gomango

I thought it might help to toss a pic of my 1991 Eddy Merckx Century w/ mostly 2009 Centaur up on the board as well. Monkeyface, I've been down this road just like you, and this is where I am ending up on this matter. I have used Cinelli Model 66's (Cinelli XE stem) on this bike and liked them. I also have a set of Noodles with a Pearl stem that I use even more! The difference for me is hand comfort at about 50 miles, the Noodles just work better for me. Really, what it boils down to is comfort, fit, and road feel. Purists might say, go for the Cinellis.



I'd say, go for fit and function. Here is another thought, buy a set of each of these bars used and experiment. You don't see a lot of these coming up used, but if you really look and buy carefully, you could be ready to try this experiment. That's where I am at with my Tommasini, I am going to try different arrangements. The Tommasini arrived at my house with Cinelli Model 66's, but I am going to try different set ups till I get it right. This bike will be mostly 10 speed Chorus, and the hoods on the Chorus I have fit differently. I also don't plan on riding this bike as far, usually 30-50 mile group rides, so we'll just have to see how it goes.





Finally, thank you USAZorro for the tip on the Sakae Ringyo RANDNNR bars. I'll check them out!

Monkey Face

Thanks for taking time to help gomango. It's appreciated.

Just to clarify - you've got the Nitto Pearl and Noddles on the Merckx? I like the look of those wheels (on both bikes) too; what are they? Strikes me the XE and Pearl stems are the most elegant of the quills.

To me, the look of a thing is almost as important to me as the function. I'm a designer and my philosophy has always been: "If it looks right, it IS right".

well biked

The stem is a Cinelli XA. In the pic with the black tape/black saddle, the wheels are '09 Mavic Ksyrium Elites, and the saddle is a Brooks Swift ti. In the pic with the white tape/white saddle, the wheels are Mavic Open Pro rims laced to Centaur hubs, and the saddle is a Selle San Marco Concor Lite.

In regard to the wheels, as much as I like traditional wheels, the Ksyrium Elite wheelset is almost exactly one pound lighter than the 32 spoke Open Pro/Centaur wheelset. I was skeptical about the Ksyriums' durability, but they are not delicate at all. And I think they look cool. They're the highest in the Mavic line you can go without getting into aluminum spokes, carbon bits on the hubs, etc.

Monkey Face

I've got Ksyriums on my Cannondale - I take your point about weight, but I prefer something like the Open Pro on this style of bike.

Love the Brooks Swift, but - having not had a leather saddle since I was 10 years of age, I'd be grateful for opinions on them vs. modern saddles, for long distance riding especially.

well biked

The Swift ti has turned out to be very comfortable for me on longer rides. I love a B17, and although the Swift is a much narrower, racier saddle, there's something about a hard leather saddle that just works for me. It's the same as any saddle, though: what works for one, may not work for another. The only way to know for sure is to try it. And the Swift is a very pricey saddle.

There's really nothing much on my Pinarello that's period correct, including the frame and fork. that's one reason I don't mind equipping it with modern wheels, etc. The frame/fork is a 1997 Pinarello Vuelta, as far as I know the last year Pinarello made production, lugged steel bikes. As a complete bike, it would have come with a nine speed Chorus group and Campy tubular wheels. I traded for it, and I suspect it had been brought in as a frameset by a bike shop and built up. It had Shimano 600 parts on it when I first saw it, and when I traded for it I made it clear that I had no interest in the Shimano parts, as it was my first (and maybe last) Italian bike. So long story short, the bike was destined to be sort of a bike without a distinctive era attached to it from the beginning. One thing that's nice about that is that it's very classic looking, and yet it's completely modern in terms of dropout spacing, etc. It also rides like a dream.

Good luck with your project!

Oh, here's a closeup of the Swift:

Monkey Face

Nice wb. Think I might treat my rear to a B17 Titanium in brown... well, I don't drink and I don't smoke

PS. Is nothing straightforward? Having looked at all the different models on the Brooks website, it would appear that the B17 is the one for long distance stuff, but if I compare the width to my Selle Italia for instance, I get confused into thinking either the B17 Narrow or the Swift would also be good. What do you reckon wb? You suggested a longing for a B17.

