NorfolkTester
Retro Newbie
This is a tale of two bikes, one which I bought in 1978 and the other which has been pieced together over the past 12 months.
As a teenager I raced in East Anglia in the late 70's and wanted a different bike to those of my peers. so armed with £600 (three months wages) I walked into VeloSport in Norwich. The owner Ted Henderson suggested something Italian and being a Campag' man I agreed. I ordered a Blue Alan Aluminium framed bike complete with all Campagnolo equipment. The bike took several weeks to come from Italy and the season was nearly upon us. So Ted kindly lent me a display bike from the shop window.
This was a genuine team Benotto from Francesco Mosers team
I loved this bike and when I got the call from Ted to say my Alan was in and ready for collection I was a little unsure whether I would like to hand it back.
Fortunately I needn't have worried. The Alan was stunning and was a beautiful ride, I used it for both Time Trialing and Road Racing breaking the Junior 25 mile TT record (53.42) in a club event on it in 1978. Sadly the ride never made the record books as it was not an 'open' event.
I gave up racing the following year, sold the Alan and bought a car . . . (a familiar tale no doubt)
Fast forward to 2012 and the era of carbon everything and the 'bike to work' scheme. I found myself significantly heavier and wanting a good way to lose weight. So I got a Specialized Secteur and fell back in love with cycling. My natural curiosity got me looking around for an old classic to do up and found an advert on Ebay for a red Alan Super frame in my size. A week of tension and nervous bidding ended up with me being the owner and when it arrived I was very pleasantly surprised with the condition. I have finally put it together with some Campag equipment sourced from all over Europe. The wheels are Mavic GP4's shod with Continental Tubs. I am very pleased with the look and I look forward to many happy miles in the saddle.
As a teenager I raced in East Anglia in the late 70's and wanted a different bike to those of my peers. so armed with £600 (three months wages) I walked into VeloSport in Norwich. The owner Ted Henderson suggested something Italian and being a Campag' man I agreed. I ordered a Blue Alan Aluminium framed bike complete with all Campagnolo equipment. The bike took several weeks to come from Italy and the season was nearly upon us. So Ted kindly lent me a display bike from the shop window.
This was a genuine team Benotto from Francesco Mosers team
I loved this bike and when I got the call from Ted to say my Alan was in and ready for collection I was a little unsure whether I would like to hand it back.
Fortunately I needn't have worried. The Alan was stunning and was a beautiful ride, I used it for both Time Trialing and Road Racing breaking the Junior 25 mile TT record (53.42) in a club event on it in 1978. Sadly the ride never made the record books as it was not an 'open' event.
I gave up racing the following year, sold the Alan and bought a car . . . (a familiar tale no doubt)
Fast forward to 2012 and the era of carbon everything and the 'bike to work' scheme. I found myself significantly heavier and wanting a good way to lose weight. So I got a Specialized Secteur and fell back in love with cycling. My natural curiosity got me looking around for an old classic to do up and found an advert on Ebay for a red Alan Super frame in my size. A week of tension and nervous bidding ended up with me being the owner and when it arrived I was very pleasantly surprised with the condition. I have finally put it together with some Campag equipment sourced from all over Europe. The wheels are Mavic GP4's shod with Continental Tubs. I am very pleased with the look and I look forward to many happy miles in the saddle.
