Bicyclettes

[Battles]

Yeah you can ride a bike with unwrapped bars but you can't RIDE a bike with unwrapped bars.

Wrap em up so you can give 'er. It's an IRO with a babby brake, nothing much to look at anyway, might as well suit up.

i've been riding fixed gears for two years and have never wrapped my bars. it's never gotten me into and accident or trouble at all, really. and montreal if you don't know is littered with hills. my new bike i'm building will only have tape on it because of the look i want for the whole bike. haha

[maxdesu]

thats intense, i rode naked bars for a week and i hated em after.

[stuntastic]

The only shit I hated while riding with unwrapped bars, was when it rained. Slipped off the shoulders once, luckily, I was just hanging out with a buddy. Imagine having to hop over a pot hole, not fun.

[the Repeater]

It ain't no way to live man.

Fresh tape is like heaven. Hopefully you're gettin those miles in where that'd make a difference. Do it if you want, but a nice tape job that's pridefully done with care and attention to the proper way of doing it looks way nicer than trying to have DAT SHEEN.

[GiZMO]

I currently have three track grips and eight inches of tape wrapped around a corner of my bars uggghz

Anyone know the title of a piece of fiction that centers around a character in japan who rides bikes around the city (tokyo maybe?). Don't remember if he was a courier or what but Im hoping to find this book. It might been a track bike, idk but it was no mamachari

[tylortakahisa]

being a roadie, i found this too funny:p:p

V3nMnr8ZirI

[TPR950H]

i actually like that frame. its the steel pursuitish KHS aero, yes?

[mlproject]

looks like that or a earlier flite 100 when it had more of a sloping tt

[hollowsleather]

I currently have three track grips and eight inches of tape wrapped around a corner of my bars uggghz

Anyone know the title of a piece of fiction that centers around a character in japan who rides bikes around the city (tokyo maybe?). Don't remember if he was a courier or what but Im hoping to find this book. It might been a track bike, idk but it was no mamachari

William Gibson, Bridge Trilogy?

Virtual Light/Idoru/All Tomorrow's Parties?

That's Tokyo + messenger anyway.

[TPR950H]

this page is 1337!

[Seething Tortoise]

Been considering building my own fixie/ss (flip-flop) for a while now.

Finally started looking into it. Got my mind set on a Bianchi Super Pista frame... unfortunately I can't find the piece of shit in Celeste, nor is it for sale in the UK, which makes it an even bigger pain in the arse to find.

Also considering getting a second hand Bianchi Via Nirone as well. Simply because I want a bike soonish and second hand Via Nirones ain't ridic in price.

Of course, this would eventually leave me with two bianchi bikes, which may or may not be a good thing. Would be the perfect time for me to build my own bike at the moment though, mainly because all of my housemates are mad into their bnikes, so their knowledge is esp helpful before they graduate from uni in the summ.

[the Repeater]

Not the bikes to get if you want something to take on rides, really. If you're dead set on havin' celeste, have at, but Bianchi's are overpriced in most countries and neither designed nor built in Italy.

Honestly too that Bianchi's don't have that "Italian bike" ride that a lotta people like. I am quite biased; I've had a couple and they are the most overrated brand IMO.

I also think it's far too common that less experienced buyers want a track frame with big tubes for their looks, when they just ride so terribly on the road and most tracks that over time, it's not going to be appealing to ride once the aesthetic coveting wears off.

There are great UK bikes that I suggest you look into, but if that's not what is sourced at your shops, then look into a more proper bike that'll ride nicely.

[GiZMO]

^^I had previously heard that D2s were not constrcted in taiwan?

Fixed gears renowned for simplistic efficiency, yeah? any parts that add to performance like aerodynamics and even weight are mostly neglible in normal, day to day applications (ie not actually racing on track which I assume since I kno noone that got their first fg strictly for racing) so pretty much just get what looks cool to you.

Less Repeater u really have something against alum

To mate in UK: Leader bikes has production for 2011 aero frame that comes in Celeste. They've cleaned up welds an I think fixed the dropouts. $399USD

[redX]

I currently have three track grips and eight inches of tape wrapped around a corner of my bars uggghz

Anyone know the title of a piece of fiction that centers around a character in japan who rides bikes around the city (tokyo maybe?). Don't remember if he was a courier or what but Im hoping to find this book. It might been a track bike, idk but it was no mamachari

golden boy? lol

[the Repeater]

^^I had previously heard that D2s were not constrcted in taiwan?

Less Repeater u really have something against alum

To mate in UK: Leader bikes has production for 2011 aero frame that comes in Celeste. They've cleaned up welds an I think fixed the dropouts. $399USD

The Bianchi's that say "Made in Italy" are actually just painted there; Italy is notorious for 'fudging' the truth esp in manufacturing...

And yes, riding a fully alloy bike these days is foolish. They are pretty lifeless and unforgiving to ride compared to other materials, unless it is actually a nice bike (Leader is not.)

