Greetings from a Long time listener, first time caller
11-19-20, 07:05 PM
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Thread Starter
Greetings from a Long time listener, first time caller
Hello everyone,
Thanks for letting me join in on these discussions. I've already gotten some great help from some of the experts among you, but I guess it's time to introduce myself. I have been an on again, off again cyclist over the years, and a few years ago I got the idea that I'd like to try restoring a road bike from the golden era of the 1950s or 60s. This whim (or illness, depending on your point of view) has brought me here.
So, I currently live in south east Pennsylvania. My stable is fairly modest, but I'm very fond of it. Here's the line up of unusual suspects;
Bike 1) Nothing too glamorous here. This bike is a 1972 Columbia. Gas pipe steel, weighs a ton, and built like a tank. So why? Because this bike was bought by my father in 1972. It was the first bike I ever rode on. I was strapped in a primitive child's seat attached to the back of the seat post (ala Rerun from the old Peanuts comic strips). This was also the bike I learned to ride multiple gears on, back in the day. Last year I found it rusting away in a trailer in my brother's driveway awaiting its last journey to the dump. I liberated it over Thanksgiving and recently spent more money on it than its worth to get it back into riding condition. It still has a lot of rust, but she's road worthy once again. In a way, this old Columbia is the silent observer of my life with bikes.
Bike 2) My underutilized rider. A 2006 Bianchi Giro. Much of my history with this beauty has yet to be written.
Bike 3) The prince of my stable and heart. A 1985 (or there abouts) Pinarello Montello. I bought this bike when I returned from Alaska in 1998. It was a stretch to afford it, but it had almost no mileage on it and was absolutely gorgeous (original seat and handlebar tape were white leather!). The picture shows it as it looks today, but fortunately I have all the original components awaiting an eventual restoration to original trim. Most of my lifetime mileage has been on this bike.
Bike 4) The Frenchman. A year of so ago I got it in my head to maybe bring a bike from the golden age back to life and use it in a L'Eroica or some vintage event. Not long ago I found this Rapheal Geminiani Special (frame & fork) which I've been able to date from between 1959 and 1962. I've been researching the heck out of it for the last few weeks, and with some expert help from some members of these forums, I've made a great deal of headway. It's really been an exciting investigation into a bike that has a lineage connection with so much of France's storied cycling history. I'll be posting some more pictures of it soon in the vintage forum as the restoration/resuscitation gets under way!
Again, thanks to all!
1972 Columbia
2006 Bianchi Giro
1985(?) Pinarello Montello
1959-1962 Raphael Geminiani Special
Thanks for letting me join in on these discussions. I've already gotten some great help from some of the experts among you, but I guess it's time to introduce myself. I have been an on again, off again cyclist over the years, and a few years ago I got the idea that I'd like to try restoring a road bike from the golden era of the 1950s or 60s. This whim (or illness, depending on your point of view) has brought me here.
So, I currently live in south east Pennsylvania. My stable is fairly modest, but I'm very fond of it. Here's the line up of unusual suspects;
Bike 1) Nothing too glamorous here. This bike is a 1972 Columbia. Gas pipe steel, weighs a ton, and built like a tank. So why? Because this bike was bought by my father in 1972. It was the first bike I ever rode on. I was strapped in a primitive child's seat attached to the back of the seat post (ala Rerun from the old Peanuts comic strips). This was also the bike I learned to ride multiple gears on, back in the day. Last year I found it rusting away in a trailer in my brother's driveway awaiting its last journey to the dump. I liberated it over Thanksgiving and recently spent more money on it than its worth to get it back into riding condition. It still has a lot of rust, but she's road worthy once again. In a way, this old Columbia is the silent observer of my life with bikes.
Bike 2) My underutilized rider. A 2006 Bianchi Giro. Much of my history with this beauty has yet to be written.
Bike 3) The prince of my stable and heart. A 1985 (or there abouts) Pinarello Montello. I bought this bike when I returned from Alaska in 1998. It was a stretch to afford it, but it had almost no mileage on it and was absolutely gorgeous (original seat and handlebar tape were white leather!). The picture shows it as it looks today, but fortunately I have all the original components awaiting an eventual restoration to original trim. Most of my lifetime mileage has been on this bike.
Bike 4) The Frenchman. A year of so ago I got it in my head to maybe bring a bike from the golden age back to life and use it in a L'Eroica or some vintage event. Not long ago I found this Rapheal Geminiani Special (frame & fork) which I've been able to date from between 1959 and 1962. I've been researching the heck out of it for the last few weeks, and with some expert help from some members of these forums, I've made a great deal of headway. It's really been an exciting investigation into a bike that has a lineage connection with so much of France's storied cycling history. I'll be posting some more pictures of it soon in the vintage forum as the restoration/resuscitation gets under way!
Again, thanks to all!
1972 Columbia
2006 Bianchi Giro
1985(?) Pinarello Montello
1959-1962 Raphael Geminiani Special
