Classic Beauty

The "Patent 72" derailleur on our 1972 Cinelli. Not even Campagnolo makes them like this any more. 37 years old (with a set of new pulleys) and still going strong.

Weekend Reading

Not exactly Campy-centric, but a couple of interesting articles we've been reading while we're home with the flu ...

France finds that free bikes aren't always free

Forget "subculture," bikes should be boring, not hip, if they're to become a viable transportation option

Athena 11 Reviewed

Road Bike Action reviews the new Athena 11-speed gruppo online here. They were "very impressed" with the gruppo, which could show up in your local bike shop on bikes in the $2400-$3500 price range.

Tülio, the Multi-Tool

Tullio Campagnolo was well known for tinkering in his shop, devising new bikes parts (such as the quick release), so he might approve of the new "Tülio" from Pedros. The Tülio is a multi-tool masquerading as a quick release lever. Put it on your bike, and you'll never leave home without a selection of eight different tools. More info here.

Update 10-26-09: Don't look for the Tülio in your local bike shop until early 2010. We've asked Pedro's to send us one when they're ready--watch this blog for a road test.

Campagnolo Loses Wheel, Dolphin Expert

Roberto Rinaldi, for 20 years a member of Campagnolo's wheels department, has left to join competitor Full Speed Ahead. At FSA, Rinaldi will be in charge of current and future projects, including FSA's 2012 wheel lineup, according to a report by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.

BRAIN reports that Rinaldi is an accomplished triathlete with several Ironmans under his belt ... and concludes with this interesting tidbit: "... he is a master of Swimming with Flippers," which as it turns out means that he is also a world-famous underwater photographer.

Today's Campy-Equipped Ride

We took our Campy (retro) equipped 1972 Cinelli out for a 100-mile ride today--the Davis Bike Club's Foxy Fall Century. The Foxy Fall is the traditional end-of-season century for cyclists hereabouts. They had more than 1,000 riders signed up for various distances that included metric and full centuries.

More photos here.

Is There "Value" in a $600 Jacket?

That's the question Bicycling magazine posed to its readers as they blogged about Campagnolo's new clothing line. Wrote Bicycling,

"... it’s not whether the $600 jacket is better than a $200 jacket. It probably is. The question is whether or not there’s value in those $400. Readers?"

Huh? Forgive me for throwing a little rain on Bicycling's parade, but it seems to me there are plenty of folks out there (15-million plus in the US) who would love to have a lowly $200 jacket, and would be happy to have the money to buy one.

We here at Campy Only have been opining for years that Campagnolo's clothing is expensive and (for the most part) ugly. We still don't see if for sale at any of the multitude of shops we go to, and we still wonder: Who is buying this stuff?

Holy Silver Thread, Batman!!

OK, time to pry open your wallet and see if you have any cash left over after buying that new $1,900 Super Record gruppo ... Campagnolo is expanding on its clothing line once again, with flagship products like this $600 jacket, which is designed to keep you warm and dry and (in the words of VeloNews.com) "fashion forward." You can layer this atop a $400 Campagnolo jersey, which itself can be worn with a pair of $380 Campagnolo tights. Fashion forward, indeed, at a cost of $1,380 ... at that's without including shorts ($200 and up) and shoes (which Campagnolo thankfully doesn't offer yet). More info from the folks at VeloNews here.

What Goes Around ...

... Comes around, reborn by a new manufacturer. This time, bike maker Electra has brought back the famous Campagnolo "Sheriff's Star" hubs under their own brand (and updated with ceramic bearings). Sorry, fixie/track riders--they're set up with a freehub.

More info here. Click on the image to see other neo-retro parts, like Campy-styled quill pedals and quick release levers ...

Can a Campy-Equipped Bike Be "Bike of the Year"?

The folks over at bikeradar.com have published their list of contenders for "Bike of the Year," and it's good to see that a number of their candidates are equipped with Campagnolo gruppos. Also nice to see that the highest gruppo in BikeRadar's list is Chorus--not a Record or Super Record-equipped bike to be seen (in the photo at left, a Veloce-equipped Argon 18). We've been fans of Campagnolo's lower-priced gruppos for years, and it's good to see the less-than-flagship lines getting some attention.

Hub Update

Kudos to Jim at Hiawatha Cycles in Minneapolis. Before our broken Sturmey Archer hub had even arrived, he was on the phone with the manufacturer arranging for spare parts and special tools so he can fix it (yes, you can repair some non-Campy stuff) as soon as UPS delivers it. Hiawatha Cycles is not so much into Campagnolo, but definitely worth checking out for your other cycling needs.

