Interbike 2010 Part 4 Masi Bikes

If you have not yet noticed I'm a real fan of steel Masi bikes.  They are really nice to ride, respond well to upgrades and are affordable.  The fact that the bikes look great helps.

Interbike 2010 Part 4 Masi Bikes



This bike I'm most excited to see from Masi.  Combine my two favorite types of bikes, single speed and cyclocross, mix in 45c tires and you have instant Monstercross.

SSCX

Interbike 2010 Part 3 Hand Built Bicycles

A taste of hand built cyclocross goodness.

Interbike 2010 Part 2 Pashley Bicycles

This is where my heart is, of all the bikes on display at the show here is what most closely resembles the type of bikes I would personally build and like to ride.

Pashley Bicycles

Interbike 2010 Part 1 Rocky Mountain Bikes

Here is the first of the video clips I took from the show floor of Interbike 2010.  Excuse the somtimes jerky movements, I had to butt my way through the crowds sometimes.

These are for the boys at the shop, Rocky Mountain Bikes.

Trail Riding on a Cyclocross Bike

This video just makes me want to go out and find some trails to ride.


Local trails ala cx from Andy Wardman on Vimeo.

Fall a Time When Young Boy's Thoughts Turn To.....Gravel?

 Fall, the perfect time to put the knobby tires back onto the cyclocross bike.

And start looking for gravel

Cyclocross bikes make great urban assault bikes.  The speed and efficiency of a road bike mixed with the ruggedness of a mountain bike

Aging Fixed Gear Rider

“I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn’t it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft….  As for me, give me a fixed gear!”   Henri Desgrange Tour de France

I first read that quote on the under the header Singlespeed & Fixed Gear over at Bike Forums .

I'm 51 and riding fixed, not sure what that says about me... 

At my age I simply can't resist a nice rack...

Axiom Streamliner Road DLX

The rack tabs mount onto the axle.

The rack mounts to the brake caliper bolt.

Simple mounting system on the panniers.

The panniers lock into place.

The narrow design reduces wind resistance and negative effects on handling.

Having the ability to bring essentials along is quite freeing on a bicycle.

A fixed gear bike for the over 45 crowd.  At my age, I'm more about function than form and this bike is quite often my bike of choice when I'm doing long distance rides.  I've enjoyed many 100 km + rides on this bike.

The Return of 'The Scorcher'

Definition of a Scorcher by Sheldon Brown:   "A fast, reckless cyclist who scares horses and old folks. This term was current in the late 19th century."

Bicycle Scorchers from Jim Kellett on Vimeo.

I am fascinated by the early days of cycling, particularly around the time period 1895-1905.  It was a time when the bicycle threatened to replace the horse as personal transportation.  It somewhat parallels today because cycling is on the rise.  With rising gasoline and car prices plus a downturn in the economy, people are turning more and more to affordable modes of transportation.  Plus it's fun and a great way to get some exercise and fresh air.  It is now the bicycle that is once again threatening to replace the car as personal transportation.

Being born in the 1950's, it was the bicycle that gave me freedom as a young boy, just like a horse would have done a century earlier.

Melbourne Australia 1895.

A boy on his bike with a horse and carriage in background.

Stopping to have his photo taken.

This is serious business!

An early hipster messenger.

Can't stop!  Got to go!

The Scorcher has been revived in modern times.  Here is a link to an interview with the Ibis bike creators about their Scorcher from the early 1990's by 63xc.com.  You can read a review of the Ibis Scorcher on the adventurecorps website...

...or visit the Rough Riders blog.

More recently, Renaissance Bicycles has created their own version of the Scorcher using a Velo-Orange Polyvalent frameset. 

Even custom bike builder Mike Flanigan (Ant Bike Mike) is getting in on the Scorcher action...

...with his custom built Scorcher from Alternative Needs Transportation (A.N.T.)

Which leads me to my tribute to the Scorcher Bicycle.  I present to you:  The Electra Ticino Scorcher Lux!

Flipped and chopped cruiser bar.

Ticino hand brazed cromoly stem.  Nice!

Bar tape and hemp twine.

Triple butted Cro-Mo crowned fork and Schwalbe Delta Cruiser tires in creme.

My new favourite pedals.

Retro Single Speed crankset complete with chain and pant guards.

High flange star hubs with ceramic bearings.

Rear horizontal dropouts with screw chain tensioner, single speed or fixed gear flip flop hub.

Brooks Aged B-68 saddle.

When I first saw the Electra Ticino Lux, I immediately started thinking about how I could customize it.  That's the beauty of bikes from a company like Electra.  They leave open the possibilities for personalization and customization.  I wanted a new bike that would remind me of the bikes that were being ridden back at the turn of the last century.  Something simple and elegant that was hand built with retro styled quality parts that I could actually afford.  A bike available at the Local Bike Shop.

I'm really happy with the way the bike turned out.  It really is a pleasure to ride.  The long wheelbase combined with the steel frame and fork make for a very comfortable ride.  The 35c tires roll along with very little effort.  The chopped and flipped cruiser handlebar put me into just a slight lean forward that feels very neutral.  I'm not so upright that my body is acting like a sail; yet I'm not leaned over so far that I feel excess weight or pressure on my hands.  Extended rides are always comfortable and perfect for Scorching the pathways.  Electra's literature calls the Ticino Lux a "gentleman's fixie".  Indeed, just not too gentle.

