Cicli Winnipeg

Zumoz, Nishiki, Peugeot, Benotto Modelo 800, Marinoni, and Universal

2012-09-24T21:11:00.001-05:00

Time to ride through the leaves and fallen trees. The first picture is of Andrew and his fixie at Cyclovia. I met up with Andrew again on Wolseley by Raglan with a flat tire. I couldn't help at all, no tube, I just had a pump which was of no use. Walking home a broken bike is never much fun but how many people carry tubes and tools daily?

Here is Mimi with her Zumoz in Osborne Village.

A Nishiki at Riverview.

It was so windy and cold on Saturday, especially Downtown, where the conditions between Broadway and Notre Dame were not pleasant at all. Here is a Peugeot on Bannatyne looking way nicer than it felt outside.

We had a fire on the weekend to mark the beginning of Autumn and the end of Summer. Feels like our cycling days of comfortable riding are numbered and that we have to take advantage of every opportunity. We cycled to the Exchange on Saturday for the Toad Hall Toys sale and took in some political activism, music and bike stories from cyclists talking about touring around Manitoba, across Canada and a proud father (pictured with the Marinoni below) even told me of his daughter's ride down the Pacific coast from Vancouver to Mexico. The lady is riding a Benotto Modelo 800 that she's owned since 1985, she didn't want to sell it (I had to ask).

A made in Poland Universal single speed, the second Universal I've seen. The first was a guy I work with who had a road bike.

Ciclovia 2012: Olmo, Peugeot, Raleigh, Masi, Cito, Sekine and Fixies

2012-09-09T19:02:00.002-05:00

The owner of this beautiful Olmo beat me to the chase for a $10 French road bike at a garage sale in St.James. The owner of the Olmo; Jason, gave me some great stories and some great information about the cycling community in Manitoba. For instance, did you know that Manitoba Cycling Association has a Facebook page where you can connect with people who may have bikes and parts that you need/want/desire?

The Olympic rings of the Ligurian bike manufacturer and the pantographed stars on the crown.

Campy N.R.

Peugeot on Westminister.

A sweet old Raleigh 5 speed which the owner told me her husband bought second hand. They also have a matching straight bar model in the same colour. Romance is not dead.

Frank with his two year old Masi which was purchased at Woodcock. I looked at one of these at Royal/Kings on Pembina, Gerald offered me a good deal, but I still couldn't justify it.

Johanna with her decked out Cito, a German bike that gives Johanna some trouble when it comes to finding parts and the right tools for repairs.

Ghezal with her 70's green Sekine that her husband built up with pieces from MEC.

My wife loves the shadow portrait and here it is with a pair of stripped down single speeds.

Elisa with her pretty single speed. We also took a picture of her friend Andrew's bike but my phone died and lost the picture, sorry Andrew. You are more than welcome to send in pics of that sweet bike and I'll post them for sure.

Don tweeded out with his Peugeot at the Bike Valet. The frame came from the Bike Dump and he built up the rest himself.

Live Cuban Music in the background and chillin' with the Fixie, that's what Ciclovia is all about.

Don't see Premium Rush

2012-09-07T21:27:00.001-05:00

If ever your mind contemplates seeing this movie, immediately take a moment to let this crazy thought pass. No plot to speak of, weak characters, and even the cycling scenes could have been shot better. Some gimmicks were good, but overall it was torturous, right down to the soundtrack. After the movie I found myself weakly defending Teenage Wasteland by The Who.

Cam Nikkel found this Bottechia and sent in these great photos plus one of his personal collection of Schwinn Stingrays. They are all for sale so let us know if you are interested. Here's a link to his blog http://pancakesandskateboards.blogspot.ca/ .

Here are Cam's Schwinn Stingrays - Pink Lady, Lil'Chik and the Pixie.

Fixies sure are beautiful, here's an old school and new school together.

Hundreds of Bikes worth Thousands: The Riding Mountain Triathlon. Cervelo, Specialized, Trek, LeMond, Argon 18, Peugeot, Empire, Marinoni, Masi, Bianchi, Campagnolo, Kuwahara, Raleigh, Rourke and Nishiki.

