armstrong101

Please type more, if you still believe I need to be corrected.

armstrong101

This is so awesome I'm going to repost it. I mean, someone spewing genericisms on the internet (you could've gotten a Colnago with SR for $1500 instead of your Eroica for $4000), and someone takes it personally.

This is just win.

SquidPuppet

+ Seat post with significant set back, yet saddle is slammed fully forward.

/Pet peeve

armstrong101

Just curious. Other than Oldairhead, anyone here own an Eroica that they bought brand new at retail cost?

I'd like to determine if people who buy that bike frequent this forum, or if Oldairhead is the exception that proves the rule that they do not.

Trakhak

All good points.

In any event, I hope that the frame and fork of that poor bike have been repaired. It's too pretty to be left in that condition.

Oldairhead 

I'm not angry Lance, there were no caps, few exclamation marks, no spewing and there was no tone implied. Everything else is on you. See dude, you won!

Regular Collector

armstrong101

You bet I'm a winner. Thanks for confirming that!

Homebrew01

MOD NOTE to all posters: The topic is bikes, not insulting other forum members. Thanks

armstrong101

You're mistaken. Oldairhead called me a winner. That's totally not an insult at all. But if he'd like to insult himself (he calls himself and old air head), then maybe you should ban him.

Homebrew01

Your post just happened to be before mine. I am addressing the entire thread.
Edited my post.

crank_addict

FYI: In fact there is another whom posted earlier on this very thread. An extraordinary fellow who went 'above and beyond' in acquiring. Also for two very gracious reasons and probably because of his humble nature, doubt would bother to mention here. Furthermore is highly knowledgeable in both vintage and modern bikes.

armstrong101

No I saw it and I understand the context. I was just being sarcastic.

Anyways - my apologies to everyone that may have been insulted by anything I wrote (that Old Air Head included). The intent wasn't to do that. I put in "probablys" in the appropriate places, so I wasn't trying to be final word on anything.

T-Mar

The various L'Eroica events have very much become the status events for amateur cyclists. The exclusivity of the regulations virtually guaranteed it. The typical L'Eroica participant appears to be middle-aged, an ardent cyclist and financially secure. As such, it was inevitable that some manufacturer would try to cash in the situation by offering a L'Eroica compliant bicycle.

Bianchi was arguably the best choice based on its longevity, world wide recognition and competition palmares. However, perhaps more important was that Bianchi is owned by a multi-national corporation that could afford to take the financial risk of development. No doubt, the decision was two-sided, with the event organizers deciding which brand best deserved (and could best afford) the license for the L'Eroica name.

The Bianch L'Eroica is very much a niche model, but that has been the trend in the industry over the last 50 years. Given the previous success of their less risky, vintage styled Pista model, the probability of the L'Eroica model's success was favourable.

Clearly, there are a lot of cyclists in favour of such models. While it's true that that a real vintage bicycle can be obtained for far less, the ready-to-ride aspect suits the profile of many L'Eroics particpants. Many have the money but not the time to hunt down, recondition and overhaul a vintage bicycle. The instant gratification of being able to walk in and out of a store with a L'Eroica compliant bicycle is appealing to many. Others, with near mint C&V models would probably cringe at submitting them to the vintage era, less than perfect road conditions that many L'Eroica events strive to simulate. Furthermore, numerous L'eroica particpants are ardent and/or affluent enough to warrant ownership of both C&V models and modern, L'Eroica compliant bicycles such as the Bianchi.

Clearly, Bianchi could have done a bit more to produce a more accurate representation of a C&V bicycle. They could have used a freewheel hub and limited gearing to a lesser number of cogs. They could also have spec'd tubulars. However, none of this would have suited the target market, which is the affluent, middle-aged rider who is willing to sacrifice a bit of performance for convenience and doesn't have the legs of his youth.

In the end, the Bianchi L'Eroica is a purely market driven bicycle and as such, the sales will determine whether Bianchi made the correct decision, but the fact hat it is going in a 2nd year suggests that they have. Undoubtedly, it is a niche product and will not suit everybody but then that is the nature of to-day's markets. Personally, I'd like to see a smaller but just as historically significant marque attempt such a bicycle. Legnano would be my personally choice.

