March 22, 2020
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!
February 15, 2020
After a fruitless effort to identify the marque of this bicycle I have decided that it should not remain a no-name bike. Lacking its true identity I can at least give it an alias, or perhaps a stage name. Bicycles have personalities of sorts and any name should reflect that. To give it a signature to display on the down-tube seems only proper. A few of the naming criteria for me are as follows: First, that it be Italian, offers a complimentary image, and should reflect something about the character of the machine. Italians bikes are often unique to the region in which they are manufactured, in the case this bike the Piedmont region of northern Italy. That makes this bike Piemontese in origin and would also make a fine label for this bike. Hey, I think I just invented a bike brand! (more…)
January 26, 2020
This is the second post in a series on the creation of my recently ordered Battaglin Marosticana.
My Marosticana on paper.
To order a bicycle from Officina Battaglin the first step is to find out who you are, or more precisely what your measurements are! To get to the proper end result you must start with the basics.
December 22, 2019
Officina Battaglin is the workshop founded by Giovanni Battaglin, the legendary cyclist who won both the 1981 Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana in a span of just 48 days! In 1982 Giovanni began producing bicycles in his home town of Marostica in Italy. He produced bicycles for several major racing teams who realized many victories through the 1980’s and 90’s. However, the bike industry is always hungry for new technologies, and so in the late 90’s the workshop started experimenting with lighter materials like aluminium and carbon. Sadly, as demand for steel bikes diminished, the company shuttered the factory where these fine steel frames were built. The equipment sat unused and the skills of the craftsmen who built them began to be lost!
After a time, Giovanni began to reflect on the state of things and asked himself if “saving weight was the only thing that mattered?” After 12 years of professional bike racing and more than 30 years as a bicycle manufacturer he recognized that something was missing. So, in 2014 he decided to go back to brazing custom custom steel frames and dusted off the old machinery that was still in the workshop. With the revived Officina Battaglin brand, he returned to his roots, and resumed production of the exceptional racing frames that had made his name known all around the world.
Giovanni’s son Alex now manages the workshop in Marostica, Italy where they build custom steel bikes to each owner’s specifications, with comfort and craftsmanship as their hallmark. Each frame made features custom geometries designed by Giovanni Battaglin himself, is finished beautifully and bears the founder’s signature. It’s the place where the legacy of Giovanni Battaglin is being revived as the only maker of Italian steel bicycle frames that is also a Grand-Tour winner.
The Marosticana
November 17, 2019
Here is another Girardengo example which was recently acquired and then set aside for the future. It came as the frame only, without any components or fork. Mounting holes for badges on the head tube as well as the seat tube are typical of an early to mid 60’s Girardengo. There is no frame number at any of the likely locations so that adds a bit to the mystery.
September 29, 2019
Well, we have been in Utah for over 26 years but the time has come to make a change. We are entering that “downsizing” time of life and are relocating to Oregon City, south of Portland Oregon. We have family in this area and have visited for years so it just makes sense.
The new shop is still a work in progress!
It is a big job moving most of what you own over 1000 miles, but our move is more of a slow motion transition and we will have a foot-print in both Oregon and Utah for a awhile yet. While the overall goal is to downsize a bit there is also an opportunity to up-size the workshop space. I should be able to gather all of my cycling interests and do a nice reorganization of the shop space. This will provide me with the space to create a nice display for some of the old and special bikes as well as some work space for not only cycling, but other interests such as motorcycles and wood working. I should even be able to sneak in a paint booth! I know that winter can be long and gloomy in the PNW so a warm, dry and well lit refuge will be welcome.
It also nicely eliminates the argument about not having enough space for that new project!
Information on Oregon City.
August 21, 2019
Sometimes it takes a while to get where you are going, and so it was with this build. I had gathered all of the parts that I wanted to use on the bike pretty quickly but the time to put it all together just never materialized. Finally over this past winter I was able to get a start on it and by Spring it was ready to go!