2012-08-28T17:22:00.001-05:00

Nothing brings out the high end bikes like a well attended Triathalon. We planned a family camping trip to Clear Lake and decided to bring our sixty year old bicycles so we could cruise around the roads and trails in Wasagaming. I noticed when checking in to our campsite that everyone had bike racks and on those racks were almost exclusively road bikes. We thought that the park must be a destination for riding but we soon realized that something much bigger was going on. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of the most current bikes were all over town. After a while the Cervelo S2 and P3 paled in comparison to the S5 and R5. It was crazy; I got to walk amongst the gods and found a few classics sandwiched between the new aero bikes. I also have a new respect for both Riding Mountain National Park and Triathlon as a sport. My family could split the disciplines with me swimming, my wife riding and our son running.

My buddy Bob got to spend two weeks around Languedoc, France doing day cycling trips with six of his friends. The village he stayed in had two things: a bakery and a bike shop where he rented a LeMond.

Old School - New School it's all the same game, Peugeot beside a P3

An old Empire steel frame, don't know anything about this bike.

The new Marinoni which I saw up close at Woodcock a few weeks prior.

A Masi frame from California.

I'll always take a photo of a Bianchi, young or old.

Not sure what's up here, a sticker perhaps or did Campy make complete frames? Let me know if you know.

Kuwahara on up top and Raleigh down below. Respect to these riders who are working with thirty year old technology.

A Rourke cycle from England produced by Brian Rourke who raced road, track and mountain bikes.

Beautiful 80's Nishiki, the pics don't do it justice.

Check out what we found washed up on the beach, a pieced together Marinoni!

Who has Campy rims? and an EDCO derailleur? While I was taking pictures of the bike the owner came over and introduced himself as Matthew. I asked him about the bike and he said it was his father's. I then asked him if he wanted to sell it so he gave me his father's number (actually the number of the restaurant the family runs). He told me his dad had other bikes too, some old Italian company that started with a C,

"Colnago?" I said,

"Ya, that's it, a Colnago."

It took me about five minutes to get back to the campground and dial dad's number. Sure enough, it was an 'old' Colnago that was out in the garage and not being ridden. I said I'd love to buy both bikes and I also need a rear wheel (Ambrosio elite 19 Durex, if you got one) and would love to come by immediately to see all the wonderful treasures I'm sure he had stored for me in the garage. Alas, it didn't quite work out like that, he said he'd look around and call me in Winnipeg. I'm still waiting for the call, perhaps he lost my number and I should call him.

Mystery Cycles: Ascente Prolite, Le Circuit, Apollo, CCM, KKR Donau, Brennabor

2012-08-20T21:16:00.000-05:00

I admittedly don't know as much as I would like to about road bikes, so when I see bikes that I've never heard of I do what everyone does, I google it. But what happens when that doesn't work? I can't find a single piece of information about my KKR Donau that I bought in Krakow, Poland four years ago. I know it has a Karlmarxstadt sticker on it which is known today as Chemnitz and that this town was at one time the headquarters for Auto Union which later became Audi. They had to move from Chemnitz to Ingolstadt in Bavaria after their buildings were bombed to rubble in WW II. Is it possible then that my bike was made by Audi? Now I can finally (almost) say that I have an Audi which makes my old mixte feel more special.

The flip side can also occur; example being the Ascente Prolite that I came across at Vita Health on Osborne. The paint made me think that this must be some rare gem that I'd never heard of, similar to the beaten old Flandria that I see all over the town, but alas I was wrong. A quick google search informed me that this bike is worth very little and the company lasted only five years. It's not unlike people selling Supercycle road bikes for the same price today as they retailed for back when they were new. If you don't know, you probably wouldn't think twice about paying $150 for an 80's Supercycle, when in the big scheme of the collecting world they aren't worth more than $15. That said, a bike is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

The Brennabor was another interesting story, a company that existed from the late 1800's till the end of WW II that specialized in baby carriages. They later expanded to producing bicycles and then automobiles. When we bought this bike, we had no idea that it was at least 65 years old. The CCM looks to be from the 1930's and was picked up for my mother in law for nothing and is in great condition. I guess you can never tell.

Ascente Prolite

Dana with her Le Circuit and Jeff with his Apollo at River and Osborne.