well biked

I've got one of those, too. Jamis touring bike:

well biked

As a general rule, the B17 is great for bikes with a relatively upright riding position, where the top of the saddle is no higher than the top of the handlebars. Individual preferences will vary, of course. The Team Pro is certainly a saddle that was and is on a lot of primo road bikes, and the Swift and Swallow are the minimalist racing saddles. The B17 Narrow doesn't work for me, but a co-worker of mine loves his. It's all about what works for you-

ParaWK4

I have tried the Ritchey Classic too and while it is very similar, I still prefer the Oval Concepts, it seem a little flatter on top. Only problem is they are not so easy to find and really only as new ones.

you

I love the noodles, I went from a cinelli crit bar (granted, not a shallow drop bar) to the noodles, after a little deliberating, I thought they looked a little goofy in the naked pictures of them on rivbike. But the positions are great, the shape looks fine once there's a layer of cork on them. In terms of bars, I kind of feel like because (at least for me) they're a component that I switch around a lot, I would rather go for a cheaper bar, and every nitto bar I've tried in the last 5 years or so has never failed to impress (except the flat promenade bars, those are kind of crummy).

gomango

Yep, in the pic, I have a Nitto Pearl with the Noodles. Wheels are some of my favs. Open Pros, DT spokes, and Campy( Daytona) hubs. I am building a set of tubulars with Mavic GP4s, silver Record hubs, and DT spokes this weekend for my Tommasini. Very pretty, yet tough! I like Mavic rims, just right for big old chubby riders like me. They just don't give up.

gomango

+1 wb. I use a Swift for longer distances. Super comfy, broken in perfectly at this point. Probably should just leave it on my bike for all rides, but I do love my Regals as well. Just not at the longer distances I have begun riding.

well biked

Very nice, gomango-

Monkey Face

Swift it is then. That was easy! Oh no... colour... which colour... ohhhhh decisions decisions. (PS. Just bought a black one.)

As for wheels, I've got a chap here, that I bought a nice Record seat post from, trying to convince me to go for Ambrosio Excellight rims - anybody know anything about them. He says they're lighter and better than Open Pro's (but then he sells them, so I guess he would). A friend of mine told me to avoid Ambrosio like the plague.

Moving away from bars here... but I think I'm nearly there. Just the wheels to sort out really.

well biked / gomango: like you guys, I'm not going for total period authenticity, just looking to capture the 'spirit' of the thing... I know you know what I mean.

gomango

Morning Monkey Face,
I ride with a guy that uses Ambrosio Montreal tubular rims. He seems to like them, and all he rides are tubs. Never seems to have problems, but he has kept his racing weight over the years, probably no more than 150 pounds. I also have a set of Ambrosio clinchers on a nice older Montagner. Not sure of the model wheel, and the bike is packed for the season. My son rode the bike the last couple of years, even raced that bike several times. Wheels were fine. I just really like Mavic products, and this spans thirty years of riding now. The Open Pros work great, and I also use Reflex clinchers. My wife races with Reflex tubs, and has very good luck. She's light though, so I wouldn't expect stress cracks and issues. Never had a problem. Another wheel I dabbled with is a Velocity Aerohead. Not the lightest, but super durable. Durability is big for me, as I weigh abut 180 now, usually about 165-170 during the riding season here in Minnesota. As I mentioned, I am using GP4's on my Tommasini. Might be a mistake, but its worth a shot I figure. As for authenticity, I like what I like. Its great to see the serious talent on this forum with respect to their knowledge, and their pursuit for authenticity. I just want to do my own thing. That's why I'll eventually bring this bike stable under control, and have a couple of customs built exactly the way I want them to be. Probably could survive with far fewer bikes, I just don't want to right now. Finally, I never had a big break in problem with the Swift. It was always good, now it is perfect.
Cheers,
Gomango

Monkey Face

Afternoon gomango,

Found a new Noodle Bar going cheap - did you buy a size bigger than you normally would? Rivendell seem to suggest you can't measure them in the usual way because the ends flare out - I wish they'd just give a few measurements.

I've also got a NOS 3ttt Competizione Mercks bend coming from Hungary (partly 'cos it was cheap) and I'm going to try a TdF of some description - maybe a Nitto Dream.

Thanks,
Monkey face (I do wish I'd chosen another user name - my wife's suggestion of course!)

PS. If anyone's still watching - bought a 420 Noodle and I'm having wheels built by Dave Hinde: Mavic Open Pro's with Ambrosio Zenith hubs - all silver.
The saddle arrived today - Swift chrome - along with a beautiful box and Brooks cycling Journal.