Tom! How cool is that! Centurion_,_ vintage 1984? Need a bicycle that turns heads? Ultra light monococque carbon fiber, integrated bottom bracket of hand machined Unobtanium? No, thank you. Not for me at this point, call me old school.
Sundays are great here, especially when the sun is out, and the wind is light. I tell my wife, “perhaps, the flowers will bloom today”. What does this refer to? The pretty cycles come out to play, replete with matching riders, in full team kits. It’s such good sport. I’m all for supporting your favorite team, donning the official jersey, perhaps, or a team hat…but the full team kit can be a bit of a stretch.
Years ago, I would race criteriums each week, unofficial, though friends constantly chided me to join the club. It’s all about the sport of cycling, not “looking the part”, and judging eachother based upon the accoutrements. Underneath that jersey is a human being, the engine that makes the gears turn is as important as the pretty painted bicycle. As I’d ride to the course, there would be a group of 7-series BMWs and new Mercedes sedans, with pretty cycles, and very quiet cyclists huddled between them, wiping their steeds with diapers.
Ah, the looks of judgement, as some days, I’d take my VW Rabbit, bicycle on the roof rack, and get ready to ride. Usually, I’d ride down, as teh warm-up en route was much better. Hey, everything was new and shiny, but not up to the same “par”, I guess. We’d warm up and circle the Ziggurat building in Laguna Niguel, an interesting facility, designed to house Rockwell International engineers in the 1980s, in the Space Shuttle’s heyday, but plans didn’t work out quite right. The facility is operated as a joint venture between the IRS and immigration services (hey, it’s the federal government, what can I say?). Back then, the roads connecting the site to the rest of town were blocked off, not yet completed. Perfect for a criterium course.
I spent weeks practicing with a roller trainer, flopping about at first, learning how to keep my arms and those elbows properly tucked, and learning to look over my shoulder without losing a proper line. If you haven’t experienced it first-hand, riding in a peloton of 40 bicycles is pure joy and terror, the sound of the occasional gear change as one prepares for an attack, the swishing of chains, and the hiss of tires in the corners, mixed with a few buzzing freewheels, it’s unforgettable. The problem with the peloton is that if you mess up, you’re going to take a few riders down in the process, not an amusing prospect. I took training very seriously, as I didn’t want to hurt someone else as a result of my own follies.
A few of the riders were real competitors, Category riders that stood out from the group. The peloton would unravel into a narrower line, going progressively faster, and a few familiar cycles would start to sway as the pedals mashed harder. Man, such power! Pulling ahead of the group, you lose the warm coccoon of air, pushed by the group, and you move into the hard wind, undisturbed air, that feels like your effort just doubled, in fact, it just did. Keeping up with the breakaway is pure adrenaline, earning smiles and nods later. Later, the diaper crowd remained quiet, but somehow, their condescending glances were quite different.
I’ve worn out a few bikes over the years, but today, I still have the same bicycle I churned back in the 1980s. My workhorse, the one I thought safest if I’d go down in the group. Just try finding a proper threaded freewheel today, one with less than ten ratios on tap. To the gearhead, the old standard was 126mm width on the rear axle; as marketing pushed for more and more gears, it has grown wider, to 130mm. Brake levers and shifters are integrated, and have been so for some time, as well as indexed shifting. I have my shift levers on the downtube.
Stopping at the local bicycle shops, I’ve noticed the looks. What is that! The older dudes smile and reminisce, remembering when they either had one, or saw them riding on the street. How can it be? It is new! And it’s powder blue too. Hidden underneath, I have quite a few handmade pieces, like genuine sealed bearing Mavic hubs, LeMond team issue. Over 25 years later, Mavic didn’t believe me at first, when I inquired about spare bearings. I photographed the Mavic stampings on them, but they couldn’t figure out the model. They have over 50,000km on them today. I guess Jean-Claude didn’t write down what he put in there. Tough the bearings are quite smooth, I had to measure them to match spare parts. Sealed bearings were nonexistent in commercial hubs in the early 1980s.
The ride? A 1985 Centurion Elite RS , powder blue metallic, my old friend, countless hours on the road, and on the repair stand. I may someday venture into another new cycle, but I’ll never part with that Centurion.
Bob :smileyvery-happy:
