steelbikeguy

Timing is always an issue.
The local club does another ride in late September, so that is one restriction.
I also try to make it fit Julian's schedule, since he brings some folks over from Bloomington/Normal.

Hopefully it'll work out you next year?
It'll be hard to match the warm temperatures of this year, but maybe we'll avoid the south winds that are bringing the warm temperatures.

Steve in Peoria

beech333

Maybe next year. My parents live in Hanna City, and I try to plan a fall visit to be timed with a veggie harvest out of my father's massive garden, along with the hickory nuts from their trees.

steelbikeguy

That sounds like a great reason for a visit!
Hopefully you can squeak in a bike ride while you are here... plenty of good roads for riding in that area.

Steve in Peoria

schundog

Nothing like waiting until the last minute to mention this, Steve, but I will be bringing a tall bike for your friend to try out, and he’s welcome to use it on the ride, at his own risk, of course. It has flat pedals on it, but he’s welcome to put his own pedals on if he wants to clip in. It’s a mid 80’s Centurion.

steelbikeguy

Cool! He uses some mountain bike style SPD shoes, so at a minimum, he could do a test ride. I'm 99% certain that he could ride on flat pedals and still leave me in the dust, but can you bring a pedal wrench so he could install his SPDs? I'll just be carrying a 4" crescent wrench, and I don't think that'll do the job.

I don't recall if I mentioned the possibility of him checking out properly sized bikes, so he's not expecting someone to offer a bike to ride. I hope he takes advantage of the offer, though.

Steve in Peoria

schundog

[QUOTE=steelbikeguy;22649930]Cool! He uses some mountain bike style SPD shoes, so at a minimum, he could do a test ride. I'm 99% certain that he could ride on flat pedals and still leave me in the dust, but can you bring a pedal wrench so he could install his SPDs? I'll just be carrying a 4" crescent wrench, and I don't think that'll do the job.

I don't recall if I mentioned the possibility of him checking out properly sized bikes, so he's not expecting someone to offer a bike to ride. I hope he takes advantage of the offer, though.

Steve in Peoria[/QUOTE

yep, I just packed my pedal wrench, AND added another steel Centurion to the van, this one already with SPD pedals on it (they are what I use, too…)

steelbikeguy

Another ride to Tanner's Orchard has taken place, and I think it turned out well!
Bikes were ridden, baked goods were consumed, and the weather was overall pretty good (ignoring a bit of wind for now).

Folks arrived at Shore Acres Park on time and had a chance to chat and look over the bikes they hadn't seen before.

Julian, Brian, and Rick put their bikes against the wall while waiting for others to arrive...


Bob walks to his Trek 400.
The red & white Centurion Ironman was something that Brian generously brought so my friend Jason could see what a properly sized bike is like. Brian also brought a blue Centurion.


My '82 Olmo Competition is parked between the two Centurions.


and a look at the blue Centurion..


and as a teaser, Julian's recently acquired Nobilette touring bike...


more to come!

Steve in Peoria (after a 64 mile day)

steelbikeguy

Some detail shots of Julian's Nobilette...

top head tube lug. I noticed the Stronglight Delta headset, which I'm a fan of.


lower head tube lug and fork crown...


seat tube lug/junction...


head tube...


fork and down tube...


drivetrain... (not much different from how I set up one of my bikes)


rear dropouts and Bullseye hub...


Steve in Peoria

thinktubes 

Looks like you timed the weather well - looks like rain down there today.

steelbikeguy

yep, the morning rain is just leaving the area now!

weather is always an issue, and I've had to reschedule before. It was just a couple of years ago, IIRC, that we had heavy rains the night before. Aside from puddles on the roads, we had to make a detour because one road was under water!

On the plus side, the temperatures on Saturday were pretty nice, with a light overcast. The south winds that pushed us effortlessly towards Tanners Orchard did extract a price from us on the way back south, however.

Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

some pics of the other bikes and riders who attended....

Rick's Trek 720. In quite nice condition, with a great selection of parts. The bell had an impressive ring too! I think it's a Spurcycle bell?? The sound is much greater than the small size of the bell would suggest.
fwiw: Rick is also known as OTS here in BikeForums.


Here we see Jason (left) with Rick (right) discussing Rick's Trek.
Jason is a local bike buddy who has a couple of older Treks that are quite a bit too small for him (imho, etc). Jason isn't into vintage bikes per se, but has an overall appreciation for things that are past their prime but still useful (a prime example is his Suzuki Samurai(?) car). Jason owns the Trek just in front of Rick's. While Jason's Trek is an early aluminum model, it occurred to me that it certainly meets the general requirements for C&V. Plus... I figured it would be good for Jason to meet Julian and Brian, figuring he might get an appreciation for the value of a bike that fit him. Brian was very helpful and actually brought the two Centurions for Jason to look at! Thanks again, Brian!


Bob brought a very clean Trek 400 (the Treks were well represented on this ride). He had fitted a Campy Triomphe crankset. The Triomphe cranks use a 116mm BCD, meaning that a fairly small chainring can be fitted.


Brian brought a Specialized Allez Sport, fitted with a Brooks Cambrium saddle and a very useful Shimano triple crankset.



