1980 Raleigh Competition G.S.

So, after acquiring this frame a couple of months ago as described in a previous post, I have finally decided to get started putting it together. The lingering question was just what to do with it? It’s not a high dollar classic or a particularly sought after brand, and not really very collectible so it had to be a good rider. It should also be reasonably light and a bike that is nice to look at, so my main goal for this Raleigh is just that, for it be a nice looking bike that is fun to ride.

 

White Mountain Peak in a day!

Five participations, Five summits

They say that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Well, each of the five times I rode this event I was hoping for the same result, but it was still pretty crazy! A blast from the past about an epic MTB ride from the 1980’s.

The view of the peak from near Barcroft Station (not my photo).

 

1980 Raleigh Project

Frame #WG000 2409

Timing is everything and the proof is in this acquisition of a lovely Raleigh frame and fork. It was offered by an acquaintance of mine but only for pick up in southern California, and it just so happened that I would be in that area in a couple of days. I contacted him and it was all set! Even though he had several interested parties he said that he would hold it for me, and at a ridiculously low price!

 

MADE, a bicycle show in Oregon

Legacy marques and small builders show their wares

This was a new event for me to attend. I had been to the Hand-built bicycle show (NAHBS) in Oregon on several previous occasions, but that show like much of the rest of Portland events has died because of recent local events and perhaps some internal issues. I am reluctant to go into the city at all anymore with the myriad problems that Portland is experiencing but I had pre-scouted this location and thought that it didn’t look too bad so I decided to give it a shot.

 

Mid Valley Bike Club ride

44th annual Covered Bridges Bicycle Tour

I rode this event last year and enjoyed it enough to return and ride it again. This time would ride the 44 mile route which included 3 covered bridges along with a few extra miles I added in to get to a 50 mile distance. The weather was expected to be in the upper 90’s and I wanted to get back in before the heat came on!

 

Presenting the Debutante

1954 Urago Debutante

The notion of a debutante, that of one whom “after a period of maturation and refinement is being presented to society“, is a good analogy for this bike. Though in this case even as the subject is a bit more mature, she is still “coming out” after her restoration!

 

Dressing the Debutante

It is sometimes a tough call to decide on how to finish an old bicycle frame. You can choose almost any kind of treatment from a “rat bike” to a museum quality finish and get a satisfying result within that theme. In general I usually prefer to keep things as original as I can and to be honest I don’t mind quite a bit of authentic patina, but this one was going to be different.

 

Covered Bridges Bicycle Tour

Riding 60+ miles on a 60 year old bike!

The Covered Bridges Bicycle Tour is a cycling event held by the Mid Valley Bicycle Club outside of Albany Oregon in the Willamette Valley. This will be the clubs 43rd year of holding of this event in rural Linn County.

 

1971 Gitane Gran Sport Deluxe

The making of a parts bike

Over the years I’ve been slowly accumulating bicycle parts. Not through a conscious effort but more as the by-product of working on older bikes as a hobby. You might buy a bike as a project and not use all of the components that came with it, trading some parts out for others and throwing the rest in a bin. I never imagined that some of these leftover bits and pieces would actually get used on a bike again! These extra items might be an off brand, lower quality or simply a component that was not well regarded. The question of what to do with some of these orphaned parts was answered for me recently when a solution of sorts presented itself.

 

Petal Pedal, 5/28/22

Silverton Oregon

It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to get out and ride an organized cycling event but with this one so close to home I thought that maybe it could mark the beginning of a return to riding events. This ride starts at the fabulous Oregon Garden, just outside Silverton Oregon. The forecast was for a 100% chance of rain, but being an optimist I just assumed that the weatherman would be wrong again!

Gallon House Bridge over Abiqua Creek

 

Mid 60’s Girardengo, completed

Bicicletta classica per tutte le strade

I’m trying to find the right category to classify this bike as and I haven’t quite got it yet. Retro Italian gravel bike, vintage all roads rider, old school adventure bike, Strada Bianca speciale? All of these come close but in the end it is probably just a Franken-bike.

 

Map of Italian cycling brands

I recently found this interesting map on Ebay. It was a limited and numbered edition and no longer seems to be available. It covers not only bicycle manufacturers but also components!

Image by Andrea Bonfanti

 

Off season and off topic, in the Veneto

This post isn’t really going to be about cycling. In fact, the best I’ll be able to do is to sneak a couple of bicycle related images and locations into this brief account of our off season trip to the Veneto. The trip for our family is about a little mid-pandemic relief and trying to reclaim something of a normal life during this not-so-normal holiday season.

Early December evening, Piazza San Marco

 

1954 Urago Debutante

Urago Bicycles was a French manufacturer which was founded in 1935 in Nice by brothers Joseph and Francois. They were known for the high quality of their handmade frames, many of which were built by artisan frame builder Anicet Cattanéo who continued working through the early 70’s. Francois Urago was a track racer in the 1920s -1930s and his likeness was on the head badge for many years. Outside of these scant few details there is limited information readily available on the Urago marque other than the few bikes that are out there to observe.

 

1968 Lygie, Updated!

A few years back when this bike was built I was looking to create a nice vintage rider, an all purpose machine that would be both versatile and a little sporty. At the time I lived in the high desert and contending with rain was almost never an issue. Now we spend much of our time in the Pacific North West where conditions couldn’t be more different. It was time to revise the Lygie to be more suitable for it’s new locale.

The Lygie before it’s transition to an Oregon bike

 

1992 Bridgestone RB-1

Here is a bike that is not one of my own but turned into a project for me anyway. Owned by a family member but neglected for many years I decided it was time to resurrect it.

