sunvalleylaw

that was about how it was for me too. I had real good clues from the prior owner in terms of dates, and she remembered going to a particular location (out in Kent, before the Pike Place shop, but just barely), so that helped me nail it down in a conversation with Mr. Davidson. He was super nice about it, and was able to tell me something about the bike by how I described how it was built (touring style, bar end shifters only, etc.) but did not have any sort of decimal system to locate a record by number or anything. Definitely an artisan. Each custom is unique. Part of what makes them so cool!

due ruote 

Exactly. I hope nobody interpreted my post as a dismissive response. They were very nice; I just had the sense that they didn't really keep track exactly. It fits with not using tubing stickers, etc. It is what it is.
Mine rode fantastically. Ultimately I let it go as it could really only handle 25mm tires and that's just not my style these days.

Slightspeed

Heres one i saw at Sunday's Eroica CA. I didnt see a rider around to ask about it. Interesting handlebar angle.

RiddleOfSteel

Here is my Impulse, picked up a few months ago. Has the usual Dura-Ace suspects that I do enjoy employing (with a Record headset, no less!). Very nice riding bike. Tange Prestige mix (of Davidson's doing). It currently is about to go through a refitting to get that Campy headset some more Italian company, and sits as a frameset.

GailT

I got this on craigslist in Denver this weekend, another white Impulse, 62 cm. The bike has a Cycle Logic, Littleton CO sticker. I got it from the third owner who rebuilt it with Campy Chorus 8 speed, a combination of brifter/thumb shifter. The rear derailleur cylinder with the allen bolt has a crack, not sure if that is a concern, but it shifts fine. I need to replace the seat post - the current seat post is at the max height, and I need to raise it higher. The frame might be a little small for me (6' 4") but is doesn't seem much smaller than my 25 inch bikes so I think it will work with a new seat post. I think it has an original Vetta Turbo saddle that has some scuffs but is in good (currently set all the way back on the seat post, so a new post would help with this too). It has Campy Omega Hardox rims with the V profile, and cheap Michelin Dynamic 25c tires that I also plan to replace. I'd like to get 28c tires, and it looks like there is room, but I see others have said that is difficult to fit anything much larger than 25c. Any advice on the seat post and tire size is appreciated. The rear wheel is currently set to front of the dropout, it seems like I could move it further back into the dropout to get more space between the seat tube and tire.

shipwreck

So glad to see a Davidson thread! Some really beautiful bikes here. I don't take sexy pictures of my bikes, but here is an action shot, and the frame when I got it a few years ago. It sat in a storage shed from 1990 until it was sold to me by a friend of the man who first bought it, and then passed away before building it. I am the only person who has ever swung a leg over this bike. It has what I consider a "Utilitarian" build.

The only issue is the rear canti mounts are so high that there is only 130mm to the rim. Contacted one of the builders, sent pics and measurements, and all he could say was that mistakes happen. I got one set of Dia comps to work, and it will lock them up.
My only other quibles are the super high water bottle mounts on the down tube, and I wish it had shifter bosses. But it rides so well that I really don't care.

bear_a_bug 

Glad to see this thread pop up again. I recently picked up a '91 Davidson Impulse on the 'bay.
Components are all Sachs Huret New Success, 8 speed. I was surprised to find the rear wheel had an 8 speed freewheel. Wheelset was a mess, so I ended up upgrading to a Shimano 105/H+Son TB14 wheelset from Velomine (not pictured). Riding on Continental GP 25mm tires. I've never ridden on such narrow tires, but it's all the frame will really allow, given the very narrow fork clearances.

Overall, really fun to ride. Feels fast as hell, and I can manage to keep up with the other roadies riding up Sheridan in Chicago.

RiddleOfSteel

This is an update to my original posting here, which includes a now extinct picture. At any rate, I had this Impulse--certainly in "rider" condition, so, pretty good, but with scratches etc--slated to be sold and had it built with a Campy Chorus/Record mix and an FSA compact crankset. A bit of a panda/Stormtrooper build. My initial Dura-Ace build had it a good bike, but it didn't feel all-the-way good. Maybe it wasn't for me? After riding my other Prestige bike (the Prologue), I hopped on my teal '88 Trek 560 and thought, wow, this is harsher than I remember. Then I hopped on the Impulse--23mm wide rims with 23mm Vittoria Rubino tires--nothing special. Wow, this felt pretty good!

I got the idea to swap all the 7800 Dura-Ace from the Trek to the Impulse, but I had to make sure that the Vuelta wheels with Vittoria Open Corsa tires wasn't the cause of the Trek's ride characteristics. They weren't!

So now I have a "White Lightning" Davidson Impulse, and it rides and feels fantastic! It feels tall (as it is, but more so) and regal. Very very solid--like made-from-one-piece solid. Comfortable. Climbing and accelerating is what you want to feel as well. Fast! Steering is perfectly weighted (as I have set things up), quick yet smooth. And with 7800 doing the shifting work, it operates flawlessly.

