Recent content by Swelo

A bit more sleuthing has me thinking the seller might go for 450—is that more reasonable, or still high?

Lovely bike! Yes, the first one I posted does seem less of a racer and more endurance-oriented, as far as I can tell, which is appealing.

Thanks for all the great tips and insights--very helpful. Here's another one that looks interesting--a French-made Philippe Fabrication Pro 7. 1987, Columbus tubes/fork. Shimano 600 upgraded to 9-speed Ultegra. Seller is asking 490 but open to offers. Thoughts?

Hmmm, less confidence at speed and in corners doesn’t sound too appealing when gears enable more climbing; what goes up must come down. I want skinny tubes, not skinny tires! It’s kind of heartbreaking to see how many lovely frames are hamstrung by tight tire clearances.

Maybe it just needs to marinate for a bit—I think the listing is only a couple of weeks old. In the meantime, what’s it like riding 25 mm tires? I’ve never ridden less than 28. Also, my drop bar experience is limited to modern bars/hoods—what’s to expect with the older setup?

I wondered. I think a couple of factors are at play: the original owner is selling, and 500 is in the high-mid range here for classic road bikes with good tubes (around 300 or below is either a good deal or needs some tune-up/repair).

520 Swiss francs

I have a contemporary singlespeed road bike and am mulling getting a more endurance-leaning vintage one for gears + steel. I would appreciate general advice and/or feedback on this one I found listed locally: 1986 model branded by the shop that sold it (but made by one of the Swiss bicycle...

Love it! It’s pretty cool when a vintage bike needs just a tune-up to be rideable. That was the case for my pink Kuwahara up-thread, which also reminds me to post a picture of how the M4.5 turned out. This one needed more than a tune-up, as the drivetrain, shifting, and wheels were past their...

On 17mm rims, the 26x2.1 Mezcals measure 55mm (including the edge lugs).

Yes, it’s a screw-on freewheel. The original wheel set had a free hub, but the rims and spoke nipples were shot. I was hoping to do remove the extra cogs from the freewheel, but despite a good go at it with two chain whips, no joy. I’ll give it another go at some point. For now, I’m not...

A couple of months ago, I picked up this cellar-rescue, a 1992 (?) Kuwahara M4.5 Savage. Frame, fork, and headset are Tange. (Any ideas what Tange CBT Custom Balanced Tube means?) The selling point was the horizontal dropouts, as I’ve had a hankering to build up a singlespeed ATB...

Which reminds me, the online propensity for gendering bikes (or any possessions, really) is a scourge. Sure, if one rides “un velo,” that’s something else. But in that case, one’s velo also isn’t a “she.” And when English-speaking men gender their possessions on the internet, they invariably use...

“Steed” and “stable” references. “Vintage” as a euphemism for old, used, and/or in need of repair. “Ready to ride” followed by a negating statement ranging from “just needs air in the tires” to “just needs new tires.”