Who knew?

Anyway, photos:

Jeremy and I, stylin’ during the pre-ride

Jeremy and Mike, happy as clams to be riding with such a great guy

Mike, still happy. We TOLD him to wear the “cool kit,” but either his idea of cool is different, or he’s colorblind.

You WISH you looked so good in lycra. Pat drags me across South Georgia. Incidentally, he weighs about 100 pounds soaking wet. There is NO reason for a guy my size to be behind someone HIS size. It’s just a little turbulence in front of you. I have a better draft from my Garmin. Later, he found he could sit behind me and not pedal at all.

We give Jeremy a hard time, but he IS a dork.

PedalForce ZX3

Here’s a wild one. One of those Taiwanese carbon frames, SRAM Force, Zipp 404’s (with dimples, ooh la la!). Came in around 15 pounds, but generally isn’t my favorite bike to ride. Of course, I haven’t ridden it much. Maybe it’ll grow on me.

Sigh. I’ve wanted one of these for my entire cycling life. Now that I’ve got one, I’m just in pain to see what the last owner has done to it.

More later. This makes me so….disappointed in people. Such waste.

Well, it’s cleaning up a little better than I had thought. It’s stripped except for headset and bottom bracket, and I’ve wiped it off a bit, though nothing serious has really been done. No sign of cracks, though the paint has taken a beating. The headset has been replaced with something cheap–Shimano RX100, it appears. The bottom bracket may well be original, as is the crank, as they’re both period-correct (BB-7400 and FC-7402, respectively). I think I have the original saddle and seatpost, too. It’s a Cinelli Volare in pretty bad shape, but the seatpost is a fluted Dura Ace of the correct period. Stem and bars look original, too: Cinelli Campione del Mondo and pantographed Cinelli stem (is this the XA? It has the deeper “throat” at the bar clamp.)

I’ve contacted Merckx bicycles for information on this frame. Here’s hoping for some interesting information!

UPDATE!
The Vitus 979 was sold on Ebay. Thanks, Thomas M., for your purchase!

Okay, with much reluctance, I’m going to give up my 1985 Vitus 979. This frame was purchased new-old-stock in 2005, when Bike Nashbar got their hands on a pile of them. Since then, it’s been hanging on my wall as I collected parts for it that accurately reflect it’s heritage as one of the first viable aluminum racing bicycles. As such, the bicycle has been babied and loved, if not ridden.

I know it’s not COMPLETELY period correct. The headset, bottom bracket, and saddle are certainly new. The wheelset, too. I think it’s a nice combination, however, and one that could either be built upon by the period collector, or ridden as simply a nice bike.

The specs:

• 59cm C-to-C ST
• 57.5cm C-to-C TT
• Mavic 631 “Starfish” crankset, 175mm arms, 52/42 chainrings - some scratches
• Mavic 840 rear derailleur
• Mavic SSC front derailleur installed, but will include matching Mavic braze-on front derailleur (don’t have the right size clamp)
• Mavic downtube shifters, friction
• Mavic 440 brakes (manufacturer by Modolo) with aero levers
• American Classic 25.0 seatpost
• Cinelli Criterium bars (42cm, C-to-C) and Cinelli stem
• Mavic 646 clipless pedals, LOOK-compatible
• Mavic Helium wheels with Bontrager Race Lite tires (tires are new, never ridden)
• Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow saddle in yellow (new, never ridden)
• Ritchey headset
• Shimano sealed bottom bracket

Although not completely period-correct yet, this is a nice bike. It’s been alternately described as “one of the most interesting bikes [I’ve] seen,” and “clown vomit.” I’ll admit–it IS colorful.

Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments.

More photos. Click to enlarge!

EDIT (October 5, 2008): Thomas M., the purchaser of this Vitus, dropped me a line with a photo of the new build and another nice Vitus 979. He did properly berate me for “having such a cheap headset on such a nice frame.” That was certainly well-deserved. In my defense, I intended to replace it with a Mavic headset that I sold some time back, but just never got around to doing it before I decided to sell. Anyway, he’s got MUCH more flair and style than I do–check out the fade tape and sweet saddle! Thanks, Thomas!

UPDATE! The 7-Eleven, Team Z, Team Z WCS, Fromaggio, and grey Pearl Izumi jerseys have been SOLD! However, this means that the others are now price-reduced and going on eBay. Check out my auctions for some great deals.

Here’s some great jerseys, all too small for me, and all in good to great shape.

Although I didn’t accomplish everything I set out to do this year, I did ride more. I made some good friends. I made myself happy. And I found some good things in the world of cycling that I’d like to recommend to everyone.

Here’s my list, in no particular order:

SRAM Rival and Doubletap
I must concur with the other high opinions I’ve seen–SRAM Rival is the best new group out there. After examining Campy Record for a new Cinelli Supercorsa build, I just couldn’t throw on a bunch of black, plasticky carbon bits. Campy offered NOTHING in their current lineup to match the finish of Rival. Glad I did it, too. I absolutely love Doubletap. It’s the best shifting solution for the brake/shifter combination, and the only thing that pulled me away from the down-tube friction shifter.

