A New CampyOnlyGuy Film!

Your faithful CampyOnlyGuy strapped on a video camera or two and rode the Davis Double Century for the 29th time last weekend ... and emerged with the latest of our world-famous cycling videos. Hope you enjoy it.  To see the video directly on YouTube, or to see our other videos, click here.

If you are having trouble viewing the video in your country (outside the USA), click here to download the movie.

More Treasures from Richard Sachs' Vault

Framebuilder (and Campy fan) Richard Sachs has delved into his extensive collection of retro Campy stuff again. Check out his extensive listing of classic parts on eBay.

Here's a sample: Brand-new Sportsman derailleur. Very cool ... perfect for your classic bike?

 

Davis Double The Movie: A Sneak Peek

Another third Saturday in May, another trip around the Davis Double Century course (my 29th time!)

Your faithful Campyonlyguy took a bunch of video, which will emerge soon as a video of the ride. For now, here's a quick sample: a rider slowly chugging up part of the two-mile, 11 percent grade section at the top of Cobb Mountain.



Full video coming to a computer near you soon!

Break Away With Campagnolo

A classic slogan and a classic bumper sticker from the classic era of Campagnolo. Enjoy.

How Low Can You Go? New Campy Crankets Get Doooowwwwn

Riders who enjoy climbing walls with their bikes will be glad to hear that Campagnolo's just-announced new crankset lineup, paired with their 30T cogs, will let you get down to a stump-pulling 27 gear inches with a 30x30 chainring/cog combination. The new lineup includes revamped double and triple cranksets, all of whic have been stiffened to accommodate the higher shifting forces generated by the new EPS electronic front dérailleur. More info here (from Bikerumor.com)

 

More Davis Double Campy-Equipped Memories

The 1991 Davis Double Century was cold and wet, but that didn't deter your faithful CampyOnlyGuy (in the days before he was the CampyOnlyGuy) from completing a circuit of the 200-mile course. We've been delving into our photo archives, and here are a few shots from the '91 edition of the ride. (More photos after the break.)

Photo: Litto's Hubcap Ranch, 1991

29 Times Around the Davis Double Century Course

If you're reading the blog, you are invited to join me for my 29th time around the Davis Double Century course this coming weekend. I'll be riding my 1973 Motobecane Grand Record, equipped with a snazzy gold anodized Campy BMX crankset (photo below).

If you want to ride with me, plan to leave the start at 5:15 and arrive back about 14 hours later. A little slower than some, but if you stick with me I guarantee you'll finish–I have never DNFed on the DC.

Random Campagnolo News

From a recent issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News:

• ShimaNO is beating the pants off of Campagnolo in terms of patents for new technology. The U.S. Patent Office reports 513 ShimaNO patents in the past five years, compared to 149 for Campagnolo.
• Most of ShimaNO's patents seem to be in off-road arena (dirt suspension, hydraulic rim brakes, dropper seat posts, etc.), according to BRAIN. Are we seeing a repeat of the early 90's, when Campagnolo missed the boat the first time on the mountain bike craze?
• BRAIN also reports in a separate item that Campagnolo is working in a road-oriented disc brake. According to BRAIN, road discs are projected to be one of this year's hottest items at the big cycling trade shows.

Got Campagnolo rumors? Email them to enorris [at] campyonly [dot] com

Photos from the Campy Only Vault: Davis Double 1989

We've been scanning a few photos from the Campy Only ride photo archive, taken in the days when we carried a disposable film camera. Today's scanning project was the 1989 Davis Double Century, our sixth time around the course (this year will be our 29th time). Here's a photo of your faithful Campyonlyguy on what was then pretty much a cutting-edge bike: one of the first Cannondale racing frames, built up with a mix of Nuovo and Super Record components. Many of the components are still in our collection, and in fact served on our PBP bike last year. The frame is long gone.

More photos here.

Another Photo of the Campy Only Stable

Guess which type of saddle we usually ride with ...

Another Campy-Equipped Davis Double is Coming!

