fabiofarelli

Jolly Componibili-Club 88 of 1989, one of the most beautiful jerseys ever! You'll fly like an eagle.

Catnap 

I went a little crazy this year:



from right to left: 58cm Toei road, 58cm Merlin (bob jackson) track, 56cm M-Idea track, 56cm 3Rensho track, 53cm 3Rensho SRA, 53cm 3Rensho pursuit lo-pro, 52cm Zunow KYGM touring, 53cm Zunow Lauro track, 50cm Zunow sportif, 53cm Zunow Z-1 Pro-form road, 53cm Itami NCC touring, 52cm Cuevas track Lo-pro.

all are new this year except the Zunow Pro-Form and Zunow Sportif. A couple other bikes passed through my hands: Miele, Pinarello, Ritchey Road, Traitor Cycles, Bridgestone TR9 track, Nagasawa track.

Not pictured:
Bridgestone Anchor FAPCPT carbon track from 1990
3Rensho Modeulo Katana road
Maruishi Emperor touring
Two Bridgestone Eurasia Sportifs

my top 3:


3Rensho Cyclone custom for 1978 NYC Bike Show. Handmade by Koichi Yamaguchi and features an all-gold Suntour Superbe group. More info - https://djcatnap.com/early-3rensho-s...ntour-superbe/



Look KG196 resto-mod with Campagnolo Centaur 10 speed compact. Shamal HPW-12 wheelset custom converted to 9-11 speed. I absolutely love the ride of this bike.




Nagasawa track. My third Nag, done up in Dura Ace track group. Incredibly light and very stiff ride. One of those bikes that lets you know you’re not “pro” enough for it. More info here - https://djcatnap.com/nagasawa-specia...dura-ace-7500/

Drillium Dude 

I put this rig back into service for the first time in a decade after taping up a pair of spanking-new tubulars to a pair of unused wheels; still on the small size, but this one isn't going anywhere:



For me, the ride up to Cayuse Pass was 2021's most memorable ride. Ever since seeing @northbend's photos of a season-opening ride on Highway 20, complete with 20' deep snowdrifts on either side of the freshly-plowed roadbed, I've wanted a similar experience. Crossed it off my list in May:





Finally, I said goodbye to a trio of old friends:







DD

Drillium Dude 

That was a great thread about a fantastic bike. I was sure I'd seen this bike before, but didn't see anything similar on the Forum - then that photo from The High Tech Bicycle book was posted and I realized that's exactly where I remembered it from because I also have a copy of that book.

How many of us can say we own an actual bike featured in a well-known cycling book from back in the day?

DD

Prowler 

I'll list 2 of my top 3 as hub-n-spoke tours. First was 4 days through New England, in the spring, with my '84 Fuji TS III. Four different trails, camping and visiting. Second was 4 days out in western PA, 5 trails and camping with my drop bar '95 Trek 850.

Otherwise lots of local riding, lots of dawn patrol before most folks were even out of bed. Safer.

Only acquisition was a 199? Trek 850, too small and non-functional. A friend said "you better take it today cuz the junk man is coming tomorrow with his trailer." Got it all sorted and added a long seat post and stem. It will do quite nicely and will be stashed at my son's place all year, used to ride with the grandkids. Looks like I'm getting pretty good at reviving varnished up old trigger shifters.

Ah, that's now 13 bikes plus, my wife's two.

bwilli88 

Wow, Just WOW. I knew it was worth something.

Andy_K 

Unless you count the Takara that came in my garage and then went back to the previous owner after restoration, I didn't even acquire three new bikes this year, so my top three includes a bike I got in 2019 but sent out this year to be powder coated.

The first bike I bought in 2021 was the unusual "Judy Nelson" Gitane.



I built that bike with parts that I had on the bench from having sent my Bianchi off to be powder coated, but the paint is rougher than the picture would have you believe, so when the Bianchi got back from Groody Bros, the parts went back on it.



I fell in love with the Bianchi (a circa 1989 Giro) in it's new colorway, and it ended up being the bike that I rode for the most miles this year, just edging out my two Gugificazione Motobecanes.

