I really love “old pro” stories. By “old pro” I am talking about the Australian version, not the trendy European.
In Australia you had the League of Professional Wheelmen, which were a group of what would now be called semi-professionals who made a few bucks from their chosen sport. They would race in the track carnivals and road races around the place and you could make a decent coin if you had your wits about you.
The common denominator was that if you were part of this crew you were a hard arse. Almost always working class and with a high proportion coming from small country towns like Bendigo, Ballarat and Shepperton.
My starting cycling coincided with the demise of this bred. In my way of seeing it this has been cycling’s loss. Genuine hard men have been replaced by an altogether softer breed. Besides old pro’s were always good for a laugh even if they were not trying to achieve one.
I remember riding in a group once and a local “Old Pro” was holding court on various theories about training, mental toughness and tactics. We got on to the subject of weight and “form”. “Old Pro” had strong views on this and made a comment which stopped the conversation in its tracks.
He stated in a voice devoid of one once of humor that:
“You will know when you are in absolute peak condition because you will be able to fart without lifting your arse off the seat.”
So next time you hear someone going all gushy about cycling being like “chess on wheels”, remember that back in the days when the old pro’s ruled, it was an altogether more simple sport.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
New Bike
OK – I have holidays coming up and am going to have a race or two while I am back on the mainland.
I thought I would put my money where my mouth is and get a stiff old school aluminum bike cause that’s what I am always going on about is best for a beefy boy like me.
So trawling through ebay like you do… I comes across a early 2000's Cannondale CAAD4 in my size, full dura ace 9 speed and original Ksyrium SL wheels. Now there are a couple of things the kids should know about the old made in the US of A dales before they go handing over their pineapples.
1. CAAD 4’s 5’s and 6’s are basically the same beast except that a CAAD 4 has a nonintegrated but still 1 1/8th inch fork, and the CAAD 6 has the Cannondale Hollowgram bottom Bracket and crankset.
2. Hollowgram was good back in the day, but a set of second hand ultegra 10 speed cranks is just about as stiff and cheap as chips to replace the BB on.
3. All are the same tubes and geometry.
4. Integrated headsets are for the birds – a nice Chris King nonintegrated for me is the shit.
5. One Mario Cipolinni rode the good old CAAD 4 to about 300 Giro stage victories. He actually preferred the CAAD 3 which was a bit stiffer in the rear end. Now while my mate Marriott does not mind something stiff in the rear end – most of us are happy with the bit of compliance that the CAAD 4 onwards curvy stays give.
Now if you are going to get a Cannondale, you might as well go for a Saeco red one which this little ebay find was, so as they say in the classics, we were onto something of a winner.
No how much would you pay for this little baby you say? Well how about 605 smakkos.
Now this story gets even better, as when I rang the guy to arrange pick up and asked about what it might need to be race worthy so I could get a few bits from me old mates at probikekit, he tells me that I don’t need to worry about a cassette as he has a brand new dura ace one that he will throw in that has never been used. That children is 100 bucks + right there.
A bit more ebaying finds me a new Ritchey Pro stem for 25 bucks and a pair of Oval bars (me likes the bend and is what I had on my much loved Avanti Team Corsa) for 10 bucks. This gives me a 31.8 bar and stem combo for a nice stiff front end, which is what you really want (take note Marriott). I already have a good selle italia slr seat, Ritchey WCS seat post and a new set of chain rings lying around, so an afternoon in the shed and this slightly tatty ugly duckling will be a kick arse swan.
Now I can choose to either run the Mavic’s or my ambrossio excellence 32 spokers with dura ace hubs. Either way they will be having a new set of Vittoria Rubino pro’s pumped up to 130psi.
Oh to see the look on the face of Tony Mirabella when the not so Fatsprintking, rocks up on the stonking red “Lion King” Ballarat Vets sprint destroyer.
I thought I would put my money where my mouth is and get a stiff old school aluminum bike cause that’s what I am always going on about is best for a beefy boy like me.
So trawling through ebay like you do… I comes across a early 2000's Cannondale CAAD4 in my size, full dura ace 9 speed and original Ksyrium SL wheels. Now there are a couple of things the kids should know about the old made in the US of A dales before they go handing over their pineapples.
1. CAAD 4’s 5’s and 6’s are basically the same beast except that a CAAD 4 has a nonintegrated but still 1 1/8th inch fork, and the CAAD 6 has the Cannondale Hollowgram bottom Bracket and crankset.
2. Hollowgram was good back in the day, but a set of second hand ultegra 10 speed cranks is just about as stiff and cheap as chips to replace the BB on.
3. All are the same tubes and geometry.
4. Integrated headsets are for the birds – a nice Chris King nonintegrated for me is the shit.
5. One Mario Cipolinni rode the good old CAAD 4 to about 300 Giro stage victories. He actually preferred the CAAD 3 which was a bit stiffer in the rear end. Now while my mate Marriott does not mind something stiff in the rear end – most of us are happy with the bit of compliance that the CAAD 4 onwards curvy stays give.
Now if you are going to get a Cannondale, you might as well go for a Saeco red one which this little ebay find was, so as they say in the classics, we were onto something of a winner.
No how much would you pay for this little baby you say? Well how about 605 smakkos.
Now this story gets even better, as when I rang the guy to arrange pick up and asked about what it might need to be race worthy so I could get a few bits from me old mates at probikekit, he tells me that I don’t need to worry about a cassette as he has a brand new dura ace one that he will throw in that has never been used. That children is 100 bucks + right there.
A bit more ebaying finds me a new Ritchey Pro stem for 25 bucks and a pair of Oval bars (me likes the bend and is what I had on my much loved Avanti Team Corsa) for 10 bucks. This gives me a 31.8 bar and stem combo for a nice stiff front end, which is what you really want (take note Marriott). I already have a good selle italia slr seat, Ritchey WCS seat post and a new set of chain rings lying around, so an afternoon in the shed and this slightly tatty ugly duckling will be a kick arse swan.
Now I can choose to either run the Mavic’s or my ambrossio excellence 32 spokers with dura ace hubs. Either way they will be having a new set of Vittoria Rubino pro’s pumped up to 130psi.
Oh to see the look on the face of Tony Mirabella when the not so Fatsprintking, rocks up on the stonking red “Lion King” Ballarat Vets sprint destroyer.
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