April 28, 2019
I was back again this year to attend one of my favorite cycling events, Eroica California. This year the event shifted to a new venue on the coast in the little town of Cambria California. For those of you not familiar with the Eroica concept it is a gathering of vintage cycling enthusiasts who then ride their classic bikes on a challenging mixed surface route. It is the original gravel grinder type of event!
March 9, 2019
I don’t really shop for bike projects anymore. I have several underway currently and others seems to just appear out of thin air. This frame came to me from an individual who had visited a page that I maintain, “The Girardengo Barn.” He was apparently in a similar situation and needed to offload this project to someone else. Call me a sucker but I took on the challenge!
November 27, 2018
A 1973 Lygie came to me recently in pretty decent shape. It is just the frame and fork but it has the makings of a modern classic, as soon as I figure out what to do with it! This new acquisition does raise the question of how many bicycles one person needs but I will not attempt settle that issue now. I will just put this one in the queue and think about silly questions later!
October 15, 2018
This is a bike that you dont see everyday! The frame was built by Lino Messori of Modena Italy in 1984. Examples of his bikes are hard to come by as is information on the marque. Only about 150 bikes exhibiting his name were ever built! I acquired this bike as a frame and fork about 10 years ago. It languished in my bike room for several years before I decided to get it back into riding shape. In addition to the restoration work it has become a bit of a research project for me. I have some leads to follow and hope to be able to provide more information on the builder in the future.
September 30, 2018
This morning was the annual California Triple Crown awards breakfast. The CTC recognizes the accomplishments of riders participating in a series of double century events held in California over the years. The CTC began tracking riders results in 1990 and has kept a tally of those results. Those riders who complete 50 of these events are eligible to be inducted into the CTC Hall of Fame. Initially there were only 4 double century rides in California which counted towards the Triple Crown. Now in 2018 there are 27 qualifying double centuries in the series!
August 23, 2018
I try to ride the Portland Century each year if I can because it is generally a well supported and nicely designed route. It usually follows a different course each year and takes in new scenery around the Portland area. This years event held little similarity to previous years however!
July 5, 2018
The “freehub” is one of the great inventions of modern cycling, providing the key elements necessary for multi-speed drive-trains on bicycles. It’s mechanical function allows a cyclist to not only “freewheel” or coast their bicycle without pedaling, re-engaging the drive when pedaling is resumed, but to independently change the cogs to meet gearing requirements or address wear issues.
Many people believe that the freehub was invented by Suntour in 1969 (failed) or Shimano in 1978 (successful). While Shimano certainly did a lot to refine and popularize the technology, the freehub has been around for longer than many people realize. The first maker to invent the “freewheel unit hub” is open to debate but Bayliss-Wiley was one of the first manufacturers to bring the product to market.
June 25, 2018
Left to right, Joe, Lonnie, Roland, ?, ?, Bob, ?
Our good group of riders for much of the day at this years Grand Tour, on June 23, 2018.
May 27, 2018
Feeling pretty good at mile 150 along Cache Creek.
I’m back in Davis California after a couple of years away. This is the 49th annual Davis Double Century and coincidentally will be my 49th double century as well! After riding all of those doubles you would think that I would start to get good at it at some point! My only goal this year was to finish before dark but I wasn’t sure that it was in the cards. (more…)
May 6, 2018
Percy Thornley Stallard was literally born into cycling, being delivered in the back of his fathers bicycle shop in Wolverhampton England in 1910. Surrounded by a life of cycling, he began competitive racing at the age of 17 and rapidly made a name for himself with the Wolverhampton Wheelers Cycling Club. By 1933 he was selected for the World Road Race Championships in Montherly France, and again in 1934-1938 by which time he was Captain of the team. In 1939 the race was cancelled due to the outbreak of war in Europe and this early chapter of his life ended.
