Ultimate road bike?
- Thread starter ededwards
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Agency_Scum
Retrobike Rider
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For me it's the Colnago Master frame and fork with 8 speed ultegra and bar end shifters ( can't reach the bloody downtube! ).
Was thinking this through on the way in this morning, far harder choices have to be made than I was anticipating. Liking Melvin's suggestion of the Japanese brands, look superb in photos but sticking with European frames with all the associated heritage so here's where I've got to:
Steel: Colnago Mexico or Merckx Corsa Extra or Gios Torino (interestingly this came to me when I was thinking more widely and tha above photo confirmed it)
Aluminium: Vitus 979 (Sean Kelly inspired)
Titanium: De Rosa Titanio (got to have some De Rosa somewhere)
Carbon: Alan
And just to spice things up further, what about a custom Pegoretti?
Steel: Colnago Mexico or Merckx Corsa Extra or Gios Torino (interestingly this came to me when I was thinking more widely and tha above photo confirmed it)
Aluminium: Vitus 979 (Sean Kelly inspired)
Titanium: De Rosa Titanio (got to have some De Rosa somewhere)
Carbon: Alan
And just to spice things up further, what about a custom Pegoretti?
In no particular order:
Alloy
Vitus 979 - As mentioned above, because of Mr Kelly. Would have to have full Mavic group on it. I got to have a really good look at the one Kelly won the Vuelta on as he gave it to John Pierce (of Photosport International fame). If I'd been any taller, he'd not have got it back!
Carbon
TVT 92 - I loved the one LeMond rode in the '89 tour, again with full Mavic group
Steel
'87 Battiglin in Carrera colours - nearly had one of these, but as a young and broke lad couldn't quite afford it!
Bottecchia Equipe (I think this was the SLX one) - has to be in red and white, not the ADR colours!
Look 853 - as rare as hens teeth now!
PDM Concorde - I loved the paint scheme
Guess when I started racing! Ahhhh, the good old days
Alloy
Vitus 979 - As mentioned above, because of Mr Kelly. Would have to have full Mavic group on it. I got to have a really good look at the one Kelly won the Vuelta on as he gave it to John Pierce (of Photosport International fame). If I'd been any taller, he'd not have got it back!
Carbon
TVT 92 - I loved the one LeMond rode in the '89 tour, again with full Mavic group
Steel
'87 Battiglin in Carrera colours - nearly had one of these, but as a young and broke lad couldn't quite afford it!
Bottecchia Equipe (I think this was the SLX one) - has to be in red and white, not the ADR colours!
Look 853 - as rare as hens teeth now!
PDM Concorde - I loved the paint scheme
Guess when I started racing! Ahhhh, the good old days
cybertrophic
Dirt Disciple
fantasy bike list...
I think that my list is pretty standard, based as it is on childhood memories of Tour de France coverage on channel 4 and ogling the exotics hanging in the window of Geoffrey Butler cycles on the way into Croydon...
Colnago Master. I'd love a white one, please, with full Super Record - toeclips, the lot - a real period piece to be ridden wearing stringback gloves and campagnolo jersey only.
I'd love a Look in the old Toshiba colours (Piet Mondrian inspired jersey' et al), a la Greg Lemonde. I couldn't tell you much about it (585? Full campagnolo, I believe), but as a young kid I just knew in my heart that was the pinnacle of biking perfection. It made my five-speed Raleigh Racer look rather frumpy to my eight-year-old eyes and caused my first real crash as I tried to imitate the head-down-butt-up pro cycling stance down my road...my dog thought he'd join in and we had a slight "incident" leaving me with a cuts and bruises and a scratched bike and the dog with a limp for a week...
Colnago Titanio - lovely looking frame, cheaper than the Master/Master-x and made of titanium which makes for a good ride, but also means it sits in my memories as an object of awe - carbon fibre is basically posh fibreglass, but titanium is *really* special - I can still remember the photos of the old Merlin mountain bikes in my MTB magazines and the way that the titanium stuff was always revered, rare and hyper-expensive... one day, I'll own one.