Steve in Peoria
(as noted, I brought my 1982 Olmo Competition with the pantographed Campy NR bits)

steelbikeguy

oh...
..almost forgot...

Julian's Nobilette is fitted with Bullseye hubs, which are a fun, quirky detail. I used to have a Bullseye rear hub, and appreciated how it was built in a modular sort of way, making it easy to switch axle lengths, replace bearings, etc.
Julian tells me that it also has a Bullseye roller bearing bottom bracket. I had one in the past, and liked how it was quite robust. Julian noticed one disadvantage, which was a problem for me too... it tended to leak oil.
The bottom bracket uses oil as a lubricant, possibly due to the small roller bearings. This means that it needs really good seals at the surfaces where the cups meet the center sleeve, and I don't think I was able to get this correct. Or maybe it was seeping around the axle? Either way, I decided that I didn't want to use a drip pan under my bike, and it now has a Shimano UN-71 (with NO regrets!)

For Julian or anyone curious about the Bullseye roller bracket, here's a sheet that came with mine....



Steve in Peoria

JulesCW 

The Bullseye BB is a neat piece, but I ended up removing it from this bike, as the drips annoyed me. So it now sits on a shelf, awaiting... Who knows!

steelbikeguy

The next bike to take a close look at: Bernie's English Bike of Mystery!

a look at the whole bike....
The Nervex Pro lugs are attractive, as is the contrasting head tube. It's hard to not love a Stronglight crankset too. Bernie thinks it is a model 93, but I think it is the next generation, the model 105, due to the drilled ring and the Stronglight text in the flute. Detailed pics later.
The lamp mount braze-on on the right fork blade is a detail not usually seen on bikes made after... the 60's or so?



The version of the Nervex Pro lugs appears to be prior to the mid 60's (if I recall Bernie's comment correctly). The distinguishing features are the two small curved bits at the top and bottom center; the newer versions have a "whale tail" in this location. To my eye, the "prongs" on the sides are finer and more delicate than what are on the Pro lugs on my International.







for comparison, here's my '74 Raleigh International...




the drivetrain...


and a closer shot of the Stronglight cranks.


Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

Looking through my pics, I see that I didn't grab a photo of Dale's Waterford, so I'll just borrow a shot from last year....
I don't recall how old it is. The oversize tubing suggests that it's not too old.


okay, time to get on the road!
A handful of shots from the ride up to the orchard...

Jason on the front.


Dale, Brian and Bob (left to right, at the front).


Jason and Brian, as we go by the Christmas tree farm.


Dale on the lovely Waterford..



Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

continuing towards Tanners Orchard, up Blue Ridge Road...

Brian, Julian, and Bob


Bernie at the front, with Rick, Julian, and Bob in back.


regrouping at Blue Ridge road and La Prairie road...


Julian, as we regroup near the Blue Ridge church.
I think this is when I noticed that the umbrella clip for the pump is brazed onto the seat tube of his Nobilette. Neat detail, but of course does limit pump selection and such.


Bernie, as we regroup...


Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

parking the bikes at Tanners...
most have complied with the unspoken convention of parking the bikes drive-side out when attending C&V gatherings!






and a couple of blurry snapshots of the group enjoying baked goods. Jason was living life to its fullest, enjoying three treats, and then going back for some pecan pie.




Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

The orchard was not very busy by usual standards, allowing us to get through the lines, eat, and get out without much trouble. Soon, we were donning our gear and contemplating getting back on the bikes.




Immediately upon leaving Tanner's, we start on a modest climb that usually involves minor expletives. Jason is a strong guy, and climbed it in his usual gear...


Soon we were back on flat ground and heading into the south wind...




Before long, we were back at Shore Acres park and packing up the bikes and looking forward to next year!
Also, Jason took the red Centurion out for a quick test ride and arranged to try it out for a week, with the possibility of buying it.
For his sake, I hope he does buy it, but I know that it'll just be more work to stay on his wheel.





Thanks to everyone for showing up and making the ride fun!
Extra credit to Bernie for making the long drive from Paw Paw up north, and to Rick for taking the risk of joining a faster group!

Steve in Peoria

Drillium Dude 

Cool! Nice turnout, and a bunch of beautiful old bikes getting properly used - gotta love it! Thanks for taking and posting all those pics! Looks like the weather was perfect, too

DD

bikemig 

Great pics; thanks for posting. This looks like a great ride.

schundog

Thanks again for hosting this ride every year, Steve. I have really enjoyed it over the last 5 years, with its scenic views along the Illinois River to its challenging (for me!) climbs out of the river valley to its orchard destination, just 11 miles from my boyhood home. The ride and the company always signal a nice conclusion to the summer riding season.

76SLT 

Had a great time yesterday. Thanks again Steve for organizing this beautiful, scenic ride. I'm looking forward to next year.

JulesCW 

It was a good ride -- always is -- perhaps next year more who are within driving distance will join us.

Here are some photos of Steve's very nice Olmo -- with a few shots of his cool Reynolds 531-framed Lepper saddle as a bonus!

steelbikeguy

It's a good thing that the Campy seatpost is there to separate the Reynolds 531 tubing from the Columbus SP tubing. I just assume that letting Reynolds touch Columbus would be like mixing matter and anti-matter.. boom!

Steve in Peoria (not a metallurgist)