[jayrock]

probably rode 30-40 miles in the past few days. good times.

a buddy hooked me up with a new brooks b17 narrow saddle for less than $90, so i'm breaking that in right now. really need to oil it though

[scoobysti]

FS: Leader 725tr white sz 53 Brand New no decals. with the double sided dropouts w/ full carbon i806tr carbon fork also BRAND NEW.

make offers

[blm14]

The Bianchi's that say "Made in Italy" are actually just painted there; Italy is notorious for 'fudging' the truth esp in manufacturing...

For the record everyone does this. You can mark any product "made in" the last country that any work was done on it. So you could have the whole thing welded/tigged/lugged/whatever and painted and assembled in taiwan and then the decals are put on in italy and it can be called "Made in Italy"

That's an international trade law I believe.

[Tom is dead.]

new one

got it the way i like it.

e: it's a spicer

[f50fan]

Dat seat stay(s) mmmmm

[chromesquared]

I had previously heard that D2s were not constrcted in taiwan?

The Bianchi's that say "Made in Italy" are actually just painted there; Italy is notorious for 'fudging' the truth esp in manufacturing...

I was under the same impression as Gizmo on this issue, here is what I could come up with:

Reparto Corse bicycles, because of their "Made in Italy" sticker is a source of confusion.

The historic Treviglio factory - a monstrosity of a thing which used to house much of Bianchi's manufacturing before it shifted to Asia - has a section dedicated to Reparto Corse. It used to be that Reparto Corse (RC) meant the race department where high-end bikes were made. Now it is used as sort of a branding logo to identify the upper-end bikes that get the RC design and marketing treatment.

Many of the RC bikes have a "Made in Italy" sticker, which usually means assembled in Italy using a frame made in Asia. For example, the carbon RC frames are made by Advanced International Multitech (a Taiwanese carbon manufacturer of bike parts, baseball bats, golf shafts, arrows, fishing poles, etc.) and the aluminum frames are made by Taiwan Hodaka.

There are some frames still welded at Treviglio. My understanding is that the aluminum frames with carbon rears are either welded there or, at least, bonded there. I also understand that the frames with foam injection have the injection process completed there, even if the frames come from Asia.

Although Taiwan Hodaka manufacturers many of Bianchi's U.S. models, Fairly and Giant have manufactured for Bianchi in the past.

From here:

http://allanti.com/articles/where-was-my-bike-made-pg328.htm

I have a D2 frame sitting in the box at my house in CA and these are Reparto Corse labeled bikes with foam injection, but given the wording in the final paragraph I'm still not confident enough to say exactly where they are made. However, I am aware that the Euro market was offered the option to have the D2 Pistas made with custom geometry and those orders supposedly went to Italy. One can hope, I guess.

[the Repeater]

Just trying to make a point that an Italian marque doesn't mean what it used to, now that bikes are no longer steel.

More importantly, what's the deal with this raw frame here? No details? COME ON!

[GiZMO]

Yes that raw is fine!

All the bikes I've owned were budget bikesdirect bikes. In the event of an upgrade I'm uncertain which direction to go. Prob won't be making that purchase anytime soon but it's a hard choice with many types of frames from tons of companies popping up. Would love to go down the NJS route because no doubt steel is real but I'd be inclined to get a whole vintage group. Generally Italian made goods are quality same goes in the cycling world but with the confusion of stamping products merely painted there makes it hard to decide which company to patron. Who're manufacturers of "good" alu/alloy?

[chromesquared]

Just trying to make a point that an Italian marque doesn't mean what it used to, now that bikes are no longer steel.

Yeah, it is a totally valid point and probably something that not many people realize as they trust the little "made in" sticker on bikes. Wasn't trying to get confrontational, but your post just got me thinking about where my bike was actually made.

Edit:@ Gizmo, there are plenty of high end alu bikes made in Taiwan. As for companies, take a look at Cervelo, Felt, Specialized, Cdale, Oreba, etc.

This site has a decent selection of aluminum track frames: http://www.bikyle.com/track.asp

[mlproject]

nahbs roll call?

[the Repeater]

Who're manufacturers of "good" alu/alloy?

Companies that have their own carbon rear-ends manufactured and don't just use stock ones. This is the most important thing, modeling and forming is next. Cannondale has long been one of the best manufacturers of alloy bikes (some still in USA) and Ridley also.

There are good Italian bikes still (Willier, De Rosa, Colnago, enh Pina) but many many bad ones. The best clothes are still mostly Italian, but the best bikes are mostly made in Taiwan now. Giant makes bikes for everyone. Beyond Trek, Look, and Time, and Giant, almost every manufacturers top bikes are being owned and manufacturered by two different companies.

I don't think that makes one bit of difference, though.

For track bikes though, I maintain that alloy is the worst as far as material difference goes; it's usually far too rough on the road and too fragile compared to carbon or steel bikes. I don't see the point of a mid-level steel bike either though, they are too expensive and too heavy if you're not going to use esoteric tubesets or simply have a cheap durable bike.

[Paean]

finally my back recovered and i got stronger. chopped the extra steerer tube and im off to collect my new 120mm stem now

[the Repeater]

Your lever placement makes my hands wince sooo badly...

[wild style]

New bike day!

Will post more when it's finished.

[Paean]

Your lever placement makes my hands wince sooo badly...

haha it works for me. kinda forces me to bend my arms when i ride so that i have a more aero position.