Three for Thursday

I know everyone is hunkered down, trying to get out of town for the big holiday weekend, but if you have a moment in your busy schedule, please enjoy these three fine examples of Current Classics.  A fine example of a Japanese-crafted lugged frame, a venerable Bridgestone design (with it's hallmark of extreme versatility) and a Trek from the classic period of US framebuilding.

It was really hard to pick one to highlight, so I finally just tossed my three-headed dart (or was that a three-headed coin?  Anyway...) and came up with Randy's Trek.

Randy Pugh's Trek 620

Randy has three other bicycles  in the Gallery (Randy's Trek 1500, Trek 600, Trek 660) - all Treks and none made from carbon.   I've mentioned in more than a few posts and online commentary that the early Trek models are one of the bikes I've never had but always wanted to own.  Good, simple, smart builds, with attention to detail that isn't obsessive.  This one is from the "ideal" period and has a lot of the details which really make it prime in my mind: the "marquee" decal design (with the contrasting background wrapping around the tube), the externally routed rear derailleur cable (for a while they put it through the right chainstay), and the excellent clearances and braze-on's. 

A useful and versatile bicycle. Great to see it being enjoyed!


#826 - Vann Hughes' Bianchi Professional
#827 - Matthew Dearing's Bridgestone MB-1
#828 - Randy Pugh's Trek 620

A Good Helping of Current Classics

It's much safer to stay out of the post-Thanksgiving retail scrum and enjoy some great looking bicycles. Between gorgeous images of pre-fall mountain bike vistas and the details of resurrections and renovations which are contained within this batch, my hope is that you'll find some enjoyment and respite from the pending holiday craziness.


Eric Bagdonas' Miyata Ninety Mixte

Mixtes seem to be enjoying a bit of quiet resurgence.  Appearing in  more advertisements and articles to be sure, but it does seem as though I'm seeing them more frequently on my commute and locked up around town as they quietly go about their day being useful and stylish. 

Starting with a well-rendered Miyata mixte frame, Eric has created a sure-footed, weather-resistant bicycle for real world use on the streets of Portland, OR. It's funny to consider how many features I would have poo-poo-ed a decade or so ago - basket, fenders, IGH (Internally Geared Hubset)... indeed, the very notion of a "drop-bar" bicycle itself.  But, now, there it is, with just enough glimmer and glint from the silver fenders to catch your attention as it goes about its way each day.

New Entries to the Current Classics Gallery - 
#817 - Bob Hague's Motobecane Grant Touring
#818 - Justin Becker's Rodriguez Tandem
#819 - Kevin Mulcahy's ALAN Guerciotti CX/Road
#820 - Tris' Fort Touring Audax
#821 - Michael Kullman's Surly Karate Monkey
#822 - Don Genovese's Rivendell LongLow
#823 - Nick Roth's Raleigh Commuter
#824 - Mauricio Orantes' Trek 1500
#825 - Eric Bagdonas' Miyata Ninety Mixte

Singlespeeds For a Short Week

Everyone is supposed to be tying off work quickly this week and gathering for contemplation around an unfortunate bird.  Which means you're probably stuck in some airport, listlessly overhearing folks complain about the TSA intimate frisking they just endured. Hopefully, the addition of eight new entries to the Singlespeed Gallery will help you divert your attention to something fun and healthy...

It seems to be getting more difficult each time to choose one entry to highlight, mostly because each and every bicycle has something unique and intriguing about it.  This selection of single speed bicycles is particularly diverse - including purpose built commuters, repurposed mountain bikes, and stripped down road machines.  The wonderful thing is that these bicycles are all getting enjoyed and used now.
In the end, the nod went to a fine example of early mtb history...

Jeromy Hewitt's Fat Chance Buck Shaver
As I've mentioned before, it was from the writings of Mike Ferrintino back in the inky newsprint pages of California Bicyclist that first made me aware of single speed cycling. At that time, I recall thinking "why would you want to get rid of the gears?"

But, somehow as I read through the article, in which he talked about the weight which would be jettisoned and the simplicity which would be attained, there was an attractive kernel of resonance.  At that time, even seeing a singlespeed was a rare thing. 

Since that time, I've always thought of mountain bikes first when someone spoke about singlespeeds. On the roads with a single geared setup, you do sometimes have to accept the multi-geared folk whisking past you now and again, when you are spinning along at just under the butt-bumping cadence.  But, on the trails, there's that sublime flow and near-silence, the simplicity of knowing that speed comes only from effort, and momentum must be maintained.

The Buck Shaver came from the east coast, and was a move to bring out a less expensive offering from the workshop of Chris Chance and company. At the time, hard to remember now, there was the talk of "east coast geometry" - a tighter wheelbase and sometimes higher bottom bracket which gave those relatively unknown bicycles kind of a bad rap out where the sun set.  We liked our 44" wheelbases and slack-angled frames.

