Clik here to view.
RIP Bruce Gordon
In a short space of time since the loss of framebuilder Roland Della Santa, the cycling world has lost another of the great ones. Framebuilding legend Bruce Gordon died in his home on Friday, June 7th....
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Time Machine
I got out for a ride today - a beautiful sunny Saturday - on my vintage red Mercian. I haven't ridden it since last summer because it has spent most of the past year hanging on the wall in my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Randy Smolenski Memorial Ride
This past weekend I took a drive up to visit with my Michigan friends and take part in a memorial ride for framebuilder Randy Smolenski. Randy probably wasn't that well known outside of western...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Biking in Canada
It's been a little while since I've had any new posts, but I'm just wrapping up a family vacation in Canada. I brought a bike with me on the trip, so I've been able to do some riding while we're on our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Biking in Canada - Part Deux
As I mentioned in the previous post, my family and I have been enjoying a week with our neighbors to the north in Canada, and I brought one of my vintage Mercian bikes to do some two-wheeled exploring...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Biking in Canada: Part Trois
At this point, our family trip into Canada is done and we're back home. But our last visit was to the City of Quebec, several hours drive northeast of Montreal. I had mentioned in the previous post...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Americane Vintage Road and Track Bike Show
This weekend I took a drive up to Rochester Hills, Michigan, near Detroit, for the 11th annual Americane Vintage Road and Track Bike Show, organized by Vintage Velo Rendezvous Michigan (VVRM). The show...
View ArticleClik here to view.
RetroMod
With school back in session, and with a new schedule and new teaching assignments, it seems I haven't had a lot of time for blog writing these last few weeks. But I have been riding to work as much as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Retrogrouch Re-Run: In Honor of Ginger Baker
I saw in the news this weekend that legendary rock drummer Ginger Baker has died. Though it doesn't, on the surface, seem to have much to do with a bike blog, many of us who obsess over classic and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nashbar and Performance - The Changing Face of Bicycle Retail
If you've visited either the Bike Nashbar or the Performance websites lately, you've probably noticed that they've gone through some changes. You might even notice that, apart from the names, they're...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fall Back, Spring Forward
This past weekend was the "Fall Back" change from Daylight Saving to Standard time. For the past month or so, my morning commutes have been completely doused in darkness from start to finish, but now...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cycling Shorts: Modern Vs. Retro
I was recently enjoying a short video on YouTube from Cycling Weekly - Modern vs. Retro, in which a young rider gets his first experience with a vintage bike and does a full back-to-back comparison...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tire, Tires, Tired
The more miles I ride, the more I'm convinced that there are few things that make a bigger difference in a bike than tires.In so many of the discussions I've had with other bike geeks, and in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Biking To Work - Midterm Review
In wrapping up another semester at work, it's a good time to take a look back at the previous months and to take stock of the kind of bike commuting year I'm having. Remember that a teacher's calendar...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Christmas Bike Ride
We have been "blessed" with unseasonably warm weather during this week, which means I was able to get out for my traditional Christmas bike ride this morning. What little snow we got last week has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Remembering Frank Berto
I'm a bit late in posting this, but last month the bicycling community lost a true friend and fount of knowledge with the passing of Frank Berto, author of several books and longtime contributor for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Old is Good: A Quartet of Cyclones
It's no secret to anyone who's read this blog for a while that I've always been a fan of SunTour. When I was young, impressionable, and had only the most modest of budgets for bicycles and parts, I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Old is Good: Specialized Sequoia
Back in the early '80s when I was first catching the bike bug, Specialized was likewise just starting to expand from tires and other bike components to frames and complete bikes. Their Allez and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gathering Parts - Wheels and Tires
With my Specialized Sequoia frame off at the painters, I'm taking time to go through my parts for the build. My next few posts will be dedicated to that subject, and it seems to me that wheels are a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gathering Parts - Drivetrain
As I'm gathering my parts for the early '80s Specialized Sequoia build and describing my selections, my next installment is on drivetrain components.Crank: My first/ideal choice for a crank would be to...
View Article