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My New Old Brooks
I just got a new old saddle for an upcoming project for which I'm currently gathering parts. It's a honey-colored Brooks B17 Standard, which is probably my favorite all-around saddle. Prices for new...
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Pininfarina Fuoriserie: Bicycle, or Fashion Accessory?
The car designers are at it again, building bikes for people who don't really like to ride bikes. This time, it's the Italian design firm of Pininfarina, which is probably best known for designing cars...
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Zeus Bikes and Components
Basically dead-ringers for Campagnolo Record pedals, these Zeus Gran Sport pedals feature aluminum cages. While going through a box containing some of my old components, I rediscovered this old pair of...
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The Dyslexic Fixie Conversion
Remember when it seemed like everyone wanted a "fixie"? (or at least, dedicated followers of fashion!) Of course, brakeless track bikes were the ultimate fixie ride for urban hipsters, but that didn't...
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Please Don't Call Them Bikes
A platypus has a duck's bill, webbed feet, and lays eggs. But that doesn't make it a duck.Not a duck.By that same principal, just because something has wheels and pedals does not mean it's a bike.Not a...
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Nikola Pedals: Pedal Like a Skater
You've been pedaling wrong.I know what you're thinking. You probably thought it was enough that you pedaled in circles, and maybe even "ankling" like all the bike magazines used to say you should (do...
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Curtis Odom - RuthWorks SF Tool Roll
Maker of exquisite vintage-styled hubs, and friend of the Retrogrouch Blog, Curtis Odom is giving cyclists a sneak peek at a new item -- a tool roll designed by Curtis, and made by RuthWorks SF.The...
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Totally Legit 100% Guaranteed Zero-Creak Bottom Bracket
Much has been written, and many curses uttered, about creaking press-fit bottom brackets on expensive state-of-the-art bicycles. Here on this blog, I take an almost perverse glee in the problem. Just...
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Death Knell for Rim Brakes?
The UCI, the organization which regulates professional bicycle racing, has finally "embraced" disc brakes on racing bikes -- which just might be the beginning of the end for rim brakes. It probably...
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Who Needs a Power Meter?
Who needs a power meter?You do, of course.Or at least, that's what some people would like you to think. You can't pick up a bicycle magazine, or click on a bike industry cheerleading blog without...
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Video: Campagnolo Revolution
I saw this little promotional video from Campagnolo a couple days ago that really caught my eye: The Revolution Continues. The concept is cool, the music is energetic, it has some intriguing...
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Cool Vintage Bits: Specialites TA Pocket Flasks
That's the model #150 on the left, and the #300 on the right.The numbers tell how much they hold in ml.While looking through a bin of vintage bike stuff in my basement, I came upon these two fun little...
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Modern Bike Problems: Campagnolo Ultra-Torque
Pedal, kerChunk, pedal, kerChunk, pedal, kerChunk.I could feel and hear the "kerChunk" with each revolution -- every time the pedal rounded the 6 o'clock position. It was a little disconcerting, but I...
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Jobst Brandt: Loss of an Icon
Jobst Brandt, a tremendously influential person to the cycling world, died this week, on Tuesday, May 5th, at the age of 80.A mechanical engineer with impressive credentials (Porsche, Hewlett Packard,...
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Bike Safety 101: Just Like A Car
With a title that reminds young viewers about who really controls the roads, the bicycle safety film Just Like A Car echoes other vintage car-centric educational titles like Bicycle Today Automobile...
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ZhERO, My Hero.
My Hero.There's a new "secret weapon" out there to make you faster than you ever knew you could be. In fact, this revolutionary "secret weapon" earns you more speed with no additional effort, simply by...
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The Other Commuter
As I make my way along the road to work, I am inevitably the only one on a bicycle for the whole 13-mile stretch from Akron to Medina. My morning commute takes me from the urban streets of Akron,...
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Smart Locks for Dumb People
How hard is it to not lose a key? Or to find your bike after you've parked it? Are bike locks really such hassle that tech startups have to keep reinventing them?I approve of the old Peugeot.The latest...
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New Silca Impero Frame Pump
Last year, the newly revived Silca company, now based in the U.S., brought out the Super Pista Ultimate, which could well be the most amazing inflation tool a person could buy. Why not call it a pump?...
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Half Bike - Less Than Half Useful
For those of you bemoaning how useful your bicycles are, somebody has come up with an alternative: The Halfbike -- which might be fun, but is probably something less than half useful.Created by a...
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