The old CCM

The KKR Donau Mixte

Sixty-Five year old Brennabor

Vintage Bike Gang

Way out West with Steve Bauer, Bianchi, Peugeot, Rossin, and the Trans Rockies Race

2012-08-14T21:16:00.001-05:00

Our friend Darwin's Steve Bauer Chinook that he got from his Dad. The first picture is with the original seat and the second with a NOS Specialized seat. Darwin is touring out East with the Crooked Brothers.

A Bianchi Brava in the Bike Valet at the Salsa tasting event on Kensington in Calgary. The bikes were so packed in that I couldn't get a whole bike shot.

Calgary cycling putting on a display with some old bikes, they wouldn't let me try one.

A beautiful work bike in Fernie that we saw around every day.

Peugeot made everything in Canada, this one was on Main St. in Fernie.

The attachment near the stem allows this bike to swing out while riding so that the bike is not aligned. We got a demonstration and the wheels were about 30cm apart left to right while going forward.

Nicely done old step through in the land of the Mountain Bikes.

When I get rich I'm going to have a Q7 like this one. We actually saw the lovely couple riding down Tunnel Mountain on these Cervelos.

A pink Bianchi for sale at Bike Bike on 17th in Calgary.

A made in Canada Cadet on Banff Ave, 1930's, 40's?

Sometimes I get a little shy about taking pictures or approaching people to take pictures, this was one of those times. Out front of Beano Cafe in Calgary with two dozen hipsters looking on I became insecure and unable to get the photos I wanted of this awesome Rossin.

The line up and the last corner of the third stage of the Trans Rockies.

It was fun to ask the owner of this Hiawatha for a picture when we were surrounded by bikes worth way more money this this beauty.

A beautiful old Garry bike at Stella's that the owner got as a gift when her bike was stolen. All sorts of cool details, pedals, chrome bits on the fenders and mint paint.

Chain Links, Flandria, Apollo, Gitane, Trek, Bianchi, Nishiki, Peugeot, Berlin Public Bike Transportation, and Faggin dreams

2012-07-07T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well they did it and we know why. The fences are up on both sides of the train bridge by Omand's creek and they weren't put there to slow down cyclists or make the route difficult for chariots and impossible for cars. They did it because of the proximity of humans to the trains when they pass. My first question is, how many incidents have occurred with people and trains at this location? I have lived in the area for a great part of my life and have never heard of anything. Most people young and old respect the power of the train when it crosses the bridge, I mean it shakes the ground and the horn resonates in your chest when you are beside it, you can't help but acknowledge the power and possible danger, but then again.....

I keep seeing this Flandria around and I think the owner has seen me taking pictures of it. I looked it up and was embarrassed to find out that it is one of the most famous and successful road bike companies in the history of cycling. This leads me to wonder, does this person know what they have? How come so many bikes in Winnipeg are not restored or even clean?

A sweet old Apollo at St.Margaret's on Sunday, which I realized must be the number one bike to church congregation in the city, so many bikes locked up outside.

This sticker was on an old Gitane step through, sorry that I don't have a full bike shot, my camera broke down and the phone flash is very sketchy.

Absolutely mint Trek 330 on Corydon, it must have been a 52 to 54 cm and looked all original. I remember these from the late 80's because they didn't have the shifters on the down tube.

One day I am going to walk into Olympia cycle on Portage and buy this bike. I don't know if it's a super record, superleggera, campione del mondo or what but it is the right colour and the right era for me. We all have dreams and this is mine.

I was talking to someone who had an 80's Nishiki that he sold last year. He said the first guy who came to see it, got on it and road it 50m, came back and said he'd buy it. He sold it for $200 and feels he could have gotten more because he received a hundred further inquiries about it after the sale.

Nice work with the Peugeot, another 52 to 54 cm spotted on Academy near Lanark. I am assuming the forks never came like that on the Canadian or French versions.

From Berlin, I'm guessing a sign on a U-Bahn metro train letting folks know where to go with their bikes while using public transportation. A small concession that denotes a huge cognitive shift in attitudes towards cycling and cyclists.