Brooks Swallow saddles
2007 was my year of saddle experimentation. After growing a giant a$$, seatpost height, shoe/pedal combination and saddle composition became hot topics for me. Although I’d tried the Pro, I always found the high back a bit too much for me. This year, the Specialized Alias and Toupe were installed and removed after causing numbness, the Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow was enjoyed but still removed, and the Brooks Swallow became de rigeur for all my bikes. It’s narrow enough and table-top flat, which makes for an excellent ride for the rider who moves around a bit and really just wants something to support him. Exchange rates and fuel costs have Brooks prices skyrocketing, but for a saddle that will last for a lifetime of comfort, it’s worth it to me.

Mike Garcia wheels
I now own 3 wheelsets made by Mike Garcia. Mike is a trustworthy and talented wheelbuilder who’s always ready to chat about cycling. I wish his shop was closer to Tallahassee. He was happy to deal with my requests, including a bit of NOS wheelbuilding, and his builds all turned out strong and attractive.

Garmin 305
I hate wires on bikes. Garmin’s Edge 305 was the ideal solution for me, to keep up with mileage and obviate the need for lots of wires and zip ties. Plus, with a mount for every bike, it’s a simple matter to switch bikes. Although their cadence mount isn’t as useful as I’d hoped–I just don’t care, apparently, the unit receives a firm A in my book. I’ll be among the first to buy the new 705, and I’m looking forward to the improved mapping capabilities. Now, if someone would just add a power unit to this device…

Thomson seatposts and stems
I broke a seatpost this year and swore off carbon forever…well, at least Ritchey carbon seatposts. My new Gary V Titanio has a 30mm seattube. Thomson makes a perfect fit. The new stem and seatpost are attractive, light, and strong enough for the aforementioned fat a$$ to feel comfortable and secure. Thus far, I’ve gone all-Thomson on the Gary V and my Surly Pugsley, and I can’t see me buying another brand…ever.

Surly Pugsley
Until March, I owned a 1988 Schwinn Sierra mountainbike that I built as an employee of a bike shop. I just wasn’t interested in riding off road, until I fell in with an MTB-heavy group a few years ago. After much prodding, I started shopping the MTBs a bit, but just couldn’t work up a lot of enthusiasm. Then, I saw my first Pug. Wow. It’s a weird bike, and I knew that it was just…ME. Fully-rigid, purple, 4-inch tires, and interchangeable front-and-rear wheels make it stand out in any crowd. Add the coffee-cup bell and a sprung Brooks Flyer and it’s perfect. A real gas to ride, the Pug floats over anything, even sandy-bottomed washouts so common around Tallahassee and my South Georgia farms. Plus, it’s involved me in more conversations than any other bike I’ve ever owned–from Barbeque-cooking old men to people in traffic–everyone wants to know about “that wild bike.” Get one. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Higher Ground Bicycle Company, Tallahassee
Todd, Michelle, Roger, Ryan, Tyler, Jason, Mike, Jeremy, Dave, and everyone who comes and goes at both of the Tallahassee shops are great friends and riding partners. From tequila shots to gel shots, we’ve done it all this year. Thanks a bunch for inspiring me to ride more and for always having a comfy couch and an open door to satisfy my old shop-monkey cravings.

Hypothesis: Consumption of 4 -dozen oysters, snack foods,and beer does not improve cycling performance.

Over the weekend of August 31, 2007 - September 3, 2007, test subject rode 34-mile course consisting of flat, paved road (total variation in altitude of less than 25 feet). Interspersed with rides, subject consumed 4 dozen oysters fried or baked, along with beer, fried potatoes, and approximately 1-dozen Diet Pepsi sodas.

Subject was found to be 1) reporting a “bloated” feeling and 2) ill-humored when questioned about cycling. Actual ride results from the three-rides attempted:

1) 34 miles, “easy” pedaling. Total elapsed time of 2 hours 15 mins, including 15-20 minutes adjusting a slipping saddle (two stops)
2) 18 miles, “consistent” pedaling. Total elapsed time of 1 hour, but subject reports “tired” feeling after consuming >24 oysters and an unknown quantity of beer. Subject also reports >1 hour of tossing a 3-year-old boy into the air while swimming has made him “sore.”
3) 0 miles. Ride not started. Subject has consumed an additional 24 oysters and unknown quantity of beer. Subject also reports consumption of 2 Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls, 20 Jalapeno-flavored Pringles chips, one-half pint Haagen-Daas Butter Pecan ice cream, and three large plates of spaghetti with meat sauce in the interim. On being questioned about cycling, subject responded that questioner should “kiss his ass” and that he would “ride later…maybe…or maybe tomorrow, since Monday is usually a rest day…”

Given the subject’s ride performance and declining attitude toward cycling over the test period, it’s a fair bet that the subject’s diet was at least partially to blame. Although a larger test sample is necessary for a definitive conclusion, this researcher feels that, at least with this subject, the consumption of large quantities of oysters, snack foods, and beer is not conducive to a high level of cycling performance.