 

1986 Nishiki Prestige completed

When this bike came to me it was a sad sight. It had not been heavily used over its previous life and does not appear to have been stored outside, but it was incomplete and had been treated callously by previous owners. Regardless of that it seemed to be sound mechanically and the blemishes to paint and other metal surfaces could be softened with a little effort. The logos and other original graphics were still relatively intact so I chose to preserve the frame “as is.” Once altered “originality” can never be regained, and having a few imperfections on a 35 year old frame is not unreasonable.

 

1986 Nishiki Prestige

Here is a recent acquisition from Ebay, a 1986 Nishiki Prestige road bike. This one was the same model and year of bike that I once rode back in the 80’s and it was my first “real road bike.” I sold it more than 30 years ago so when I saw this one come up I thought it would be a fun trip down memory lane. It was pretty much just missing the wheels to be complete so I pulled the trigger!

 

Banks – Vernonia Trail

The traihead in Banks, Oregon

The Banks – Vernonia State Trail is an old rail bed turned into a recreational trail which has become quite popular. It is one of the longer rail-trails in the area and runs 22 miles from it’s beginning in Banks to the end at Vernonia Lake.

 

“Bicycle Face” and the hidden dangers of cycling.

An interesting article published in 1897 in London’s National Review was originally intended to dissuade women from pursuing cycling as it was considered unbecoming for them to do so. Some doctors argued that bicycling was an excessively taxing activity, unsuitable for women, telling that it could induce exhaustion, insomnia, heart palpitations, headaches, and depression.

“The unconscious effort to maintain one’s balance tends to produce a wearied and exhausted Bicycle Face.”

 

Mid 60’s Girardengo, assembly

It begins to take shape!

Here are couple of pics of how things are going so far on this vintage gravel bike winter project:

 

Mid 60’s Girardengo, modify

Adapt and conquer!

Vintage bicycle components are often wonders of simplicity. They were designed to do a specific job with lightweight, reliability, ease of use and often with a little bit of style. Sometimes when you are trying to get more versatility out of a bicycle you must also work to expand the capability of the components. After all, the complete bicycle can only do what it is possible for it’s individual components to accomplish. Following is a summary of some of the modifications I have undertaken to adapt these otherwise unremarkable components into more functional versions, so that the complete bicycle it is greater than the sum of it’s parts.

 

Mid 60’s Girardengo RestoMod

Re-interpreting the wheel?

These days, even with the many categories of bicycling that are now currently popular, it is still easy for vintage cycling enthusiasts to see their projects through the narrow lens of a “period correct” view. That perspective can limit what a project bicycle could become to whatever they did “back in the day.” If we consider where cycling is today then we have many more options as to what a bicycle can be. Randonneuring, gravel biking, cross bikes, touring and commuting are all disciplines which are gaining in popularity while traditional road racing has entered a kind of decline. In deciding how to build this Girardengo I will adopt a broader view of what a bicycle can/should be. To re-interpret a classic bicycle with the possibilities of today in mind!

 

Girardengo A135 completed

Entry level racer

This Girardengo is an early to mid-60’s intermediate level frame and probably just the sort of bike that a beginning racer might ride. Not top shelf but still good enough for local competitions and a pretty good performer overall. A bike like this would have been the envy of many aspiring young bike racers on a Saturday morning back in the day!

 

Costante’s Moustache

Sometimes it is hard to categorize a unique type of bicycle. This Girardengo in all likelihood began life as a proper Italian city bike, probably 5 speed, with fenders and an upright riding position. Not a race bike by any means, rather a very civilized and practical means of transport. I have however re-invented it into another category altogether!

 

1973 Lygie Condorino

Well, that’s what I’m calling it!

What exactly is a Condorino? Well in the direct translation from Italian it means little condor. However, in the world of bicycling it is a reference to a unique style of handlebars most often seen on Italian city bikes. The resemblance to a bird wing like shape of the bars is the reference. The “condorino” handlebar is a uniquely Italian concept with Bianchi, Legnano, Torpado and others having offered this style of bars on their city bikes over the years. To me it offers a sportier upright riding position than the more common swept back style of bars do. Not often seen in the US they are also a quite comfortable riding position even though they may be a bit narrow for some tastes.

 

Marosticana, arrival!

Well, it took about 6 months from when I initially inquired about this bike to actually receiving it. The process was somewhat delayed by the pandemic but continued to move forward regardless. I have to say that in the end it was worth the wait!

 

What has happened to randonneuring?

15 years a Randonneur!

I became a member of Randonneurs USA in 2006 as RUSA #3100, just 8 years after the organization was formed. The things that initially drew me to randonneuring were simply the idea of riding my bicycle over long distances, often through new and interesting countryside and usually with a good friend at my side. The traditions of the sport, the self sufficiency, determination and resourcefulness required to do these rides were characteristics that I valued and admired. But, over my years of participating in the sport I’ve noticed that some things are changing and it has me thinking…..

My riding partner Clair Jensen on the Central Coast in 2006

 

Girardengo number #59678

Four and counting!

My information page, the Girardengo Barn has prompted many people who are seeking information on Girardengo bicycles to contact me, hoping to get more information on the marque. Occasionally some of those who come seeking knowledge on their intended project end up not following through with the plan to restore the bike and move on to something else. That is the case with this frame which was offered to me as a result. This is the Fourth Girardengo bicycle to find it’s way into my stable!

 

Workshop update, in the age of seclusion.

Sheltering in shop!

Well with the current situation requiring that people stay at home, I have found time to make some progress on getting the workshop organized. Creating a productive and attractive workplace from an empty space is a challenge. The room seems large at first glance but when you put in a few bicycles, motorbikes, ski gear, a convertible, wood working shop and other storage, well it soon becomes obvious that you don’t have as much space as you thought!