Speaking of dreaming a little dream, here are some examples of what Faggin bikes offer today in steel frames. The Primavera is completely covered in stitched leather. The Passeggiata is a Columbus steel framed modern masterpiece. When my pantographed stem rolled up from Faggin in Padova with handwritten notes, a cycling cap and all the best wishes from the Faggin family I made up my mind that one day my family will be going to Padova to visit and purchase a bike or two or three.

Berlin vs Winnipeg for Cyclists

2012-07-01T15:38:00.003-05:00

Olmo Fixed Gear with cool handlebars in Mitte

Early 70's Motoconfort purchased from Cicliberlinetta in 2007

Mike the Bike

Jon has agreed to be a foreign correspondent in Berlin and here are some pictures of his daily ride and an Olmo he spotted. The owner of Cicliberlinetta brought the bike back from Italy or France and Jon purchased the bike in 2007. What impressed me about Jon and his bike was the incredible freedom his bike affords him. Especially when living in Berlin where bikes go on metros, have places on buses, and have their own lanes all over the city. When we got our bikes in Krakow it was obvious from the start that it wasn't going to be like Berlin, but we managed by figuring out safe and smooth routes around town and we loved going into the old town not having to worry about getting our car booted or paying for parking. Jon doesn't need a car in Berlin because he can get anywhere in the city quite easily. A car is often only used for weekend trips out of the city. When we went to Berlin we soon realized that cars don't move, they stay in their parking spots for the week. Spots were precious in Prenzlauer Berg so when we found a spot we didn't want to move the car.

Now in Winnipeg we face the challenges of poor roads, drivers who don't respect human lives on bikes and cops who ticket cyclists for crossing bridges on the sidewalk rather than risking their lives on the road (e.g. Osborne Bridge, Maryland Bridge and Route 90 Bridge). Winnipeg is a big city in terms of area, but it is flat which makes it easy to navigate. Bike paths and bike routes leave a lot to be desired but nonetheless there are plenty of cyclists out there, some who even venture to ride all year round. We are trying to keep the car parked as much as possible but sometimes you got to go to Superstore right?

Summer Time in Peg City: Marinoni, Sherpa, Peugeot, Road King, Flandria, Specialized, Hurricane, Cannondale, Redline, Miyata and another Peugeot

2012-06-30T20:53:00.001-05:00

Bob Pollock and his mid 80's Marinoni with 105 Shimano Groupo on the Train Bridge at Omand's Creek

A Sherpa with a cassette but no derailleur at RWB

1982 Peugeot on Edmonton

Road King; a Canadian Classic, at Unburger

Working the traffic on Ellice with a Fixie

Flandria; a mark I have never seen before in Osborne Village

You can win this LaJolla at Vita Health in Osborne Village

Cameron with his brand new Specialized Secteur

Hurricane, we saw lots of this mark in Europe

The hand of Chris holding his Cannondale

Checking Out a Redline Road Bike

Sunday Morning Bike Rack at Stella's on Sherbrook

Miyata work horse at MEC on Portage

Peugeot at MEC

Bike To Work Day In Winnipeg: Nude Cyclists, Peugeot, Fiori, Miele, Bianchi, Brompton and Raleigh

2012-06-23T15:41:00.000-05:00

The second Peugeot Triathlon on Cicli Winnipeg

Tom from Winnipeg Bike Alert with his Triathlon

Christina with her Celeste Bike

Not sure what this crest is

My wife's Bianchi twin.

Brompton foldable

Fiori Fixie

Natural cycle Employees' bikes

Solar Cycle

Old Raleigh that cycled in from Bird's Hill

Nolan, a bike courier, with his Fixie Miele

The volunteers from bike to work day letting loose

Beautiful images from downtown Winnipeg

Bike to work day was a great success this year with over 4000 people registering for free t-shirts and food at the Forks. My cycle to work was unusual in that I had the opportunity to cycle to Assiniboine Park because that is where work was for me. My wife cycled to work as well and we didn't use the car once yesterday, we even chose to ride to MTS Centre to see Bryan Adams last night.