Regarding brifters, it is a similar situation. They are not for everyone, but the market has spoken and brifters are the preferred shifting option. Shimano has never denied the appeal of the convenience of STI but they were borne of competitive cycling and provide the tangible advantage of instant, precise shifts during cornering, climbing and over rough road conditions. Anybody who has competed would be hard pressed to deny that brifters offer an overall advantage over down tube shift levers.

Oldairhead 

I have heard that Colnago, Wilier and others have decided to make Eroica compliant bikes. They should be at Interbike this week so we should hear more soon! I love it!

Wildwood 

......and others have decided to make Eroica compliant bikes.

Lets hope with 5/6 freewheels!
(otherwise l'Eroica is fraudulent)

Otis

FWIW, "Old Air Head" is a vintage BMW Motorcycle slang term. Not that I was bothering reading any of this.....

Cassave

At Eroica California last year I think I saw 3 or 4 riders on modern (crabon) bikes. Certainly no more than that.

Bianchigirll 

There is something I don't understand here, if he idea of L Erotica is to participate in the style of days gone by, doesn't buying a brand new off the shelf bike kind ruin the spirit of the thing?

Wouldn't you have better experience on a middle of the road Moto or Raleigh rather than a $2500 purpose built bike?

I gather these events have become the domain of the nuovo rich and not really for the classic enthusiast?

T-Mar

When other manufacturers start invading a niche market, this is a good indicator of the viability of the market. The interesting thing will be to note whether any of the new players explore a more retro approach or whether they follow the Bianchi strategy. A Colnago would probably succeed on name alone, but a Willier and some other less well known brands may deviate from the ridden path in an effort to grab some market share.

Oldairhead 

Hey BG,

In my experience I would say "not exactly" to that. In the Italian version it seems to be a good percentage of old racers and they are amazing on their bikes. Some can hardly walk upright but when they get on the bike they are 30 years old again! Perhaps it depends somewhat on which route you ride. I only know of the long route riders and they appeared to me to be the real deal, some on their original old race bikes! I would imagine the the shorter distances are for the more casual enthusiast.

It was much the same on the Spanish ride this year, old racers on all kinds of bikes. Though there were a few more young people at Hispania though. Britannia (2014) was more of a party, with a wider variety of bikes and riders, and not all vintage! Since so many of these were camping on the grounds I believe that they were quite cost conscious and not of the "riche" set. California (on the long route at least) gets "real riders" on some beautiful bikes. They take them out and ride them in whatever the conditions, handsome bike or no. I know that not all of these guys are "ciclisti ricchi" but on the long route they are all real cyclists. Interestingly there was quite a large percentage of randonneur riders at the CA event, perhaps 20% of the long route riders were active randos. Those guys are total hard core cycling enthusiasts!

These events are not as pretentious as some people think and the "classic enthusiast" can certainly be found among their number. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to ride one of these events, to do so. I believe that you will come away with a better perspective of what they are all about!

DiabloScott

Certainly much of the price tag on the Bianchi is just the name; that's a valid criticism.

If someone wanted a cheap, new-but-retro Eroica-ready bike without the brand bling - this one is 800EUR.



Looks like you could probably squeeze some 28mm tires in there.

Creme Cycles 2015 - Creme

armstrong101

How is the current attendance at these events? Going up, going down, or plateauing?

noglider 

That Creme looks nice, and it's a good value. They say it weighs 10.6 kg, which is 23 pounds. Very good. There's an 8-speed cassette, and I assume the downtube shifters are indexed, or at least the right one is. Very nice.

Wileyone 

Does a Bianchi really have "brand bling"?

noglider 

Definitely. At least in some circles it does. It's a good company, as far as I can tell. It is now the longest continuously running bike company in the world. I have a 1995-ish Volpe, a middle of the line bike. The ride isn't exciting but when I think about how competent and well rounded it is, I'm impressed. I think they really know what they're doing.