Bike Forums - Show Your Road Racing Iron

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Show Your Road Racing Iron

Show us your cycling version(s) of a Formula One car. No MTBs, touring rigs, or hybrids; no rack eyelets or room for fenders - just pure road racing machines. Some collect and display them, some still ride the snot out of them. Here's a place for them.

1983 Colnago Mexico acquired while stationed in London from 1993 to 1995. The original (and only other) owner purchased it as a complete bike outfitted with Campy 50th Anniversary at Deeside Cycles in Scotland in late 1983. He immediately removed the special gruppo and stored it in its case, then kitted the frame out with Shimano 105 and rode it for a decade. He originally listed the 50th set in Cycling Plus (a weekly cycling mag I perused religiously); in the process of procuring that set over the phone, I got to know Andy Martin and learned the history of the Colnago. I let him know I'd buy the frame/fork - and he could name his price - if he ever decided to sell. Within the year he contacted me and quoted me a price; it arrived less than a week later.

Here it is as-received, just prior to building it up on a rainy day at my LBS in north London:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1ffd15f160.png

I re-married the 50th gruppo to the frameset and for the first time in a decade, it was back to original spec (less the rims - I built a new set of wheels from the unlaced hubs). I rode it in this guise for years before finally removing the 50th components, doing some restoration work on them and then selling them on Ebay. I outfitted the Colnago in basic NR/SR but over the years began to acquire pantographed parts, finally finishing off with an SR single-bolt panto seatpost in 2020.

This bike is my longest serving and would be the last remaining if I ever had to pare the stable down to just one. Although I've become less sentimental about many things as I've gotten older and (hopefully) wiser, this one still gets my motor running. It was even stolen and briefly out of my hands for a couple weeks before being recovered - the only stolen bike I ever got back! Unquestionably my favorite, I'll keep it 'til I croak. Hopefully it will still be in one piece and passed along to someone else who will continue the tradition of riding it into the ground - without putting it away wet.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...df8c03b1b2.png

DD

I never personally raced this iron, but it's pretty racy...
https://i.imgur.com/0QoSf4q.jpg

It's Turbo'd, so it has to be a racing bike!

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...08d27cdf2.jpeg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...58ebbc408.jpeg
Two of the “raciest’ bikes I have
1982 Medici Pro Strada and 1975ish Colnago Super and I ride the “snot’ out of them both! Just tryin to wear the tires out! :speedy:

By the time I get done triplizing stuff, any road-racing frames imprisoned in my stable have been rendered non-racing and non-racy. Pretty? Yes. Fun to ride? Oh, yeah. Racing-capable? Not so much, especially with the engine that powers them . . . .

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ab30c7b27.jpeg
Um, no fair counting teeth on the big ring.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nlerner (Post 22385878)

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b9c880fe0.jpeg

Looney….

Early 80s Davidson. When Elliott Bay Bicycles closed its doors for good in November of 2014, I bought this consignment bike to help the "clearing out" process along. It was outfitted with an eclectic mix of parts, most of which I immediately stripped off and sold. Upgraded with my familiar spec: Campy NR/SR mix. Found the yellow Concor and went a little stupid with the yellow highlights, but it's all good. The frame clearances were so tight, however, nothing larger than 23mm tires could be fitted, and - surprise, surprise! - it ended up being a little on the small side to boot :rolleyes:

So, once again a bike in my stable was built up, ridden for a time, then disassembled. Frame/fork/HS/BB plus a few parts were sold off while the remaining components and wheel set were repurposed for other projects.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...abb9a08ed9.png

DD

the bikes may be race....the engine certainly is not

85 Team Miyata, with 105 5800...my go to ride
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f22ba4cddb.jpg

84 Team Miyata, set up for Cino, definitely not a race mode, but still a race bike that did great for cino (unlike the engine)

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...037d9cafdb.jpg

I never raced any of these or any bicycles for that matter, all of these were raced but the EM and the blue and purple Bornstein was purportedly Greg Meekers training bike for the Olympics he didn't get to go to. :( ;)

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...db445226f6.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f525808f26.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...49ebc0d54f.jpg

I did however deliver and receive 1000's of azz whoopins doing this.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c51524a625.jpg

Well, out of all my choices this is the one to come to mind. It just delivers raw riding fun each time I take it out.

In honor of the many miles it's given me I'll share it's path from when I got it to where it's at now.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dc61515417.jpg
Brought home like this, funky low end shifters and heavy wheels and thin old tires.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...afd124eb89.jpg
Stepping up to decent tires, better shifters, light chain, and a rocking saddle
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...46670d30be.jpg
More progression aero alloy wheels but they aren't all that light.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7397ec2965.jpg
Kicking 'er up another notch with lighter deeper wheels.

And then for pure simplicity, raw speed, sexy components and more classic beauty than any man deserves in his life:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f10fc026d9.jpg
Not too shabby when I brought her home.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3754a27f65.jpg
Maturing really well.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6a63efe8f3.jpg
Polished tubular Superbe wheels, the icing on the cake.

Road Racing Iron

I have a few of these..... We'll start with some of the Italians......

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...242f1f109.jpeg
1979 De Rosa
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f56460a82.jpeg
1984 Colnago Mexico
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...71eecf376.jpeg
1992 Masi 3V Barcelona
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...20edf5884.jpeg
1979 Gios Super Record

Quote:

Originally Posted by top506 (Post 22385824)

How about road racing alloy?

Sure thing! I hope we see some vintage carbon, too.

DD