Of course, looking at that bicycle now, none of that comes to mind.  The Fat looks like a lean and ready trails machine. The TIG-welded steel and jaunty straight fork promises nothing other than a ready companion to help you get lost on the trails for hours. 


Additions to the Singlespeed Gallery:
#317 - Allan James' Schwinn World Traveler
#318 - Vince Santiago's No Name Singlespeed
#319 - Guiseppe Rosalia's Assiolo
#320 - Lee Chae's Rivendell Quickbeam
#321 - Jeromy Hewitt's Fat Chance Buck Shaver
#322 - Mark Elam's Schwinn Moab
#323 - Gilles Landry's Raleigh
#324 - Joe's Univega Viva Sport

Also, there were some Updates to these previous entries:
CC #656 -  Don Genovese's Miyata 1000 Touring
CC #654 - Randy Pugh's Trek 1500

Catching Up - CX, Working Bikes & Updates

Finally put on the headlamp, took a shovel and pick, and started digging into the morass of confusion which are the "Updates & Revisions" to previous gallery submissions.  At some point a year ago, I figured out something clever, then promptly forgot about it until a few months back.  By then, things had gotten relatively confused and out of synch, so I've had to chip away the grunge and refind them.  Which has occurred.  So, here's the first batch:

Singlespeed Gallery Revisions:
John Busteed's Rivendell Quickbeam
Jim Mather's Rivendell Quickbeam
Gary Passmore's Trek 420
Joe Huddelston's Nishiki Sport
Bert's Bianchi

Current Classics Gallery Revisions:
Mark Rosenberg's Rivendell Road
Stu Wemhoener's Raleigh Resurrectio
Stu Wemhoener's Burley Tandem
George Dickerson's Motobecane
Robert Hill's Richard Sachs #16

So, if you sent in a Revision to a previous Gallery Submission, hang in there!  I've got them queued up and am starting to move through them.  (And if you are thinking of sending in a Revision or Update, please take a second to reference the Gallery Number of the original submission - that helps me find it more quickly.)

In the past week, there were also updates to the Working Bicycle Gallery and the CX Bicycle Gallery. 

Working Bicycle - Daniel Dahlquist's Robin Hood

Now, I'll admit that I've kinda got twin top tubes on the brain - with the evolution of Grant Petersen's Rivendell Sam Hillborne, Hunquapillar and Bombadil models all acquiring additional and entirely non-trendy tubing.  When they've appeared on various bicycle designs, whether taller framesets or more load-bearing-oriented models, I've tried to consider what the tube does, how it does it, and how it will be viewed in another 5 years or so.

Needless to say, Grant is not the first frame designer who has taken this approach.  This laid-back Robin Hood brings a stylish sweep to the genre of Working Bicycles.  Robin Hood was a brand originally acquired by Raleigh back in 1906, and was part of their bicycle manufacturing empire.

Here, Daniel has added a stylish front Porteur-style platform rack and simple but functional VO chaincase.  The additional racks allow him to use this as a camping bicycle, and it looks like it's ready to roll out into the woods.

Additions to the Working Bicycle Gallery:
#130 - Daniel Dahlquist's Robin Hood
#131 - J. Tackett's Trek Loaded Fuel 80
#132 - Lee Chae's Kogswell P/R
#133 - Robert Clark's Brompton

CX - Kevin Mulcahy's Bruce Gordon Rock-n-Road

Bruce Gordon has been steadily designing and building bikes for over a quarter century.  He has always crafted framesets which were more than happy to roll offroad, or carry whatever you asked of them.  Whether passing out pocket protectors with the phrase "Bruce Gordon Cycles - Where the Touring Nerd is King!" or engaging in the Interbike pranksterism which was SOPWAMTOS, he was making quality bikes when most people didn't care or notice, and every current builder owes him an acknowledgment of thanks.

Ooops - how did I end up on this soapbox...

Anyway, this Rock-n-Road has all the aspects of what I like in a CX bike - a stripped down robustness, the clearances which can only be found in a steel frame and an understated finish.  Plus, there's a chicken on the stem. Can't beat that!

Updates to the Cyclocross Bicycle Gallery:
#64 - Esteban Diaz's Trek 700 Conversion
#65 - Kevin Mulcahy's Bruce Gordon Rock-n-Road

A Set Of Current Classics from A Couple Weeks Back

Missed getting this posted when I made the last round of updates - ahh well.... better late than never, eh?

Martin Gierke's Trek TX500

Martin's Trek TX500 hails from the time when frames were steel and designs were versatile. Yes, the heady days of 1977 when punk rock was slipping into people's awareness and the Talking Heads were just an obscure art band with a day-glo cover album out.  Regardless of the musical tides of the time, the renovation of this bicycle today is really gorgeous. 