Say what you will about Bryan Adams, but at one point last night I realized that his music provided the soundtrack for my adolescence. I was sent back to watching Video Hits after school on CBC, Ron Ramirez singing Heaven, school dances and even to Lake of the Woods where my friend Mike Wilson sang Summer of 69 at an 80's Tennis Party on the Yacht Club Dance long weekend. I've always been ashamed of liking Bryan Adams because it didn't quite fit with the ethos I'd tried to attach myself to throughout my life, but Bryan got me early. I

saw him at the Winnipeg Arena when I was just 13 and selling popcorn for Jets games and concerts. He opened for Loverboy and blew everybody away with the Paul Westerberg voice and the Fender Strat power chords; it wasn't normal for the time. He was much more earnest than Streetheart and Harlequin and he didn't look like them, with his white t-shirt and baggy ripped Levi's.

Just before the concert about one hundred cyclists went by wearing little or no clothing. One girl was doing a trick where she extended her leg horizontally over the back of her bike making a human T shape (fully naked). It was quite a spectacle. The Police also cruised by on bikes a couple of moments after the parade, in no big hurry to catch anyone, so cheer to them for letting the kids have a little harmless fun.

Back to Bike to Work Day; the BBQ was good, the prizes were great and the free bike repair from Natural Cycle was fantastic as well. They gave away a Schwinn cruiser, a few Chariots and lots of extras like helmets, pumps, tools, bags etc. Bike Valet was there filling the centre circle with hundreds of bikes, boards and what have you. I didn't see any shops at the event except for Natural Cycle, not sure why not seeing that thousands of potential customers were all in one place for a couple of hours.

We met Tom and his Peugeot on the way and he runs a twitter account called Winnipeg Bike Alerts that informs cyclists of any road hazards in the city. Christina also had a cool bike that I thought was a Bianchi from a distance but I couldn't figure out the badge on it. If you know let me know please.

There's also a picture of Nolan who was working on Portage Ave. when I saw his Miele that he said he'd like to switch over to a 5 gear from a fixed flip flop set up that he currently rocks.

I was hoping for more clean old bikes at the Forks but it seems most folks are happy to ride a fixed gear drop bar beater. That is cool, it's unpretentious and gets the job done, very Winnipeg Style. Perhaps I shouldn't talk because I didn't bring out my Big Gun for the BBQ either, settling for my Donau with my son riding on the back.

Mike the Bike, Berlin and Krakow: How it all started again

2012-06-17T20:57:00.002-05:00

West End Legend "Zooky" and his beloved bicycle

Belated Mother's Day gift, a pair of White Conti's

Jon on Mike the Bike in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

ISK Bike, Raft and Hike Trip, Szczawnica, Poland

Radek on our ride beside the Dunajec River, Poland

Girl on a Foldable bike in Ljubljana, Slovenia

First meeting of the Krakow Bike Gang with our Mixtes at Bagel Mama in Kazimierz

What got me back into cycling was seeing my friend Jon who had been living in Berlin for a few years. I was living in Krakow and we met up around Alexanderplatz, Jon showed up on this blue bike that never stopped peddling and had only a front brake. The name of the bike was gone, only a crest remained to signify that this was a rare French bike that had been turned into a fixie. Jon then convinced me to rent a bike immediately because it was the easiest way to get around. We went under Alexanderplatz station and I got a clown bike with big tires, baskets and a clown horn to boot.

I looked like a kook who comes out to surf two meter overheads with a longboard. Regardless, Jon had got me, I was hooked, and what better place to get into cycling again. Berlin, with it's bike friendly urban planning and ultra cool scene made me instantly want a road bike again. We went to Cicli Berlinetta where I received even more knowledge; all the bikes I rode in the eighties were now three times more than they were new. They had beautiful Italian bikes, French Bikes and they were all restored to the condition they would have been in when they were sold new.

I spent my weekends in Krakow looking for road bikes, then my wife got into it and she bought an old German step through called a Donau at the weekend Targ. We looked at bikes that I didn't recognize, obscure Italian names, Dutch commuter bikes, Polish 'skladak' folding bikes, and sometimes I saw names I knew like Bianchi or Peugeot. I wish I knew what I know now, when I was shopping then.... We ended up bringing three bikes to Canada, the Donau (which is now mine because it was too big), a Brennarbor and the Bianchi I ride everyday.