Tuesday's Bike: Special Edition 11-Speed Trek

The folks at Campagnolo North America sent us these shots of a new 11-Speed Trek, built especially for Campagnolo. This one goes to 11. Nice bike, but what's with the argyle paint scheme? And somebody forgot to put a pair of Campy bottle cages on ...

Sturmey Archer Letdown

Well, one has to wonder what a Campagnolo internally geared hub would be like. With any luck, it would be more dependable than the 8-speed Sturmey Archer hub we recently installed on one of our bikes. That hub came back from tonight's ride as a 4-speed--taking off from a stop sign something inside broke, and half of the gears (1, 2, 3, and 5, for some reason) stopped working. Turn the pedals in those gears, and nothing happens--nothing engages inside the hub.

Needless to say, this is a big disappointment. Stay tuned to see how robust their return policy is.

Coming Tuesday ...

"This One Goes to 11"

Monday's Bike: Clayton's Merckx Ti

Clayton rides this very nice Merckx Down Under in Australia. Interesting mix of new and NOS parts, including a '93 crankset and a set of Delta brakes.

Sunday's Bike: Daniel's Giant

Monday' Child is Fair of Face, but Sunday's Bike could Go Into Space ... according to owner Daniel M. His Giant, replete with Shamal Ultra clinchers, has "more techonology than the space shuttle." Ready to ride? 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 ...

Tuesday's Bike: Brett's Time RXR

Brett picked up this Time RXR back in March. Just 14.6 pounds without pedals. New Super Record gruppo. Nice.

Monday's Bike: Richard's Bianchi Axis

Built up with mostly Campy components, including Khamsin wheels. It's intended for commuting, but it may see a 'cross race this winter.

30th Anniversary Richard Sachs for Sale: $10,000

Master frame-builder Richard Sachs is offering for sale a once-in-a-lifetime bicycle, a 30th Anniversary Edition completely built with period-correct 1970s Campagnolo parts. Here are the details from Richard. (Please tell him you heard about it here!)

$10,000

FS Richard Sachs 30th Anniversary Bicycle Atmo -

58cm C-T seat tube 56cm C-C top tube

Made in 2003.

Only one iteration was ever made; no orders were accepted.

All period correct parts were used to replicate how the biz and art were in the early 70s.

All components were NOS and removed from original cartons for the assembly.

All of the frame pieces are from the late 60s and early 70s. Mix of Columbus and Reynolds tubing, Campagnolo 1010A dropouts, Nervex Ref. 32 lugs, George Fisher fork crown and bb shell. Minimum braze-ons as was correct for the era.

Includes (NOS) 1972 Campagnolo Nuovo Record group, Cinelli 1A stem, old logo 'bars and saddle, Martano rims, Regina Oro 5speed freewheel and chain, and Alfredo Binda Extra toe straps.

Here are some pic links atmo:

• http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2149/2278038991_5af15a93d1_b.jpg
• http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2152/2278040545_86f7551267_o.jpg
• http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2149/2278038991_604e9d8760_o.jpg
• http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/2278828844_a9d9979e22_o.jpg
• http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2062/2333671035_18883b5561_b.jpg
• http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2152/2262818457_8c85168da0_b.jpg

The bicycle has never been ridden, shifted, sat on, and doesn't have a single scratchmo.

Night Riding Survey Update

Results so far in our online survey show that half of us aren't put off by riding in the dark--48% so far say they'll keep riding as usual (with lights) when the days get shorter. About one-third will ride less ... and 8% (vampires, perhaps?) said they would ride more.

Add your input to the survey--will you ride more, less, or the same when the days get shorter?

Saturday's Bike: George's Colnago

George's Colnago is nicely decked out with a Chorus 10-speed gruppo. Check out the photo--it's a super clean bike.

New Project Bike

Sorry, no Campy stuff on this bike, but it was fun putting it together. This is our Rivendell Quickbeam, updated with an 8-speed internal hub from Sturmey Archer (not the much more common ShimaNO Nexus hub!). We'll be testing this for possible use in next year's brevet series (and possibly Paris Brest in 2011).

More photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35176895@N03/sets/72157622384321375/

Thursday's Bike: Jim's Basso

Jim originally bought this bike from an ex-bike shop owner in NYC. Various parts were added and updated, with the results shown here. Lots more photos at Jim's Flikr page.