Finally, earlier this month I picked up a 1990 Cannondale ST400. I traded a perfectly good bottle of rum for some Shimano CX70 cantilever brakes, but at the last minute I decided that they weren't quite what I wanted for this build, so now I'm waiting for some Tektro RX6 mini-V brakes to arrive before I can complete the build. I guess the last of my "top 3" from 2021 will also be my first build in 2022.

ehcoplex 

While they don't have the.... elan, shall we say, of vintage steel, the older Cannondale 'touring' models are really great bikes- I loved my ST600 in the early 90s, and I love my '97 T900 now. Aesthetically, I think the Shimano CX-xx cantis are pretty fugly, but I kinda hate V-brakes (mini or otherwise...) even more! Try some Tektro CR-720s, they work great and look right!

squirtdad

84 team miyata ready for cino (note after pic2, it got mods in the montesorri parking lot for more range)



South of Chinook MT (my home town) doing wind, hill and altitude training....and realizing I was not as prepared as i thought for Cino



Post Day 1 CINO DNF..... still happy and plotting for 2022

Andy_K 

I've got CX-70's on another bike and like them as well as any canti brakes, but I just wanted to try something different on this one. I like the feel of V-brakes. If the RX6s pair well with these brake levers and manage the 27"-to-700c conversion, I think they'll be what I want.

ehcoplex 

It seems with a 'vintage' Cannondale one has already 'strayed' from classic vintage territory (aesthetically, at least), so there ain't much crime in just going with what works! I will say though, that stuffing the fattest tires possible (38c, but I went to 35c for a little more margin) took my T900 from, 'hmmmmm, I dunno, this is kinda harsh' to 'I love this bike and could ride all day....'!

gomango

Slow year for me.

Sold a bunch of goodies (C&V related) and rode constantly.

Just over 4,100 miles on the road bikes and another 2,800 on the mtb/gravel bikes.

Been super busy building fly rods and surf casters for friends. Very time consuming.

merziac

^^^^^ Slow year, just under 7K total mi.

gomango

Horrifically out of shape over the last ten years, I called a halt to that issue two years ago.

I decided to stop collecting and just work on the engine.

Four of my riding buddies are doing this "Northwoods route" in July and I am committed this trip as well.

https://theradavist.com/2021/11/lake...thwoods-route/

In addition, several of us are joining a Minnesota rando group as well.

It will help me focus on "wellness" as I head into retirement in a year.

More info: https://www.bikepackingroots.org/northwoodsroute.html

iab

That goes right by our cabin. Let me know if you are interested in a rest stop.

northbend 

2021 Top three? I’m gonna fudge it a little by creating groupings.

My wife got an E-bike. Finally, a bike she enjoys to ride! (As long as I don’t take too many pictures of her)

My wife and I rode today to Duvall by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Rides in the mountains: I look forward to them every spring when the snow relents. It’s my favorite place to ride and there were many good days up there this past year

Alpental Homes by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Mt Rainier from Stevens Canyon by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Descending Chinook by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Sunrise 13 by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

AP seq 1 by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

DC5ECD38-707E-4E83-B04F-A989128F5307_1_201_a by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Night Rides: We had 2 record breaking heat waves in 2021. Temps got well over 100 degrees. Night rides on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail up to Rattlesnake Lake for a swim to cool off. Sitting on the beach afterwards drinking a beverage while watching hikers headlights twinkle in the woods on the far side of the lake on Rattlesnake Mountain Trail as the sky gets progressively darker making the stars shine ever brighter and appear more numerous.

Night Rides to the Lake 2 by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

An overnight bike camping trip to Bainbridge Island with a friend. We rode to a restaurant on the other side of the Island for a late dinner, riding back at night, tracing the famous “Chilly Hilly” route. It was so warm we didn’t need Jackets. We stopped along the Manitou Beach Drive which has this great view of the Seattle Skyline. We hung out for a while just taking the view in. The lights of Seattle glimmering like a diamond necklace reflecting on Elliott Bay watching airliners queue up on approach to the Seattle Tacoma International Airport.

Night time ride around Bainbridge Island by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

I did the longest full moon ride yet: 60 miles around the Tatoosh Range through Mt. Rainier National Park with a Cino brother. Deep into the forest following a bubble of light on Skate Creek Road, the solitude of climbing Stevens Canyon in the dark, turning our headlights off allowing the ambient light of the full moon guide to our way. It was bright enough to cast shadows. Passed by many Elk and Deer grazing by the side of the road, neither they or ourselves spooked by the encounters. My friend Mario told me later it was the most surreal experience he’d ever had riding a bike.