The Exchange is the new Little Italy: Benotto, Guerciotti, Masi, Miele, Bottechia, Bianchi, Raleigh and a Phillips Cruiser

2012-06-07T22:33:00.002-05:00

Benotto frame fixed gear

Guerciotti Record at Berns &Black/Parlour Coffee

Single Speed w/Campy shifters and a strange derailleur

Berns & Black Employee's Custom Frame, Wooden fenders and Brooks saddle alongside a late model Masi

Canadian Made Miele Fixed Gear with two Hondas

Bottechia Campione del Mondo

1965, Really?

The Bike Rack outside Natural Cycle

Phillips Cruiser

Raleigh Fixed Gear

The girls and their cruisers

Who knew going for a haircut would bring out so many great bike finds today? The Exchange District was full of Italian and wanna be Italian bikes. It was also the site of my first diss, usually people are pretty excited to share their bikes and tell me their stories, but today it was different.

I saw a guy across the street with his bike while waiting for the light to change, we were both walking and as we crossed I asked him if he wanted to take a picture with his bike for a blog. I judged him solely on his appearance, he looked cool, but I couldn't see what his bike was from across the street. He straight up denied me and when I looked down at the bike it said the word 'Code' on it. I can't find any info on Code bikes so no worries.

As I walked to Berns & Black I saw the Benotto, a bike that was first produced in Italy and later moved to Mexico. To me a beautiful combination because I love both countries.

I nearly fell down when I saw the Guerciotti Record, I knew it was unique but I looked it up on Sheldon Brown and realized that I should have been looking for pantographs. Two meters away was the wood rendered custom that had no obvious markings to denote the make. I had to get in for my appointment so I couldn't examine either bike as closely as I would have liked.

After the cut, I went to Natural Cycle to see about some white tires for my wife's birthday present. No luck, but the service was great as usual and it's always nice to look up at the dozens of steel lugged frames.

I saw the Phillips Cruiser going in and when I came out the owner and a friend were unlocking their bikes. I told them I'd just taken pictures of the bike and they agreed to pose for another. I need to take names because I'm a little embarrassed that I forgot if her name was Barb Ann or Debra Ann. At least they weren't too cool for Cicli Winnipeg. I first saw Phillips in Berlin, but they weren't bikes they were mopeds. The company was one of the biggest British bike producers. They were eventually bought out by Raleigh, which I also spotted on Main St. It's hard for me to know what makes a good Raleigh, the blue fixed gear looked good.

I wonder if all the fixed gear owners are keeping their components?

Faggin Mixte, Grandpa Gyula's CCM Rambler 500, Miyata, Olmo Competition, Moser, Gitane, Rossin

2012-06-05T23:05:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Devon and Jasper for sending in pictures of their bikes. The first bike is a Faggin Step through that Devon built up for his girlfriend. I wrote Faggin to find out if they could tell us about this bike so hopefully we'll hear something, but I've never seen a Faggin Mixte before.

The second bike is a CCM Rambler 500 that my Grandpa Gyula picked up from a guy in his apartment block for $20. He gave it to his son in law, despite me letting him know that I could certainly take care of it. I can't complain because his son in law has already given my wife the red Bianchi shown in an earlier post.

Next up is Devon on his Miyata touring bike. We saw Devon, the same person who sold me my Faggin, by chance riding down Wolseley past Telfer street where I grew up. He also sent pictures of the Gitane and the Rossin.

The Olmo Competition from the late 70's was sent in by Jasper from Belgium who contacted me about a pantographed Faggin stem he has. I got to ride an Olmo last summer, it was a great bike with complete Campy NR groupo. I should have bought it, but the price was too high.

The 1978 Moser is all original and is being restored by Jasper right now but it looks pretty incredible as is.

The Gitane is pretty rare here in Manitoba, where do you find these bikes Devon? Not sure if it's a Grand National or not, but it's so tight.

The last bike is a Rossin, which I saw plenty of when living in Europe, not so common here.

Keep sending me your bike pictures....

winnipegcicli@gmail.com

Faggin Campione del Mondo from the late 1970's

2012-06-03T18:02:00.006-05:00

Concor San Marco saddle on Rino Post

Campagnolo shift levers

Pantographed fork crown

Columbus Chrome forks

3T Stem and bar

Campagnolo derailleur

Faggin 58

Gipiemme Sprint Brake

Gipiemme Quick Release

Gipiemme Crank

Gipiemme Hubs

Panaracer Apex tires on Ambrosio Rims

Gipiemme pedals

Campagnolo front derailleur

I contacted Faggin Bikes in Padova, Italy after someone told me on BikeForums that they made pantographed stems. When I inquired, Mike from Faggin asked me to send pictures of the bike. He wrote back and told me that my bike is from the 'last 70's' and that he had a stem for me. I was pretty excited to hear that what I thought was a bike from the mid 80's is really from the late 70's. It might have been made right after Faggin came back from the '76 Olympics in Montreal. That said, it's obvious that some of the components were upgraded from the original set up, Devon who sold me the bike included the original Gipiemme derailleurs. I hope to get the stem soon, I even have a friend going to Venice for the Biennale this summer who I might ask to pick it up. Everyone likes a little adventure overseas, right?

The Weekend Update

2012-06-03T17:09:00.000-05:00

Liam's Radio Flyer Strider

Three ladies with three drop barred bikes from three different eras on Wolseley.

My son riding one handed and my wife riding the tuned up Bianchi, thanks Olympia on Portage.

James on his old CCM Excellence with handmade wheels from Natural Cycle.

Jeff on his new Haro commuter and Brenda on her Kona road bike

Peugeot PB14

Triathalon bike that was unique to Canada

Peogeot Mixte Single Speed

Shop sticker says Cyclaude, never heard of it

Sweet set up on a foldable bike at Osborne Village

Amsterdam style on Westminister with a kid up front and a kid in the back

While having a drink with my colleagues after work on Friday at Cousins, I realized that I could just stand at the corner of Wolseley and Sherbrook or Westminister and Maryland (same difference) and take shots for this blog all day long. All the bikes I love seem to ride by those spots. It made me think that my bike range, even my range of living in Winnipeg is really small.

My life in Winnipeg all takes place (more or less) in an area from Assiniboine Park to the west, Sargent Ave. to the North, the Red River to the east and Taylor Ave. to the south. I spend most of my days in River Heights, Wolseley, the West End, the Exchange/Old Market, Osborne Village, Corydon and Assiniboine Park. All of this is within 7 kms of my house. Once a month or so, we take the car to Selkirk Ave. (Wawel, Balaton, Gunn's and Polsat) or St. Mary's Rd. (Crusty Buns and La Croissant with a pit stop at Woodcock) to buy food and baked goods we can't get in our area. I recently went on a walking tour of Old St. Boniface and felt as if I were in another city.

Bottom line is that if you're riding a Cinelli out in Whyte Ridge or a Colnago on Pritchard Farm Rd. we won't be seeing you on this blog, so send me your photos please: winnipegcicli@gmail.com.

Canadian Made Bikes Rule Winnipeg

2012-05-31T20:32:00.000-05:00

If you have photos and stories you want us to post please email winnipegcicli@gmail.com and we'll post em up. We would like way more pictures blogged everyday.

It's pretty cool and fairly logical that a bike made here in Manitoba still rules the streets when it comes to steel frames. I didn't know that top end Sekines came with Dura Ace or Campy Nuovo Record components or that the paint application was revolutionary. I certainly remember all the Sekine bikes in the 80's, along with Raleigh and Peugeot they made up the big three Canadian bike producers (not including CCM, Road King, etc...).

I was always under the impression that my Velo Sport was from France but I now know they came from Quebec along with Miele and Marinoni. The last bike I took a photo of on my way home from work was this red Gardin on Academy, another Canadian legend from Mississauga. The bikes were essentially the Masi story of Canada: Italian immigrant moves to a new country and begins building world class bikes the way they built them back home.

I also saw Sam and Taz rolling together on Portage in the afternoon and they looked so good I had to ask for a picture: love the steez and love the bikes!

Violet Nelson Remembered

2012-05-29T15:40:00.000-05:00

A beautiful memorial for Violet Nelson who was struck by a truck and then fell into the path of a semi last week. The tragedy is beyond words and the loss to our community is great. I got this from Pat who worked with her at the Graffiti Gallery. Supposedly the City of Winnipeg wants it taken down, citing that it is a distraction for drivers. How ironic is that?

Cyclists vs. Motorists: Is Winnipeg just like Everywhere else?