From the Rough Riders blog...

"A hundred years ago, cyclists weren't sissies like today. With only one gear, no coasting and not even one brake, not to mention no suspension or paved roads, they rode better than most do today. A few examples:  In 1897, John George of Philadelphia rode 32,479 miles and John Noble rode 253 centuries in one year! The Ibis Scorcher takes its name from the renegade, rules-be-damned cyclists (proto-mountain bikers?) of this era that were scorned by pedestrians and "traditional cyclists" alike. The scorchers, while held in low regard, however, were immortalized in poetry."

I am the scorcher!

Please observe

the curve

that appertains to my spine!

With head ducked low

I go,

over man and beast and woe.

Unto the thing

that fails to scamper when I ting-a-ling!

Let people jaw

and go to law

to try to check my gait.

If that's their game!

I hate

to kill folks,

but I will do it, just the same.

I guess

unless

they clear the tracks for me;

because, you see,

I am the Scorcher, full of zeal,

and just the thing I look like on the wheel.

The vintage photos that I used for this blog entry were found over at Rat Rod Bikes.  Pay them a visit.  It's an awesome website.

 

      

Electra Ticino 20D

I recently had the opportunity to take an all too brief ride on a new Electra Ticino 20D.  I'm stunned by the amount of detailing on this bike.  Every part of the bike has been built with top shelf components. The overall low weight of the Ticino 20D shows up in how well it performs on the road.  It accelerates with not much effort .  I expected the bike to weigh much more the first time I picked it up. 

The riding position places the rider in an upright position and is very comfortable. 

 The bike has a long head tube which the top tube angles up to meet.  It makes a higher handlebar position possible, allowing the bars to be above the level of the saddle quite easily.

The deeper you look, the more evident it becomes that this bike was designed and built with care, starting with the frame.  The quality of the welds is very high indeed.  This speaks of a hand built bicycle.

The head tube and top tube junction.

The left side shows the stainless steel covered cables and internal routing.  A piece of rubber is attached to the cable to prevent the cable from damaging the paint and is a nice touch!

The brake cable exits the top tube and uses a seat post collar mounted cable stop for a clean look.

A close up shot of the smooth welds at the seat tube, top tube and seat stay junction.

The down tube, bottom bracket, seat tube and chain stay junction.

Even the brake bosses are smooth welded.

The Ticino 20D has a beautiful frame.  The quality of the welds is at a level far above what one normally sees from mass market manufacturers.  It shows that Electra built the 20D for a more discerning buyer.  The handcrafted, smooth welded, double butted 6066 aluminum frame is truly gorgeous.  The paint looks very deep and rich.

Traditional Hand-Brazed, Investment-Cast Crown, Triple-Butted, Tappered-Leg Cromoly Fork.  Nice curves!  The long curved fork blades give the front end a relaxed comfortable ride.

 

Double-Chromed Investment Crown.

Moving to the cockpit, the swept back aluminum handlebar has a lovely satin finish.

The stem is a traditional quill type.  The removable top cap hides the head of the tightening bolt.

Hand-Brazed and Hand-Polished.  Very nice!

Inverse brake levers and wrapped handlebar grips...

...match the Cyclo Tourist saddle that is very comfy.

The front end features a randonneur rack, hammered fenders and a classic looking wheelset.

The randonneur rack.

Five star high flange hubs with ceramic bearings.

Stainless steel eyeletted rims with a non-machined brake surface.

Constructeur rack and hammered fenders.

The rear hub.

Shimano 105 cassette and derailleur.

Ticino double crankset, Shimano 105 derailleur.

Rat trap pedals with leather covered toe clips.

Shifters are Dia-Compe down tube and friction, of course.

I love this bottle cage!

I had the bike out on a very familiar ride that I often do.  It's a 34 km loop that has a couple of pulse raising sections and the hills take some effort to climb.  I never thought I would be riding an Electra bike that so readily responded to me standing on the pedals and powering up the hills.  This bike cruises but is no beach cruiser. 

I've made this trip on numerous occasions on a selection of bikes.  What I'm struck by the most with the Ticino 20D is just how easily it rolled.  When I would ease up off the gas, the bike would want to continue its path only by the propulsion of its own weight.  It was an uncanny feeling to stop putting power into the pedals and experience such a little amount of speed reduction.  The bike felt like it would just roll and roll. 

At first I questioned the need for ceramic bearings on a bike such as this.  I've now become a believer.  This wheelset gives a connected "to the road" feel that I have not experienced before.  I was able to feel the bike rolling on a very hard surface.  It's the hardness of the ceramic bearings I was feeling.  Interesting!  These wheels are also available separately and I'll investigate them further.  I may have to pick up a pair to see how they perform on my randonneur.

The riding position is a little too upright for my liking but that could easily be solved with an after market handlebar.  I can see myself riding this bike with either a Nitto Moustache or a flipped Nitto North Road bar.  Although I found the stock cyclo tourist saddle quite comfortable, a Brooks saddle would do quite nicely too.  That is all I would consider changing.

Electra has done such a fine job with the details that just some minor adjustments to the riding position would be all that's needed. I really enjoyed the time I spent on this bike.  It was comfortable, efficient and fun.  I'll sum up with what another rider on the bike path said to me:  "great bike, very nice".  I agree!  Well done Electra !

Quite a handsome machine.

Spotted in the wild.