Mario the Midnight Rambler by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

gomango

Will PM soon. Thank you.

ehcoplex 

Got back into 'serious' riding this past spring after a couple decades of little more than 3-speed utility cycling. For largely nostalgic reasons (harkening back to a beloved ST600 I had in the early 90s that was stolen while touring in Europe) I picked up a '97 Cannondale T900 tourer. Rehabbed, revamped, upgraded, modified and started riding as much as possible.....



A friend offered me an early 90s (Canadian) Peugeot Appalaches that had moldered away in a basement for years to rehab for my partner. I know she'll probably never have the enthusiasm for riding that has rekindled in me, but she's pretty game. Still needs a few bits & bobs to get back on the road, but I'll have it more than ready in the spring. Hoping to do the East-West NYS Empire Trail together next summer (or rather, west-east...).


(no, it's not set up properly, and no, that isn't the saddle for it....)
Finally, feeling the need for some steel, I picked up a long-neglected PX-10 to rehabilitate/'restore'. Now in pieces, polished up and just waiting for a few little parts before reassembly....


(as bought)

And I managed to get in over 2k miles of riding, starting in late June when I got the Cannondale on the road. Not a bad get-back-into-cycling year for me.

merziac

That is fantastic!

rccardr 

All of my notable action occurred during the summer.

First, picked up this sadly worn and relatively expensive Wizard from fellow BF member Gary12000. Fork was bent, top tube dented. Ultimately it turned out to be a good buy, as genuine Wizards are hard to come by. Not much to look at in the pic, but it's been living with Joe Bell and his happy crew for the last six months & sometime this summer #26 will return in impeccable condition. First generation Dura Ace awaits!


Had the happy experience of touring 300+ miles with Gugie, SpaghettiLegs, NLerner and Squire Black through central Virginia. Lots of climbing, lots of beer, lots of fun. Life doesn't get much better than sweating heavily with friends.


And.....then disaster. An unfortunate argument with a paddle board in late July resulted in serious shoulder surgery in September. No biking for a couple months but am now back on the trainer and the bike and making progress. Meanwhile, this lovely 70th birthday present from Mrs. Doc showed up just after the accident. Have recently been riding it, weather permitting:

Force 

More purchasing than riding in 2021, I'm afraid. Looking forward to changing that in 2022.
Found these three French bikes:

Motobecane Le Champion. Can't wait to get it road ready.


My first tandem, a Mel Pinto Special. Now to find a stoker!


Gitane Tour de France from a forum member. Really surprised by how nice it rides and how light it is.



And, found this great mint Miyata 1000LT with upgraded parts, but I'm afraid it might be a little small

Rocket-Sauce 

My fun-est projects were:

1) Raleigh Prestige:


I bought this as a Frameset for $75 including headset. The idea was to unload a bunch of parts I would never use. My first deliberate flip.
It is one of the "Huffy" Raleighs, made in USA, and looks very cool. Until you get too close -then the (lack of) quality becomes obvious. The paint is kinda dull and chipped pretty bad in spots. But it looks very cool from about 10-15 feet away.

I built it with Shimano Tiagra 9 speed, FSA carbon compact crank and FSA Octolink BB (which came on my 2003 Calfee -never liked them).
Wheels are Shimano 2200 hubs laced to Sun CR18 rims (which I built for indoor use, but never used).
Cassette is an Ultegra 9speed unit, maybe a 12-25? It was used, but not worn. Plenty of miles left.
The stem and bars are Sakae from my old Fuji ACE.
The chain is a Shimano 9 speed XTR chain from the 90s.
Nashbar branded dual pivot brakes (probably Tektro). I have no memory ever buying them and have had them forever.
The post is a generic Kalloy, $11 on Amazon.
I don't remember where the saddle came from, but it is a very "plush" (i.e. overly padded and heavy) Specialized.
Pedals are Wellgo mtb.
Tires are $12 Michelins that were on clearance. The tubes are my "most patched" spares.
The cables are Aliexpress Jagwire knockoffs. Cheap ($10 for brake and shifter cables + housing), but seem to work nicely. My biggest complaint about these Chinese cables is that they didn't come with ferrules. ugh.
The bar tape was the cheapest available on Amazon, $0.01 with $3.98 shipping.

The frame tubes are "Raleigh 555 SL" which is obviously meant to make you think it is Reynolds with the decal. Reading the decal and checking online, it seems that "Raleigh 555 SL" is most likely Reynolds 501 which begs the question... why bother with a knockoff decal rebranding the actual stuff you are knocking off? Is "Raleigh 555 SL" somehow more desirable than "Reynolds 501"?

