Biking Badger

Alone in the Alps

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:35:00 +0000

Not much known about the rider and the picture seems to epitomize the information about Pierre Gallien. He one a stage in the 1939 Tour but otherwise not much comes up on my Google trawl.This photo is beautiful though showing him on his own in the Alps breaking away or even possibly lagging behind on the dirt roads. It amazes me every time I see these images how the early day races really were epic races with little assistance and crazy riding surfaces compared to today's race conditions.

via Nationaal Archief

I was wondering whether he was riding a single speed bike as they did in those days and I then came across want looks like a chain tensioner. I will need to look into this a bit more but I can remember seeing/reading somewhere about these types of bikes. If anyone has any idea let me know.

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1988 Bianchi Specialissima

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:32:00 +0000

I have a bit of a soft spot for Bianchi's as my first road bike is a Bianchi and one that I will keep even if it is heavy and an entry level Bianchi. One day I may move up the ladder if I can convince the missus that investing in a light weight steed of bygone era is sound. In the meantime I can only dream.

Reference:

Speed Bicycles - your source for all needed bike porn

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Keep-It-Up-Energy

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:56:00 +0000

Found this in one of my magazines that I have bought in the last little while. Its from 1961 Sporting Cyclist and is really funny with the guy pulling what can only be described as someone releaved. not sure if he's releaved of finally finding Dextrosol or maybe he wet himself but either way this way the energy of the sixties. complex sugars that would give you the boost over rivals. No fancy isotonic drinks with crazy flavors, this was just pure carbo-sugar energy.

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Life Before TV

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:22:00 +0000

Wim van Est's wife listening to the stage in the 1960 Tour
So why was cycling so popular with the masses. Well after the war there was not a whole lot of morale floating about Europe and the population looked to sport star's as their distraction from daily toil. Hero's were born and the star's of days past were hard men from the social working class. Hard men made that way by hard work with little payment. TV was also non existent and people would listen to the race via radio or wait for the newspaper the next day to read about it. This was the way most of the grand tours and classics started, to build up readership and gain popularity. So you can just imagine how people all over Europe were glued to the radio commentary listening to the daily stage and the amount of comradeship that was made by this.

The man she's listening to in the center: Jaap Kersten , Wim van Est , Martin van den Borgh

References:

National Archief

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Cinelli Leggerissimo

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:33:00 +0000

via Kevin

Me being a sucker for vintage bikes I came across quite by chance two different sources to this bike. One was the brilliant blog over at the Italian Cycling Journal. Angelo regularly comes up with some brilliant posts of the Italian flair and is well worth a read. The other was my trawling's of Flickr where I got in contact with Kevin who has kindly let me use his photo's.

via Kevin

According to Angelo these frames were produced for Brugelmann who was the biggest Cinelli dealership outside of Italy. The colour scheme was especially painted for Brugelmann in red and yellow.

via Kevin

Andrea Cinelli also reveal's a few secret's to Angelo about the bike: "You are correct that the frame is lighter as we drilled the lugs and the BB shell for lightening, and my father, based upon the close friendship with the owner of Columbus (Aldo Luigi Colombo), had had special lighter tubes made. In that period, the two avantgarde Italian factories (Cinelli and Columbus), in the application of avantgarde racing bicycle technology (high resistance steel alloys) had to contrast the myth and image of the English Reynolds tubing."

via Kevin

There are photo's up on other sites so just go take a look by following the references links at the bottom of the post. The Speedbicycles site has a really detailed collection of all the bits and bob's and you will then understand why I like this bike so much. They also have a collection of quite a few other gems that are worth a gander.

via Kevin

I really like the fork crown with it's double plate really makes this bike stand out. I have often thought about building a frame for myself but never had the courage to take the jump. I must say though if one day I do I would definitely come back to this beauty for pure and simple lines.

via Kevin

Bike Info:
Model: Leggerissimo
Year: 1970-76
Frame: Columbus, 55 cm, extra-light tubing, drilled BB
Hubs: Campagnolo NR
Rims: Fiamme
Tires: Clément Pistard
Crankset: Campagnolo NR, 50t
Handlebar: Cinelli
Stem: Cinelli
Pedals: Campagnolo NR
Seat Post: 26.2 mm Campagnolo NR
Saddle: Unicanitor

References:
Kevin on Flickr
Rembetis
Speed Cycles
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The promised post

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:45:00 +0000

Seems that I've been posting in batches again and not being able to keep it up. Apologies to all. So I won't bullshit you here with some spin story, I just don't have time with baby on the way and projects at work. I will though dispense with a great little gem some might not be aware of. The Vintage Cycling forum is a really brilliant place to pick the brains of some really knowledgeable guys out there and also the site is heavy with pictures of classic bikes. Do yourself a favour and go trawl around its recesses.

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Boonen ends the disaster

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 08:35:00 +0000

I must say I'm a bit of a Boonen fan and was quite dissapointed by his injuries this year. The way Sparticus just powered away from him was amazing and being over lapsed by Gilbert this year has probably not made this eyar one to remember for the Belgian.

The National Sluitprijs that took place yesterday was his last of the season and he will probably take the chance to recharge his batteries on some far off beach. Just hope he stays away from the white stuff becasue surely a third positive would be the end of this bad boy of the peloton.

Seems like there is another rider to keep an eye on and that was the winner Adam Blythe. Must say I don't know much about the young man but will keep an eye out. The loss of Evans seems to me have been the greatest blessing for the Omega team this year as they have been racking up win after win from a variety of riders. I like their attacking style and the flair of Gilbert is brilliant. Pity he couldn't win the World Champs but looking into the crystal ball I'd be very surprised if he didn't wear the rainbow stripes some time in his career.

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Dictator

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:03:00 +0000

A keen eye is kept on Sylvere Maes as he fixes a puncture on the descent of the Galibier. Desgrange ruled with an iron fist and saw the Tour as a test to the utmost of the human character. The harder the race and the more the riders complained the more difficult he would make the race. A mad man or a genius? You decide.

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Natale Milani

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:54:00 +0000

It’s not easy to talk about someone you’ve never even met. But we all do it everyday, and we’re often out of turn. Half of the world’s population discusses the other half, without even knowing them. Today’s world talks about yesterday’s world with utter nonchalance, that’s what history is, be it personal or interpreted and filtered through the accounts of others and their memoires. I would have liked to have met Natale. While I read about his past, I try to imagine what it was like during the war, the time of reconstruction, the anxiety, the shortages, the desires and dreams that were sometimes shattered or came true. I think of Natale and I imagine him in shorts, a bit of an urchin, a watchful rebel, someone who always looked a little further ahead than the others but still kept ranks.

A chap that arranged a thousand sounds and turned them into music; who put a thousand tools in line and created a workshop; who worked with the love and precision of a goldsmith. I think of him in black and white, on dusty roads with horses and carriages. When the first cars were such a rare occurrence they had to sound their horn to gain passage through the pedestrians, who absent-mindedly walked anywhere, sharing the roads with bicycles and horses. Pedestrians stopped in amazement as the new beasts of technology passed by, regardless of the cloud of dust enveloping them.
I imagine Gallarate wasn’t much different to other towns at the time, like those documented by the great directors of post war films. I wasn’t around then and for me it’s all like a movie. His attitude was immediately clear, his creativity was innovative, he had energy to harness like the water of a mountain stream and diligence when doing things. Bicycles were his lifeblood. Whereas his two brothers lent an hand in the family business, Natale spent all of his free time on his bicycle. It was the time of Binda and the era when sport with a capital S was all about cycling and soccer.Natale eventually got the chance to explore his creativity, first at the Ponti Institute – where he studied drawing and design and then at his elder brother’s workshop.
This was MV Agusta, Gilera and Moto Guzzi territory, when the first prototype bicycles were taking form at Milani. In the meantime, they vented their passion in the saddle, riding the hills of the Varese area, conquering fatigue, the cold and the dark: the desire for change. Up early on Sundays to go out on the bike. Ninety kilometres to Domodossola as a warm-up, then one hundred and twenty at top speed, and you didn’t spare yourself, followed by another ninety back home. It’s the most heroic form of cycling. I think that designing bicycles was an important change in Natale’s life. Since he couldn’t follow in the footsteps of the cycling stars, he decided to work for them and try help them become even greater. And so, all his energy, his creativity and his flair came together like a game where the goal was creating new geometrical shapes. Making bicycles was a mission for him. Putting someone in the saddle was not simply a question of sport, it was for life.

A person that communicated with gestures and glances rather than words. A person who certainly wasn’t an easy character, since he was armed with an enigmatic tongue. Like anyone with a strong personality, you either loved or hated Natale. Often it was the first option, and even if the reaction was dislike there was always a great sense of respect nevertheless. His frames are still revered today by those who remain of his generation. Their extraordinary elasticity and geometrical proportion are still praised nowadays, despite the difficult and wary times where it’s often marketing that makes a triangle solid or a frame special. Natale was not just a capable cyclist; he was a skilled craftsman, so much so that during the Second World War he served in the Italian air force as a flight engineer, applying his craft in order to make missing spare parts for planes or applying improvements by modifying existing designs. This combination of craftsmanship and engineering know-how created and consolidated a simple man who was tenacious and rigorous at the same time: “Il Milanin” as he was usually called.

The forge was his precious and irreplaceable ally together with the blowtorch used for oxyacetylene welding: the main figures in a unique and almost impassable space. Observers remained entranced by his dexterity and experience, seen in how he “moved” the frames that went through a last stage when he subjected to them quick burst of the torch. This was his signature. I’ve seen his seventy year old work bench. I’ve seen a small notebook with a pencil sketch of a geometrical design and some numbers. A picture of a saint is pinned next to them, almost as if to protect them. I have found out that his son Celeste still uses those numbers today. I was surrounded by his old workbench, the old brazier, a template and a worn sheet of paper covered with old yet unchanging numbers. In front of me, there was the new Milani collection designed by his son. The only difference I could see was outside, since the road to Milan is now a three lane motorway.

Directly copied from the Milani Website

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Gino the Pious

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:19:00 +0000

One of the greatest wins and comebacks in Tour history and quite possibly even stopped a civil war. not many cyclist can claim that in their palmares but desperate times called for desperate measures. He would win a total of seven stages in the 1948 Tour and win it by a commanding margin. Gino the Pious indeed.

"But et Club" No.127, 1 July 1948

Note the tape on the brake levers and on top of the toe clips, internally routed rear brake cable, single water bottle cage, 1-piece thorn catchers, single chainring, Campagnolo shifter and quick releases, and large tubulars.

Info and photo from Wool Jersey

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A Zullo at Work

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 14:13:00 +0000

When you can dance and smile at work then you know that you've found the right job. Tiziano Zullo has that naughty grin like being caught in the act of doing something wrong. The only thing wrong is that he is not more well known and that we have all become so fixated on the mainstream Rouleur-fed crap. These are builders who look at their work as movable pieces of art.

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God of Thunder Strikes

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 08:12:00 +0000

What can I say. This was a great race all the way. Up until the peloton came into view it was all Gilbert. Then Evan's had a go and really did the jersey proud right up to the bitter end. He has moved into my list of favourites after the grit and determination that he showed, also the fact that he can wrestle a bike up a mountain face and still not loose too much time. But the day went to the Thor Huschovd and he will look good in those rainbow stripes.

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Zullo

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 13:50:00 +0000

Tiziano Zullo was born in 1952 at Stallavena, a small village close to Verona in the North of Italy. His family came from “Zulli”, a little mountain village. Tiziano started racing at the age of fourteen. He road raced in the summer, and spent the winters racing cyclo-cross. He raced for about ten years in both regional and national races. In the early seventies, Tiziano came into contact with the world of frame building through the Italian artisans that were renowned for their skills. Soon, he too was building frames.

The very start was spent on a steep learning curve. Though many had offered a helping hand, very few delivered on their promise. Slowly but surely he grew his small business. Eventually he would supply frames to some better known Italian companies. As well as supplying these other companies, he also sold frames within his local area under his trademark ‘Zullo’. From about this time, ‘Zullo’ frames were supplied to amateur teams in Verona. From 1978 he was able to export his brand to countries like Germany, France, the USA and Australia.

In 1985 he crossed paths with top Dutch professional team TVM. This would lead to Zullo being the frame supplier of the team from 1986 until 1992. The team was well known for such top professionals as Phil Anderson, Dimitri Konychev, Jesper Skibby and Scott Sunderland.

The TVM team utilised the best of frame technology available at the time. Using everything from Columbus SL, SLX, MAX and MS on road, time trial, track and even cross bikes. Zullo frames would be ridden on the roads of Milan San Remo, the Northern Classics and the Tours De France, Giro d’Italia, La Vuelta and World Championships.

In 1994, Zullo would move into the production of tig-welded aluminium frames. Eventually this would lead to the production of combined aluminium/carbon frames. In 2003, Zullo was able to offer made-to-measure full carbon frames. Nowadays, Tiziano Zullo is still involved in the production of some, mainly steel frames. Alongside this, he is still responsible for all the frame graphics and some of the frame painting.

All pictures and the history from the site: http://www.zullo-bike.com/story.html

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Grammont

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Jaap Kersten taking on the Mur de Grammont in the 1961 Tour of Flanders. It may not be Flanders because he seem rather clean for a Spring Classics race. It could well be another race held in East Flanders that happened to include this climb. No matter it is a great shot showing the effort climbing these walls that are lumped around Belgium.

via Nationaal Archief

The picture is from the treasure trove on Flikr from the Nationaal Archief. They have a brilliant section on cycling an anyone keen on the sport should take a gander.

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Aero

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:17:00 +0000

No aerobars. No tear drop shaped helmet, actually no helmet at all. Skinsuit missing. Just sheer determination and muscle. Mr. Paris Roubaix going onto another win.

via Roadworks

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Quattro

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:47:00 +0000

Well done Sparticus

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Hard as the come

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:14:00 +0000

I've wanted to do a post on the Gypsy for some time but somehow just haven't got around to it. I came across this picture of Rodger de Flaemninck after Simon from La Gazzetta del la Bici did a post on the pictures from Roadworks. Really some amazing stuff. This great picture is one of the best that I saw and captures the Roubaix in its essence. The rider is going out of shot, probably because the photographer hit a bump on the back of the bike. The action drawing the eye towards the splash that is really deep and the rider already full of mud. This race is closer to cyclocross than road racing but that is why the Classics are my favorite races.

via Roadworks

He won the Paris Roubaix no less than for times which is an amazing record by itself but add to that a win in the rest of the Monuments of the Spring Classics and you have one hard rider. He was not given the name Mr. Paris Roubaix for nothing. The only person I see taking that title away from him in the upcoming season's is Tom Boonen or Sparticus.

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Tifosi in training

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 02:00:00 +0000

Even while out training Coppi had a crowd supporting him. Imagine going out for a ride and having people cheering you along. No wonder he climbed like an angel.

via ddsiple

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Bobet flying

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Lousion Bobet won the first of his three Tour de France titles from 1953, 50th Anniversary, and would also be the first to do so consecutively. This was despite the fact that infighting worked against the young Frenchman in the beginning. Interesting fact was that this was the last of Gino Bartali's eight attempts to win the Tour de France. It must be remembered that the war separated these attempts so imagine what he could have achieved.

via ddsiple

The photo below is from the Douglas Siple collection showing the winning race move as it happened. Stage 18 from Gap to Briançon that included the Col d'Izoard. With a Deledda, his team mate in the break, Bobet attacked with Jesus Lorono on the Col de Vars. His decending abilities left Lorono behind where at the bottom Deledda waited for him to drag him to the base of the d'Izoard. The tactics of getting a member in the break to help out worked a charm and he ended up 12 minutes ahead of Malléjac and took the yellow jersey.

References:

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Bit of old and new

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000

via Erik Wiersma

Erik sent me this great picture. Not much known about it but thought I'd share it anyway just for the fun factor. Be cool to know if that was a real beard or not. The photo was from the 60's so she was the hipster of her time, scooting around town on her moped.

Reference: Erik Wiersma

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Great photo to sum up the cobbles

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:27:00 +0000

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Cigars

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:28:00 +0000

From the set of "Toto al Giro d'Italia" - an impressive gathering of cycling stars. From left to right; Alberic "Briek" Schotte, Gino Bartali, Fiorenzo Magni, Giordano Cottur, Toto ( in the forground, with his stunt double [I think] in the background), Louison Bobet, Fausto Coppi, and Ferdi Kubler. The joke here is that the cyclists had seen Toto the evening before smoking a cigar, and thought it was perhaps the source of his cycling success, so next day they were all seen at the stage start with various cigars. Coppi gets the biggest cigar, and the biggest laughs.

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Bartali climbing

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:31:00 +0000

This is the last of the 1948 photo's for now. When I find some more I will go back to this great race by Bartali but I'd like to go back to pre-war Bartali to see what this champion could have given us were there not a war, even though he single-handedly stopped a civil war in his hom country of Italy. Here he can be seen ridng with his Italian teammates although I'm not quite sure who they are, if anyone knows I'd really appreciate it if you posted a comment, I take the guess based on the fact that they all seem to have the same jersey.

From Wool Jersey
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Bartali on the Croix-de-Fer

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:20:00 +0000

From "Miroir Sprint" 17th July 1948

Cold, wet day on the Croix-de-Fer, heading for the stage finish at Aix-les-Bains during the 1948 Tour de France. Here Louison Bobet leads Gino Bartali (striped cap) and André Brulé (not sure who forth rider is in light cap). Bartali won this stage, the previous stage to Briançon, three other mountain stages, two of the longest flat stages, and the Yellow Jersey..

Reference from the Wool Jersey

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Bartali's 1948 TdF Legnano

noreply@blogger.com (Hilton Meyer) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:31:00 +0000

So what did the great Bartali ride. Well he had a single gear in the chainring and was using the latest technology with rear shifters. How we take things for granted these days. You can see the Campie Shifters of old and also the quick release skewers on the wheels. So what exactly was he riding?

The Legnano legend from its birth was associated with glory and the first bit of news of the company arrived with Lignon wins an Italian road race called the Val di Taro Cup. Emilio Bozzi is the in the founder of a company bearing his name and would build a bicycle empire starting from 1908. He later teamed up with Franco Tosi who had some patents from an English firm and wanted to build complete bicycles. They build the Legnano brand with the warrior badge and their own warrior is in the from of Alfredo Binda who receives a lifetime contract with the company.

These outstanding bikes are ridden by outstanding riders and the team is led by Edoardo Pavesi, the "avucatt" (the lawyer) who makes a clean sweep of victories. Legnano would really build up a respectable palmares:

6 world titles (Binda alone wins 3 of them), 1
5 editions of the Giro d'Italia,
2 editions of the Tour de France

Pavesi is probably the greatest team manager of all time. As he followed this by another brilliant rider named Gino Bartali from Tuscany. Gino arrives at Legnano in 1936 and immediately wins the Giro. It seems as if the sweet is getting sweeter. But the best naturally comes last as a bag of bones arrives on the team in 1939, Fausto Coppi. Amazingly some of the greatest riders would ride under Pavesi and on Legnano.

Reference:

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