Welcome to Bike Snob NYC, a member of the Life-style Exercise Snob, Inc. household of publications:
You may be positive Cigar Snob is 100% free from tedious biking content material, not like that Cigar Aficionado rag:
I learn that paragraph 5 occasions and I nonetheless don’t perceive it. Nonetheless, somebody ought to inform Cigar Aficionado that bike is to biking as vaping is to superb cigars. See, whether or not it’s bikes or cigars, the secret is to calm down and revel in:
In fact I do additionally take pleasure in a superb street bike, and I’ve been attending to know the LeMond Tete de Course:
On Friday we disturbed what I imagine to be a turkey vulture making an attempt to calm down and revel in a meal:
Mmm, scrumptious!
I additionally found that the 28mm rear tire of the Tete de Course was gently rubbing the chainstays on climbs:
So I modified each tires for a pair of 25s earlier than heading out once more on Saturday:
Oh, sorry, flawed bike:
As I rode, I handed a deer carcass on the aspect of the street, and I happed to note that it was lacking a leg. It then occurred to me that the street I used to be driving runs parallel to the one I had been driving the day earlier than, and that I used to be fairly near the place I’d seen that vulture, which means that the leg might very nicely have belonged to this very deer:
So tickled was I by this little bit of macabre serendipity that I virtually circled to take a photograph of the lifeless deer, however I used to be having fun with the journey an excessive amount of and didn’t need to lose my momentum, which might be a superb factor because you’ve already seen extra carrion than you might want to on a Monday morning…although with each images to check whereas making an attempt to maintain our breakfasts down we might have confirmed whether or not the leg did actually belong to the deer, which is the form of satisfying roadkill-related closure you not often get to expertise.
As for the bike, clearance was a lot better:
And the tire swap netted me the additional few millimeters I wanted to journey in blissful silence:
Because of Traditional Cycle I’ve had the chance to journey a wide range of completely different street bikes from a wide range of completely different eras, and a few of them have confounded my expectations. For instance, I didn’t even think about the chance I’d truly like the Vengeance Bike, and it turned out to be one in all my favourite street bikes ever:
In the meantime, I simply assumed the Colnago Bititan would really feel very clean as a result of it was titanium, however actually it felt fairly stiff:
It will be a stretch to say I didn’t like the Bititan–I imply I might actually reside fortunately with it–however I by no means fell for it in fairly the identical means I’ve felt for a number of the different bikes Traditional Cycle have despatched this fashion over time.
In the meantime, the Teledyne was virtually too clean, and it was so flexy it was borderline unnerving:
I imply it was a complete pleasure to journey, however that fork deflected like a partner in an argument, and like a wedding the place each events can’t be fully trustworthy with one another I feared for the bike’s long-term prospects. (Then once more it’s survived for nearly 50 years so perhaps it’s like a type of previous {couples} that appear like they combat on a regular basis however actually love one another.)
Then there are the bikes the place I don’t actually know what to suppose beforehand as a result of I’m too distracted by the aesthetics. For instance, earlier than the Davidson confirmed up all I actually observed was the insane splatter paint:
If I had been ordering a motorbike I’d by no means select the end that steered a number of folks had been butchered close by. Nevertheless, the bike received me over instantly, and since I favored driving it a lot I additionally grew to love the wild look. The truth is I got here near holding it, although I’m glad it wound up with a reader.
Up to now the LeMond is a bit bit just like the Davidson, besides it was the supplies and never the end that I couldn’t get previous at first:
I like easy bikes, which is why after years of driving I’ve bought a bunch of metal ones, solely one in all which has listed shifting and disc brakes:
So once I see a motorbike just like the LeMond I believe it’s gimmicky. I believe it’s attempting too arduous, and in flip I believe it makes me appear to be I’m attempting too arduous. I believe it’s asking for hassle by combining two completely different supplies for seemingly no motive–and never simply two completely different supplies, however two costly supplies.
However just like the Davidson, as quickly as I bought on it I spotted it was an exceptionally good street bike, and after the primary 100 miles there’s been nothing in any way to undermine that impression. Bikes just like the LeMond are like high-end eating places: if you’re strolling previous them you suppose they’re cheesy and that everybody in them is a douchebag, however if you’re in a single your self and also you’ve had a drink or two you’re like, “Okay, that is fairly good”.
As for whether or not gluing crabon and titanium collectively is asking for hassle I don’t know. 5 seconds of Web analysis suggests crabon and titanium don’t fall sufferer to galvanic corrosion or no matter, however I believe that’s particularly “commercially pure” titanium, which titanium bikes should not. For no matter it’s price, I didn’t actually discover any reviews on the Web about this stuff failing, although I additionally don’t know what number of of them Trek bought within the first place. I did discover this on the Ti Cycles web site a few Tete de Course that wanted a brand new downtube, although they didn’t say how or why it broke within the first place:
Clearly you completely can’t go flawed shopping for a body made out of only one materials, particularly if it’s metal, although I’m prepared to offer Trek the good thing about the doubt relating to gluing stuff collectively as a result of they’ve been doing it for a very long time:
Then there’s the truth that the economics of recent bikes and “classic” bikes are fully completely different–and really a lot in your favor, even relating to the exotics. I don’t keep in mind firsthand how a lot the Tete de Course was again in 2003, however in line with this story it was like $5,000, which suggests at this time it could be like $8,000. However at this time you could possibly in all probability choose up a Tete de Course in good form and with good components for lower than what a typical “entry degree” street bike prices. Certain, it’s the bike body equal of a gold diamond-encrusted watch, however apart from that it’s bought no bizarre proprietary fittings and takes all normal components, and with the passage of time (and the diminished price ticket to match) all that materials gimmickry begins to really feel a bit bit extra like classic attraction, or at the least endearing quirkiness. I assume all that’s a roundabout means of claiming it’s a reasonably cool bike.
Anyway, after a two straight days on the Tete de Course I bought again on the Cervino, simply to see how completely different it felt, and you already know what?
It actually didn’t really feel all that completely different. The Tete de Course is clearly a lot lighter, however you don’t actually discover that till you truly choose it up. And clearly you go about shifting the Cervino loads otherwise, however even the previous freewheel shifts fairly easily now with the 10-speed chain, and until you’re racing you possibly can simply settle in and benefit from the variations between the 2 drivetrains as a result of there’s nothing on the road. In any other case they each really feel quick, clean and cozy, and aside from maybe the absence of a decrease gear one bike doesn’t actually depart you wanting for the opposite.
I assume a pleasant bike is a pleasant bike.