I listed it on CL and FB in June, not expecting to get any bites since it is pretty big. I was fully expecting to be able to ride it for the whole summer before some tall guy needed a new ride. I rode it for about a week before it sold. Too bad, as it rode surprisingly nice for a glorified Huffy.




2)My 11yo son's first road bike: 1999 Fuji Team Issue (which may be a bit modern for some here):




His favorite colors are highlighter yellow and neon toxic green.
I really wish I had taken a 'before' picture because I can't describe how grungy it was. The bar tape looked like it was just grey athletic tape. When I unwrapped it, it revealed that it was a zebra stripe design. The whole thing was covered in a thick layer of grime, and blotches of what I thought was red clay or grease. It turns out that the red blotches were rust that dripped down from the roof whenever it rained. It was stored in an outdoor shed with a metal roof. (I called the owner to find this out. Turns out he was a domestic pro and even rode as a domestique for Toyota United). It cleaned up super nice and everything looks/works new -other than the levers on the brifters which both have some road rash.

In addition to looking super crusty, it didn't shift at all (front or rear) even with new cables. The chain was totally seized up with rust. I tried the WD40 Trick
soaking the internals of the brifters, and it worked flawlessly. Now it shifts and brakes like new.

$100 for the bike, $8 for the bar tape (which my son chose), $15 for the pair of "oil slick" bottle cages (also chosen by my son). He also stuck on some WWII nose-art shark mouths, like from a P51.
$10Aliexpress cables.
$20 chain
The Fulcrum wheels are from an old bike of mine (Pinarello) and the tires are Gatorskins I had hanging in the cellar and have no memory where they came from (15+ years old and probably should be replaced, rubber feels pretty dried out but still holds air....). Pedals came from an old 20" MTB that he outgrew.
I sold the Speedplay pedals it came with, and the old (mismatched) wheels. I think I might have even made money building this one...
The whole bike weighs a hair under 17 pounds -which is 12 pounds lighter than his 24" Trek MTB...


3) The fact that I spent more time riding my 1984 Peter Mooney than my 2021 Calfee....

jamesdak 

Hmmm.....I can't really say that my top 3 are truly C&V but I can sorta stretch the "truth" a bit to make them so.

First would be two new buys that are totally based on classic designs. Also my first new bikes in like forever.

After years of failing to find the right path finder bike I finally "settled" on a new Pashley Guv'nor. I figure this counts since the frame is to the 1930's spec and is even made with Reynolds 531 tubing. This bike is a true beauty and a joy to ride. It's sort of like when I had a Miata, you just can help smiling when you're using them.



The second buy here again was based on the classic dutch Omafiets but in the form of a new Azor built one. Bought as my grow old and die on bike that can do everything while excelling at nothing. Picked the step through style frame for it's practicality. This get's all my around town errands and has proven to be just the ticket for that.


8 speed IGH, full fenders, coat protector, heavy duty racks, enclosed chain, steering stabilizer, dynamo hub, lights, sprung brooks, upgraded roller brakes, frame lock, english racing green and brown cockpit, and the all important bell. Does it get any better?

Second is my 'discovery" of good aluminum bikes. Started with me getting the Schwinn 684 back from my son. He scarfed it up right after I bought it a couple of years ago. But when I got the Azor bike it made my weird Mars trekking bike redundant so my son took that and returned the Schwinn. Then I saw a Klein Quantum II for sale locally and grabbed that. Both of these are some comfortable and fast on the roads that I decided to try a Cannondale too. Saw a newer CAAD8 Optimo with a wonderful patriotic paint job for sale locally and grabbed. So now I have to super smooth and fast riding aluminum bikes and one light, fast, and not so comfortable aluminum bike, LOL! I actually took the Schwinn out today for a little over an hour with temps avg 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Every mile was a joy!


The latest upgrade, 7 speed STI shifters, Soma Hwy One bars with new tape, new cables and housing, new saddle, and new chain.


For fun, this is what a little over an hour on the Schwinn at 14 degrees looks like. The first real iced mustache of the year!



Hodgepodge of Campagnolo parts with new bars, nice C.F. tubulars, nice saddle, matching bottle cages, and a few other small changes made like a matching seatpost clamp. Oh and that wonderful Klein paint that's still in good shape.

This quickly became a silly weight weenie project as well as me optimizing the patriotic look on it. Now 15 lbs 14 ozs as in this picture without really trying. Fast ride but the rear can be harsh on rough sections of road surface.