You ask, why did I not have this experience the first time? The wheels then were good--hand built Dura-Ace to Mavic CXP33. The tires were Continental Grand Prix 24mm. I thought they were my friend, but they were working against me when on the Impulse! The Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX (my favorite) in 25mm form are what's now on it. Lighter, more supple, with much better feel.

Keeper. 1000%

GailT

Looks very sharp - and nice pictures! I'm waiting on a new seat post, saddle, tires and hope to take a longer ride on my Impulse next weekend.

RiddleOfSteel

Thank you! It has become, essentially, my best bike. It certainly doesn't need anything else to improve it. It is 20 lb 5 oz currently, and it feels fantastic. It's almost as if it's the peak of bikes I have--I will always look around, but this is that 'beginning of the end' sort of thing where I come to the conclusion that things don't get any better, so the need to search is greatly lessened. We shall see, but it's just such a 'complete' feeling bike.

Jadesfire 

That is a very sharp-looking bike. Do you mind if I ask what stem you are using?

GailT

Article on Bill Davidson and the Impulse in 1987. They include a drawing of a 62 cm Impulse and some of the frame dimensions.

bear_a_bug 

It's a Nitto, about 80mm I believe. Model name is dynamic 9, looks like. Takes a 26.0 clamp. The bars are no name, but I am pretty okay with the shape and width.

jamesdak 

Thought I'd share this here first. I just picked this up locally and haven't touched it yet. The lady actually had a matching set, same size. In rough working shape right now but I grabbed the better looking of the two frames. Both bikes were missing their front wheel. I bet they were somewhere in the garage she picked these up at. Under the grime and such appears to be a nice bike. Nothing fancy but the care taken with the lugs is very evident as well as a nice paint job....originally. Not sure where I'm going with this one. I'll start and individual post on this bike as I sort it out.

Chombi1 

Was meaning to post this up earlier this week after I completed the build last weekend, but got too busy.
Some of you might recognize this Davidson. I bought the frameset with the crankset and shifters from DD and did my own slightly different interpretation of an early 80's Signature build. Still full Campy SR but less yellow this time with the Brooks Pro and black cloth tape a natural for me on this early 80's Davidson bike. The bike surprised me when it came in, complete with pedals at 19.8 pounds. Got to ride it a bit before the rains started in the bay area and boy does it handle beautifully! It gives my Pinarello Montello and my ALAN Record Carbonio a run for their money, in terms of ride quality and handling but it definitely beats both hands down in terms of overall build quality. Now stuck in the house hoping to ride it again soon. But it's been raining almost three days straight now.

jamesdak 

And here's mine all finished up. Well, maybe.....it turned out to be such a great ride that I'm considering upgrading to high end modern components.




20 lbs 13 ozs as picture. Black Super Record would really pop on this, wouldn't it? <br/>

merziac

Sounds like a perfect plan.

kevincgove

Thanks to GailT for the tip about this thread. The thread has some great examples of Davidson bikes..

I've had my Davidson from day 1. Bought the frame from LBS for 495 (on sale) which I thought was pretty expensive back in the day. Took me about 4 months to save enough money to build it up with DuraAce and Mavic Open4 rims. Put a lot of miles on it. I relegated it to a being my wet weather bike after I bought a Pinarello Opera in 2004. It didn't see much use until a couple years ago when I gave away my Pinarello and had the Davidson stripped down, cold set the chain stays and repainted a pearlized white. Original paint scheme was white with primary color sponge splashes. I'll put up a couple of photos of how it looks now and I'll see if I have any pictures of the original build. It has always weighed around 20lbs +/-. It has a combo of DuraAce/Ultegra/Sram 11speed components and custom set of wheels I got in 2004. It is a terrific bike and if I keep the wheels down, it will be the last road bike I'll own. I might add a set of carbon wheels but that would be the last luxury item to add to it.

This was the article that hooked me. I can't post a link but you can add a www and copy/paste below for a classic article on Bill Davidson from Bicycling magazine.
classicrendezvous.com/images/USA/Bill_Davidson/Bill_Davidson_1987.PDF

Dean51 

I've wanted a Davidson for a LONG time, but the print below is as close as I have come so far. I bought this at Davidson's shop, Elliot Bay Cycles, in 1984. This print is signed by the artist, Steve Wellman, and is #177 of 200. I've thought about parting with it at different times, but I keep it.....just in case!

Dean


IMG_3182

merziac

I would try and get Bill to sign it as well.

Drillium Dude 

Bob Freeman, too

DD

Chombi1 

Maybe finding one of those 200 prints could be my next N+1 project??

Dean51 

Could be a worthy project @Chombi1! I'll offer that I've done some "googling" re Steve Wellman and this print, but I've come up with nothing so far. Along the way, should you stumble into a frame in my size (56 or 57 works), I'd be pleased to hear about it......I've already picked out the bike in my small fleet that I'd sacrifice to make room for a Davidson.

Dean

rccardr 

jamesdak 

^ That is soooooooooooooo beautiful!