The Swallow MTB, with Pace rigid carbon forks and full campagnolo centuar groupset as tested in, I believe, MTB magazine - it was white with purple spots and they tested the groupset on Fuerta Venture, I believe. It looked awesome and, evidently, rode amazingly, too.
A Vitus 979 (ideally in purple or the turquoise-y blue) with campagnolo c-record groupset, mavic rims and hubs and as much high-end period kit as I can throw at it. I know they are renowned as flexy, but I think they are beautiful and a lot of people rate them greatly a hack bikes, even if they wouldn't want to do a Tour stage on one. I remember seeing them in the, I think , Ron Kit catalogue as a youngster and the fluid curve to the seatstay/seat-tube/top-tube joint was just something that has stuck with me and which spoke of quality design and aesthetics. I came close to buying one, but the ad on gumtree was out of date...grrr. If you google for it, though, the guy still has a "small" one for sale - no help to me, though as I am six foot 1... :cry:
One day, I'll own all these and a mint Kona Cindercone with full XTR with white respray...at which point, my wife will divorce me and I will be left alone with my two-wheeled friends!
I think that my list is pretty standard, based as it is on childhood memories of Tour de France coverage on channel 4 and ogling the exotics hanging in the window of Geoffrey Butler cycles on the way into Croydon...
Colnago Master. I'd love a white one, please, with full Super Record - toeclips, the lot - a real period piece to be ridden wearing stringback gloves and campagnolo jersey only.
I'd love a Look in the old Toshiba colours (Piet Mondrian inspired jersey' et al), a la Greg Lemonde. I couldn't tell you much about it (585? Full campagnolo, I believe), but as a young kid I just knew in my heart that was the pinnacle of biking perfection. It made my five-speed Raleigh Racer look rather frumpy to my eight-year-old eyes and caused my first real crash as I tried to imitate the head-down-butt-up pro cycling stance down my road...my dog thought he'd join in and we had a slight "incident" leaving me with a cuts and bruises and a scratched bike and the dog with a limp for a week...
Colnago Titanio - lovely looking frame, cheaper than the Master/Master-x and made of titanium which makes for a good ride, but also means it sits in my memories as an object of awe - carbon fibre is basically posh fibreglass, but titanium is *really* special - I can still remember the photos of the old Merlin mountain bikes in my MTB magazines and the way that the titanium stuff was always revered, rare and hyper-expensive... one day, I'll own one.
The Swallow MTB, with Pace rigid carbon forks and full campagnolo centuar groupset as tested in, I believe, MTB magazine - it was white with purple spots and they tested the groupset on Fuerta Venture, I believe. It looked awesome and, evidently, rode amazingly, too.
A Vitus 979 (ideally in purple or the turquoise-y blue) with campagnolo c-record groupset, mavic rims and hubs and as much high-end period kit as I can throw at it. I know they are renowned as flexy, but I think they are beautiful and a lot of people rate them greatly a hack bikes, even if they wouldn't want to do a Tour stage on one. I remember seeing them in the, I think , Ron Kit catalogue as a youngster and the fluid curve to the seatstay/seat-tube/top-tube joint was just something that has stuck with me and which spoke of quality design and aesthetics. I came close to buying one, but the ad on gumtree was out of date...grrr. If you google for it, though, the guy still has a "small" one for sale - no help to me, though as I am six foot 1... :cry:
One day, I'll own all these and a mint Kona Cindercone with full XTR with white respray...at which point, my wife will divorce me and I will be left alone with my two-wheeled friends!
Uhm, I honestly have fallen in love with my fathers Look KG76 hinault, because it has the kevlar in the weave, it rides great, and its a classic! period correct dura ace (first year with STI) BUT laced to CAMPY aero rims, i loves it!!! Its probably not the best or lightest bike anymore, but for classics of that era ill take it over ANYTHING, and most modern things anyways
oh and for steel, anything columbus tubing, sl, slx, tsx, hands down. my slx just "feels" like it rides faster than the carbon for some reason.
oh and for steel, anything columbus tubing, sl, slx, tsx, hands down. my slx just "feels" like it rides faster than the carbon for some reason.
