Last Chance/First Chance?

Snapshot from last year's Last Chance ride.

Who's riding tomorrow or Tuesday? Our local (Davis, CA) club is sponsoring back-to-back Last Chance/First Chance 200K brevets on Monday and Tuesday. Look for Campy Only at the First Chance ride, which goes from Davis to Calistoga and back.

Let us know in the comments if you're planning to end or begin the year on your Campy-equipped bike!

12-27-2012 Ride to Sacramento

12-27-2012 Ride to Sacramento, a set on Flickr.

Photos from today's ride. Enjoy!

Today's Video: A Ride to Winters

Shot some video on today's ride:



Enjoy!

Merry Christmas from Campy Only!

The entire Campy Only crew wishes you a Campy Christmas and a Record New Year!

The Cold War and Campagnolo: Yes, There's a Connection

One of our readers, Dave, wrote in to add to the knowledge base about classic Campy:

Hello, I read your explanation about Campy Super Record rear derailleurs from the late 1970s that actually had aluminum alloy bolts, instead of the much more common standard titanium version.  

You said you didn't know why they used aluminum instead, and the reason is that during the late 1970s the only titanium was being mined in the USSR, and the US was basically in the cold war with them at the time. 

Remember the US boycotted the 1980 Olympics, etc?  Well, we couldn't get any titanium from the Soviets, and neither could the Italians at Campagnolo.  

So Campagnolo tried to make their titanium supply on-hand last as long as possible, which was over a year and a half, but finally it ran out and they were forced to start manufacturing test bolts out of aluminum and some of them actually made it into circulation, but very few. 

I have one mint condition derailleur with those bolts in my collection, by the way. I have been wanting to take some very high resolution photos of it and post them online for all people to see, since hardly anyone has seen one. 

You have a nice website. I have several other things to contribute, since I'm a big Campy collector too, like you. 

Thanks for sending this in, Dave!

Santa "Cruzes" with Campagnolo

From one of our readers...

In this photo you see 2 Masis. The dark blue one is mine. It is a 1972 Gran Criterium from Italy.

The light blue one is a late 70's one made in L.A. by Mario Confenti.

Both are still being ridden with love and care.

Cheers,

Bob in Santa Cruz, CA

Two Campy-Equipped Masis from Santa Cruz, CA

Email photos or your bikes to enorris [at] campyonly [dot] com and we'll post them here!

Dec 16, 2012 - a set on Flickr

Photos from today's ride, a 50-something-mile, somewhat hilly route from Davis, CA, to Napa. A little cold, a little damp, but a nice ride. Dec 16, 2012 - a set on Flickr

Want Another Wireless Option? Check out Tiso

Campagnolo and ShimaNO have a new competitor in the race to convert your local peloton to battery-poered shifting. Independent component maker Tiso has officially announced a wireless electronic gruppo that will work with Campagnolo (and ShimaNO) cogs and cranksets. Read BikeRumor's report here.

 

Today's Retro Shot: Rare Rally

Longtime Campy Only reader Henrik sent in this photo of an unusual derailleur from the Golden Era:

Hello Eric

Here is a special rear mech modified by the Banani shop in Copenhagen in the mid seventies. It's a mix between a Rally and a Super Record, so riders could get a light long cage shifter for mountain rides.

The Banani shop used to build frames as well, famous for their track frames. Rik Van Stenbergen, Freddy Maertens, Danny Clark etc. have all used Banani frames for 6 day Madisons, back in the golden track days.

Henrik :-)

Today's Retro Shot: Gran Sport

The Gran Sport was Campagnolo's first truly successful cable-operated derailleur, and it set the stage for the Record, Nuovo Record, Super Record, and other designs of the Golden Age. Presented below, scans from a Japanese magazine of about ten years ago that chronicled the history of Campagnolo. Enjoy.

BikeCharge Dynamo Light: The Final Chapter

A few months ago, we started testing a new combination dynamo/light/USB charger that looked like a great new product. Our initial impressions were good, but problems soon began mounting.

First, the killer feature of the BikeCharge--the ability to charge USB-powered devices while riding--didn't work on our test unit (more on this later in this post). We asked for and received a replacement unit and installed it on one of our bikes.

The second unit worked well in terms of providing light, but it soon began making a huge amount of noise. It sounded like something was amiss in the mechanicals inside the BikeCharge. We never had the chance to try out the USB function, because the noise was intolerable.

We decided to take a look inside the first test unit to see if we could figure out why the USB charging wasn't working, and made an interesting discovery: the port that the USB wiring plugs into had broken off of the circuit board (see photo). Apparently, all that was resisting the force of the plug entering the unit was two very small solder joints.

In summary, the BikeCharge is a great concept that does some things well (in our testing, it ran with very low drag and put out enough light to ride by at moderate speeds). Unfortunately, in practice the unit suffers from poor design and workanship. Between broken internals and noisy mechanicals, both of the BikeCharges we tried failed to deliver on their promise.

If you're interested in trying out the BikeCharge for yourself, you can order it online here.

Campagnolo and God

In his message about the upcoming CycleItalia visit to Vicenza, Larry T suggests that God was first shown how to attach the wheels to his bicycle when Tullio Campagnolo passed away.

Let's pass for the moment on theological discussions about whether God rides a bicycle (and whether it would have wheels).  However, Campy Only notes that the His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, was presented with a 50th Anniversary gruppo in 1983. God certainly knew about that, so whether it was Tullio or John Paul II, it's pretty clear that quick release technology was available in Heaven by 1983.

See our web page about the 50th Anniversary Gruppo.

Visit Vicenza with CycleItalia!

Our friends (and sponsors) over at CycleItalia are offering a tour of Italy next year that includes a visit to Vicenza, the home of Campagnolo. Here's the scoop from Larry at CycleItalia:

One of the places on CycleItalia's 2013 tour

Just wanted to let your readers know we're making a pilgimage to the home of Campagnolo as part of our Giro d'Italia itinerary in 2013. We don't yet know what Campagnolo has planned to mark the 30 years since Tullio went on to show God how to attach the wheels on His bike, but we'll be there to see the finish of stage 17 in Campagnolo's holy city as well as the stage 18 chrono and the tappone, stage 20 with the finish atop Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

This is a great opportunity to see Italy with the folks who know it best, and to visit places that every Campagnolo fan should see. More information here.

 

Ride Photos 12-3-12

The rain departed mid-morning today, making our Sunday ride to Sacramento much drier and nicer than it would have been otherwise.  Photos here:  Ride Photos 12-3-12 - a set on Flickr

5th Annual Campagnolo Christmas Ride and Toy Drive Saturday December 8

The folks at Campagnolo's North American headquarters will be holding their 5th annual holiday ride next Saturday. Bring and unwrapped toy and enjoy the ride. More info here:
5th Annual Campagnolo Christmas Ride and Toy Drive Saturday December 8 - Santa Ana Cycling | Examiner.com: