Pace RC100. The UKs first 'ground up' redesigned mountain bike. So ahead of anything else in 1989 but has kept its looks and unique appeal 25 years on. It has so many unique features and inventions like the aheadset before dia compe 'invented' it. A UK design classic up there with the Mini, the Polo mint or the Dyson
Speedplay Magnums and Frogs.My knees thank you
Rohloff chains. Sometimes Germans have a use beyond bailing Greece out.
Bullseye Cranks. Durham was there 25 years before Shimano and did it with far more style.
Chris Bell Egg rings. Bearded British engineering at its best. Rings that last and last and last and never look old. Just a shame he's retired from making them.
Fresh paint. Makes a good bike great, makes someone else's bike yours
Bespoke engineering. Finding someone who can make you a unique part when you've hunted for an off the shelf alternative for years. Finding someone who doesn't know that bike parts are madly expensive is even better!
Dusty old shops and greasy bike jumbles. Why fight the masses on eBay when you can search out an untouched aladins cave and find people who are pleased that you are 'taking that old rubbish off their hands'.
Ticking one off the list. The feeling of pride in bringing a rust bucket back from the dead and making sure that I'll be able to leave something positive behind. The sense of joy in having fulfilled a childhood dream but having done it my way.
The smell of WD40. Needs no explanation
NOS. I am become the destroyer of worlds, well I get to choose if and when it gets dirty.
Garage Queens. Not all bikes need to be ridden, there is no destiny to fulfil, there is no 'spirit', they are just bikes. Some are pure art (see RC100). Some bikes just can't be ridden by my shonky old body (see RC100).
The chase. 90% of the build. Buying a whole bike is no fun, buying a factory fresh one is pointless. The journey is key.
LGF. Proof that you don't need a trust fund to build a cool bike - all you need is an open mind, a willingness to question and learn and an amazing eye.