Saturday, September 24, 2011

T-Rex Wins Australian Singlespeed Nationals!



Congratulations to Tim Wilding on his win today of the Australian Singlespeed National Championships! Thanks heaps to WO Larkin for his support and his photos, and to his employers the fabulous Cycling Edge for helping him win this prestigious race on one of their beautiful Moots Rigormootis rigs. I'm very proud and honoured.

Story here on the Cycling Edge blog.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

TI Raleigh Beausage Part 2



Further to Part 1 of the tale, here are the final steps of this fun diversion...

I taped the Cinelli 65-44 Criterium 'bars...



...and sorted the front brake and made sure the cables looped over the stem in the regulation fashion.



The front brake was completed with a new Centaur barrel adjuster - not quite the same look as the original, but close enough and it functions perfectly.



Lovely Stronglight drillium cranks will spin on ahead-of-their-time sealed bearings with lightweight aluminium cups.



The Stronglight bottom bracket installed. Despite their age and much hard use back in the day the bearings are still silky smooth.



Sadly the left-hand crank is fubar, but it'll do in the context of the rest of this look don't ride build.



The Regina drilled chain looks grouse on the Stronglight chainwheels.



Rusty old Campag Gran Sport pedals...



...and Christophe Speciale toe clips with AFA straps...



...complete the drive transmission.



My TI Raleigh-Creda poster framed appropriately in the rear wheel of my TI Raleigh.



The pitted but still very cool C-Record seatpost.



The Rolls Due I originally used for the build has made way for this superfly Cinelli Volare SLX. The weight of the complete bike was a surprisingly low 21.2lb, or 9.62kg if you wish to avoid Imperial entanglements.



Put it in the big ring.



And finally complete! If the tyres were glued (and sound...) and the left-hand crank wasn't cracked this old Team Raleigh would be fully rideable.



I'm not sure what purpose this project really served, but it sure was fun to do and the bike looks awesome sitting there in all it's bygone glory.

Thanks for reading, Oli

Saturday, September 10, 2011

1970s International Cycle Sport Images

Thanks to my old friend Ray Young I have a new collection of old magazines dating back to the early 1970s to avidly peruse. So far I've only checked out the classic ICS issues, but I thought I'd quickly share a few shots from them before I delve deeper into the massive treasure trove of other volumes...



From the March 1978 issue comes this shot of new teammates Roger de Vlaeminck (Belgium) and Francesco Moser (Italy) during an early season training ride. Moser looks particularly uncomfortable in the cold climes.



A great looking Harry Quinn from an advertisement in the March '78 issue.



Giant German Gregor Braun (Peugeot) takes a rare win in the 1978 Henninger Turm over Belgian Jan Pevenage and Dutchman Hennie Kuiper.



Francesco Moser (Italy/Sanson) outsprints ex-teammate Roger de Vlaeminck (Belgium/Gis Gelati) for the honour of being the top ice cream company of the day in the 1979 Ghent-Wevelgem classic. Dutchman Jan Raas (T.I. Raleigh) finished third.



Eventual race winner Jos Bruyere (Belgium/C&A) rides alongside Hennie Kuiper (Netherlands/T.I. Raleigh) and Didi Thurau (Germany/Isjboerke-Gios) on one of the nasty climbs of the 1978 Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic.



Moser again leads de Vlaeminck, this time in the '79 Paris-Roubaix. Moser went on to his second of what would be three consecutive victories in the famed Roubaix velodrome, assisted this time perhaps by an untimely puncture to the Belgian four-time winner.



1976 Paris-Roubaix winner Marc DeMeyer (Bel/Flandria) rides with Kuiper to respective 8th and 3rd places in the '79 event.



Francesco Moser (Italy/Sanson) leads French Champion Bernard Hinault (Gitane) and a teammate on his way to victory in the 1978 Tour of Lombardy. This win also helped Moser win the season long Super Prestige Pernod Trophy.



A great action centrefold poster of Dutch National Champion Henk Lubberding (T.I. Raleigh) from the June '79 issue of ICS.