Your faithful CampyOnlyGuy has ridden the Davis Double Century 28 times ... Did somebody say 29? Yes, we'll be there again. Look for us at the start at 5:15 a.m., our traditional kickoff time.

The ride happens on May 19 (always the third Saturday in May), and we'll be there on one of our Campy-equipped steeds.

Here's our film of last year's DC. Enjoy.

Blast from the Campy Only Past

Here's a photo of the CampyOnlyGuy (in the red hat) and three friends (Tom, John, and Clem) the day before the Death Valley Double Century in 1994. The ride the next day started and ended in Stovepipe Wells, passing through Badwater (lowest point in the US) on the way up and down the valley.

CampyOnlyGuy Photos

A few photos from our Campy-equipped ride last week--a 200K "permanent" owned by Davis randonneur Eric Senter. Below, our Campy-equipped Rivendell Road.

More photos after the break--see the CampyOnlyGuy in action!

Campagnolo on Your iPad and iPhone

The Campy Only email inbox today brought news of a new iPad/iPhone app featuring Campagnolo history and lore (click here to open the iTunes store for more info). The app is not sponsored by Campagnolo--instead, Europe-based retailer (Campagnolo Sportswear Benelux) developed and launched it, which is reflected in the parts of the app that link to their online store.

That being said, there's some great info in the app's timeline, and the promise of more features to come. The app is free, and is available in English.

And ... Once again, Campy Only is recognized for our part in promoting the Campagnolo lifestyle to a worldwide audience. The app's timeline entry for 2001 highlights the party that we threw here in Davis, CA, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tullio Campagnolo:

 

Amazing Campagnolo Stash on eBay

Longtime Campy Only sponsor Richard Sachs went into his extensive stash of classic Campagnolo parts, and emerged with an amazing offering of gear, which is now up for auction on eBay. Imagine the Louvre holding a garage sale.

As of today, Richard has more than a dozen items up for sale, including rare NOS examples of some very desirable items (Cobalto brakes, C-Record, etc.). Well worth checking out. Here's a screen shot showing some of the items:

 

Campagnolo: Even Their Shipping Boxes Are Top-Notch

Here's an interesting report from Campy Only correspondent Mike McGary:

Thought you Campagnolo tifosi might get a kick out of this. Here at the warehouse everyone knows that if you need moving boxes, Campagnolo’s are the ones to grab. Just like their equipment, Campy’s shipping boxes are the best of any we deal with. They are twice as thick as anything else that comes through and all strapped up with cool Campy “Winged Wheel” logo tape. We rarely see any with damage. It’s just another classy touch that Campagnolo adds that not many people know about.

If I ever find myself homeless this would be my structure of choice…

 

 

Two Great Italians (Coppi and Campagnolo)

Interesting post on another blog, particularly for those of us who follow cycling and realize just how much of what's "new" today was really "new" decades ago. In this case, looking at how the position of the "modern" racing cyclist is very, very similar to the position of a racing cyclist (in this case, Fausto Coppi) some 60+ years ago.

P.S. One thing that has changed is the way each rider shifted gears. Look closely, and you'll see that Coppi was using an early Campagnolo Cambio Corsa shifter; Contador has modern shifters.

Feel the Power

Today's retro photo, featuring the Italian national team.

 

Today's Retro Hit: Putting on the Brakes

Campagnolo's Record brakeset defined quality for several decades. A near-perfect design with a host of well-thought-out features added up to a classic item that would last almost forever (we used a set of 1980s Record brakes on our Paris-Brest-Paris bike last year). Their only weakness (in the minds of some riders) was their less-than-stellar stopping power, which led some wags to dub them "speed attenuators," better at slowing than stopping.

Record brakes would eventually give way to more "modern-looking" designs, and ultimately to the much more powerful dual-pivot designs that dominate the market today.

 

Athena EPS Coming to Europe in June?

When can we expect to see Athena EPS available for sale? One online retailer says June.

P.S. The price on this Danish web site translates to $2,730 for gruppo.