Starting with the proud simplicity of the frameset, Martin has chosen some very tasteful current parts from Paul Components, Sugino and Honjo to come up with a build that is truly timeless - the epitome of the ideals which started this collection of "Current Classics".  

Truly a pitch perfect example, and one of the reasons that I always seem to have "Steel Trek frame, pre '83" on my want list of bikes.

Additions to the Current Classics Gallery -

#808 - Ray Shine's Rivendell Bleriot
#809 - Michael Hechmer's Bilenky Tandem
#810 - Even Elliots Univega Viva Touring
#811 - Jan Levine's 3Rensho SR Export
#812 - emor's Univega Grand Rally
#813 - Jason LePree's Rivendell Rambouillet
#814 - Jason LePree's Carrera Andromeda
#815 - Lee Hogan's Paramount PDG
#816 - Martin Gierke's Trek TX500

Current Classics Update: Lucky Seven on the Seventh

It's really gratifying when the randomness of submissions line up with the tenets of the Cyclofiend.com galleries.  Back in 2005 (the waning dour days of dialup?) when these Galleries started coming together, one of the ideas was to highlight the really well designed but reasonably unappreciated bicycle frames which seemed to be fading from people's perception.

While I certainly love the continued expansion of new builders who understand that the strength of a bicycle design stems from its simplicity, I've always said that reinvigorating an older model was an honorable task.  The bicycle which landed at the Milestone spot of 800 seems to epitomize that.

Current Classics #800 - Mike Hauptman's Trek 614
Mike has taken a really nice frame design from probably the golden age of Trek steel and set it up with the parts and accessories which really compliment it.

From the superb coverage of the Honjo fenders to the classic art nouveau of the font on the seat tube, it's classy and useful, yet Mike's not afraid to use the shifting system he prefers.  Best of both worlds and a wonderful addition to the gallery!

Updates to the Current Classics Bicycle Gallery

#798 - Rudolph Luciani's Dave Moulton FUSO FR-1
#799 - Byron Kerr's Surly Long Haul Trucker
#800 - Mike Hauptman's Trek 614 - Milestone!
#801 - Tad Broussard's Jamis Aurora
#802 - Tad Broussard's Schwinn Tempo
#803 - Tony K's Curtlo MTB
#804 - Bob Stoltz's Rivendell Custom

Cinco Por Cinco

One of the really funny things about processing all of the Gallery entries is how diverse it is - everytime I think "wow, that's a lot of Rivendells in a row...", I get a set like today's.

When you get this diverse a set of bicycles in such fine condition, it's really a shame to pick out one of them to focus on.  I would have loved to just talk about Peter Vieira's Schwinn High Sierra - a gorgeous, near-stock example of the first wave of production mountain bikes. The long wheelbase and slack angles of that frame still ride well for so many applications.  I even managed to bite down my reflexive regional-centric preference for west coast mtb steel from that era...

Then, there's Anton Tutter's Shogun - wow. When I saw the images, I thought it was a Toei, and to read his description of the restoration/conversion of this rig was pretty impressive.  After that, a couple examples of gorgeous Italian steel classic lightweights - Frank Paxton's Basso Gap (racy, chromed lugs, three-tone paint - what's not to love?) and Clive Standley's DeRosa Neo Primato (a race rig made stylish and useful with the tasteful addition of new parts).

In the end, though I ended up with Randy Pugh's Trek 660, for...well... reasons I'm about to mention.

Randy Pugh's Trek 660

Current Classic Gallery #784

Trek road bicycles from this period (1980's) have always struck me as tremendously underrated and generally overlooked bicycles. They are the bicycles which I've probably always wanted to have one of, despite never having actually ridden one. Yeah, I know.  That makes no sense.

But, hear me out.  They were mostly production bicycles, crafted in the USA.  They didn't have the panache of the Italian thoroughbreds, lacked the racing pedigree of the California Masi's, Peugeots and what have you. They were good, simple, lugged steel frames.  They seemed a dime-a-dozen at the time. They had lighter gauge race-oriented frames and they had canti-brake and braze-on rigged touring models. They were, to be blunt, often regarded as the bikes you upgraded from.

To look back on them now, it seems like they have so many of the things which are generally gone from bike models today (though, arguably, that is thankfully starting to return.) Good clearances, clean lines and useful braze-ons.

With this bike, Randy has added on some newer bits, which also strikes a chord with me.  When you see so many riders today turning over "last year's" model on Craigslist or eBay, selling the whole thing - frame, fork and components - at fire sale pricing,  it's encouraging to see a good, useful frame being used.  I think it helps remind people how a well designed bicycle frame can continue to evolve and be enjoyed.

#780 -  Peter Vieira's Schwinn High Sierra
#781 - Anton Tutter's Shogun 2000
#782 - Frank Paxton's Basso Gap
#783 - Clive Standley's De Rosa Neo Primato
#784 - Randy Pugh's Trek 660