Doubledee
rBotM Winner
Sometimes people ask me why I love building and riding retro bikes and why from a particular era? The answer is simple, I grew up and raced in the 80's and through the 90's and therefore spanned a major change in bike technology from clipless pedals to STI/Ergo shifting etc. Also and more importantly my builds are modelled on the riders too who were even more iconic. I've built 2 KAS replica bikes over the last 3 years and they are well documented here in the links below, one carbon and one aluminium.
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=246927 Blue Vitus 979 with Mavic SSC as Sean Kelly rode in Paris Roubaix in 1986
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=277633 Vitus FCK Carbone 9 (ok so not a carbone kevlar!) with Mavic SSC as Kelly rode to victory in the 1988 Vuelta Espania
NEVER EVER did I imagine that I would get to meet the great man Sean Kelly, and not only that spend most of my week in Majorca eating , chatting , and riding with him as part of the Sportactive cycling holiday.
So please have a look at the builds and the recent pictures of him signing my 1980's KAS Jersey, cap, and prints of the bikes I'd built. He was a true gentleman and very interested in the builds and had this note about the aluminium 979's....The wheels and rims went on forever, the frames however "lacked feel after a couple of months racing so they were changed regularly"
THIS IS WHY I BUILD RETRO BIKES, AS SOMETIMES YOU GET TO REALISE CHILDHOOD DREAMS
Best wishes Darren
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=246927 Blue Vitus 979 with Mavic SSC as Sean Kelly rode in Paris Roubaix in 1986
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=277633 Vitus FCK Carbone 9 (ok so not a carbone kevlar!) with Mavic SSC as Kelly rode to victory in the 1988 Vuelta Espania
NEVER EVER did I imagine that I would get to meet the great man Sean Kelly, and not only that spend most of my week in Majorca eating , chatting , and riding with him as part of the Sportactive cycling holiday.
So please have a look at the builds and the recent pictures of him signing my 1980's KAS Jersey, cap, and prints of the bikes I'd built. He was a true gentleman and very interested in the builds and had this note about the aluminium 979's....The wheels and rims went on forever, the frames however "lacked feel after a couple of months racing so they were changed regularly"
THIS IS WHY I BUILD RETRO BIKES, AS SOMETIMES YOU GET TO REALISE CHILDHOOD DREAMS
Best wishes Darren
He mentioned on eurosport that he hopes to display his jerseys and trophies to the public in Carrick on Suir later this year. There is an An Post/Chain Reaction youtube video showing the current riders looking at the jerseys and trophies he collected over the years. Its jaw dropping stuff!!