Third has to be the "19 mph challenge" where I took out all my bikes, old and new, to prove that under an average rider like me the bike does not make that big of a difference. Of note with this challenge was how well the old Softride did, better all the other bikes. Still it was so cool to see that something like my beautiful Opus III could run with the more modern C.F. boys like the Y-Foil and the Trek 5200. I tried to get the above mentioned Guv'nor into the club too but reality is a cruel mistress. Heavy weight, odd riding position, and only 3 widely spaced gears had it falling short.


How's things finished as winter weather moved in. I tried on the Prologue TT but my jacked up shoulder just does not allow me to ride it.

I think this years main C & V event will be finding a frame to setup in hopes of making the Montana Cino this year.

gugie 

2021 was a year to get back on the road for my favorite cycling activity, credit card touring, and spending time on the road with my cycling buddies.

@rccardr already posted the Virginia trip. It was great seeing good friends Doc, Neal, Hugh, and Andrew for 5 days of riding. Even though it was hot and humid (which is my kryptonite) just getting out on the road with friends made it all worthwhile.


From left to right, Doctorate in Computer Science, Doctorate of English, a Medical Doctor, and a guy we call Doc

Cino has become my Capistrano - instead of swallows, like minded cyclists return to Montana nearly annually to eat bacon, drink wine, beer and martinis, eat fabulous food, and, yes, ride bikes in Big Sky country. It's a 2 day event, but included a stay over at a hotel, so it barely fits into the definition of a credit card tour. Regardless, it's a wonderful event, and I was glad that, against many odds, @mountaindave pulled it off this year!


@northbend, Bob Freeman, @nlerner, yours truly, and @Soup_Please at the finish

Touroica had been planned for over 2 years, and although Eroica California was cancelled at the last minute, the tour went on. As typical for me, there were many complications just getting to the start line, but once we all put our feet on the pedals at the Caltrain station in Redwood City, all was good. It was also the first time I'd ridden between Carmel and Cambria since I was 19 years old. Bob Minsky (the pocket sized Santa Claus in the pic below) rides as many Eroica events as possible. He flew out from New York to join us for our jaunt down the coast. I had met @mgopack42 at the 2019 Palazzo degli Eroi, but we had a dozen people stuffed into it, so spending a week with his positive outlook made him a great addition to our group. Thor was a steady rider, happily spinning along up and down the roller coaster ride of California Highway 1.


Bob, Thor, Mark W. on Hwy 1, San Mateo coast, a rare flat section

I have to cheat and add a fourth - the recently finished TdMIL. Even though the second day was miserable rain and endless climbing, the last two glorious riding days made it all worthwhile. @BoltBreaker got his first taste of touring in a larger group. He's an old friend that has ridden several credit card tours with me in the past 10 years, this time it was on a frame I built for him. @davester finally got a tour in after recovering from a fall at Cino, and I got to ride with his college buddy Thor one more time (met him at Cino, co-conspirator on Touroica). @gaucho777 and @SwimmerMike acted as harbor pilots on days 1 and 2, respectively.


The worst of times


The best of times

There were times on all of these rides that the spirits were lagging. Long climbs, low fuel, and rainy days ridden alone are difficult miles to bear, but having good friends along with to share the suffering turns it into a shared experience that we do for each other, and it magnifies the enjoyment of the good parts. I especially remember pulling up next to Thor at the bottom of the Tunitas Creek slalom course and later at the bottom of Meyers Grade on TdMIL 2021 with giant, ess-eating grins on both of our faces.

Despite the challenges of 2021, I was able to get my fill of riding on the open road.

mountaindave 

My top 3:
1) I only had two vintage bikes come my way this year, a 1976-ish Motobecane Grand Record and a 1984 Peugeot Urban Express, neither of which are built up yet. Work gets in the way of a lot of play... Here's what they could look like:


(picture courtesy of Stronglight's flickr)


(This is pretty much how I'm going to build it up - picture courtesy of the previous owner)

2) But I did acquire something new and I've had a ton of fun on it: a 2019 All City Electric Queen hardtail. I wouldn't dare show photos here, but know that it is at least a steel frame!

3} Cino MMXXI - it was so good to see so many fellow BF members, some for the first time, some for the n-th time. You all helped make Cino awesome!!

@RogerM; and son courtesy of @rccardr

Here's to an even better, healthier new year!