April 21, 2018
This year I again rode the 89 mile coastal route which features most of the best elements of the event. It is challenging, scenic and well supported, and this year we were going to experience and added element, one that is every riders dream! This would be the biggest year yet with around 1100 riders!
March 17, 2018
20 plus riders rolled out at 9:00 am from the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro on a loop to the west. It was 42 degrees at the start with a 90% chance of rain later in the day. Just how much later was the question! (more…)
February 24, 2018
This event, the first Double Century of the year is a ride that I have done 6 times previously. It has perhaps the most unpredictable weather of all the double centuries on the calendar due to it’s early in the year position on the schedule. What will it be like this year?
February 7, 2018
Here is a mid tier Miele road bike that I acquired recently. It came walking into my local bike shop for a consignment sale one day while I was there. The shop owner wasn’t really excited by the opportunity so I jumped in to help everybody out!
January 29, 2018
This ride was originally planned to be an out and back ride to Santa Barbara, but the route had to be changed due to flooding in the Montecito area. Many roads on the original route were still closed for clean up and some search and recovery efforts were still underway. Our hearts go out to those whose lost friends and loved ones during that tragedy. It seems unfair that while we are enjoying a lovely day on our bikes, others lives have been turned upside down.
December 19, 2017
I acquired this bike as an impulse purchase, mainly because it looked like a good deal. The price was $120 including shipping, as pictured below. Now, I didn’t really need this frame but I do like some of the 80’s British touring bikes and I thought that maybe I could find something to do with this one. Besides, look at all of the good parts it came with!
October 26, 2017
September 20, 2017
This is a double century ride that I have ridden only twice before, first in 2002 and the again in 2014. I decided to head back and give it another go this year.
Loop 1, a 105 mile lap around the inland empire.
August 31, 2017
This ride was scheduled for Sunday of the weekend just before the 2017 solar eclipse. Portland Oregon itself was not going to be in the path of totality but at 99.1% was pretty close. The weather forecast for that day was for nice but warm conditions. All in all it looked like a good weekend for riding! It was not to be however. Just over a week before the event it was cancelled. The reasons given were twofold, smoky conditions due to wildfires in the state and a fear that eclipse mania would impact the ride negatively with traffic congestion etc. I was already in Portland so I would have to look for an alternative ride to do.
The day before the scheduled day for the PC I jumped on my mountain bike. There is virtually no mountain biking near Portland but there is a dirt road in Forest Park that is open to MTB’s. It is a 29 mile out and back from our place and makes a nice fast cruise on the bike. There were as many people (on foot) as I have ever seen in the park but once you got away from the trail head it was better. It was a good two hour jaunt!
Two days after the eclipse I rode another one of my favorite local rides, the Forest Grove – Vernonia 110 km perm, offered by RBA Susan France. It was another beautiful day for a ride and a great day to be on the bike. I finished the ride in just over 5 hours with virtually no traffic or issues.
The bottom line is that it was a beautiful weekend for a ride and it is a shame that the organizers decided to cancel the PC based on fears of smoke and traffic, neither one of which were present on ride day.
June 25, 2017
As it came to me this bike was equipped with a Campy sport level 2 x 5 drive-train. For this year of bicycle that meant that it had a rear hub spacing of 120 mm. That is not a problem if you are going to use the original components in building this bike up. But….. I wanted to give this Atala an update and I just happened to have a Campy Veloce 9 speed gruppo laying around. Of course the spacing for a modern 9 speed hub is 130 mm so that is not going to work, right?
May 5, 2017
This is a great route which is frequently offered by Oregon Randonneurs, but is also available anytime as a permanent. I took advantage of a beautiful day in Oregon to ride this wonderful route one more time!
April 16, 2017
Riders gathered for the 7:00 start wave.
In all of my previous Eroica events I have always ridden the longest available route. I wanted to get the full “Heroic” experience out of each location, Italy, England, Spain as well as California. This year however I chose one of the shorter distance options which may have marked a turning point in my cycling.
April 8, 2017
The Utah Randonneur 