2012-05-28T14:33:00.001-05:00

An original paint job and classic BMX grips caught my eye immediately so I tried to take a few from the car. Notice the rider chose the sidewalk and not the road between the cars and the barrier on Maryland Bridge.

Have you read the article in the Winnipeg Free Press?

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/my-life-as-a-cyclist-154680305.html

More importantly, have you read the comments following the article?

Lots of support for the article and lots of tough love for cyclists out there. There are so many issues concerning cycling in Winnipeg: the condition of the roads, the manholes that eat 700c tires, the litter and debris that ends up where bikes ride which is cleaned once a year, the positioning of bike lanes and paths, and last but not least the relationship between cyclists and motorists in the city. I don't even know where to begin when my own mother's friends tell me they hate cyclists as I roll up to her house on my bike or when cars honk, swear and pass me at 60 km/h in a 50 km/h while I have my three year old son with me on the bike or when we can't cross pedestrian crosswalks fully dismounted off the bikes because no cars stop.

Like one person said on my soccer team, "If anyone is still whining about Winnipeg then they should just leave, there are so many great things happening in the city; the new stadium, the transit corridor, the new museum downtown and having the Jets back has made a real difference." So it's all good in Peg City everybody: the roads are smooth wherever you go, the lights are all timed to ensure efficient traffic flow, the buses are always on time and we are constantly moving forward with healthier and happier initiatives for our great city. The Bombers are starting the season in their new stadium, the Jets finished final four in the playoffs, the transit corridor is servicing the poor who ride the buses and everybody is feeling honoured and privileged that we will have a Human Rights Museum in a city that exemplifies the essence of Human Rights.

Wet Wolseley Sunday

2012-05-27T21:13:00.000-05:00

A rainy morning at Stella's brought out three nice bikes in Wolseley. Calub's hand showed off his new Bianchi Pista, while a big framed Nishiki from the Bike Dump looked tight. The guy alluded to the fact that Hejsdal had won the Giro and I said I didn't want to hear anymore because I was PVRing it. I guess that's why I forgot his name, sorry. The white bike on Westminister hand some cool handcrafted work on the frame.

Assiniboine Park to Osborne Village

2012-05-26T21:03:00.002-05:00

We were on the bikes early today riding to work with Agata and then heading off to Assiniboine Park via the paths and streets on the north side of the river. My son was riding on the back of my Donau mixte in his Hamax seat, we don't have a chariot. I guess it's the influence of living abroad and seeing how they do it in bike crazy cities like Amsterdam and Berlin.

We liked the planter in the bike basket on the bike path sign pole down on Assiniboine Crescent. We helped set up the Teddy Bear's picnic, hung out at the children's park and rode back down Wellington Crescent. We saw three girls all on white Cervelos, about a minute apart from each other looking pretty serious and going too fast to be approached for pictures.

We did catch up with Doug and Adam on their Masi and Sekine bikes riding down Wolseley and Ted obliged for a photo with his Ompax in Osborne Village. Love the Canadian content; Sekine from right here and Ompax from le belle Province. There were so many more bikes I would have liked to have stopped today for a pic but the situations didn't fall into place. I will keep on asking and if you have things to post, please drop in a comment and a picture. Settling in for an evening of Giro d'Italia with the iconic Passo dell Stelvio (forgive me if the spelling is off).

City of Winnipeg Solution to High Bike Traffic Corridor

2012-05-25T11:45:00.001-05:00

One of the busiest bike intersections in the city has been partially fenced off. The confluence of four bike paths has received a brand new structure meant to make cyclists slow down or dismount their bikes all together. Yesterday, on my way to work I noticed that five poles had been put into the ground on the path leading from the foot bridge to the little bridge (which coincidentally had a pole at each entrance that were both removed after some dreadful accidents) at Omands Creek. As it looks right now they have left a 1 meter space for cyclists to pass by, but I'm curious to see if the plan is to fence that off too in order to channel everyone through the middle. I counted 15 cyclists in the one minute it took me to take the pictures which translates to 900 an hour.
This was at 8:00 am; what I would assume is a peak time for commuters to work, but lets say there is another wave for school and then a steady flow in the morning, a little spike in traffic over lunch and then an inverse repeat of the cycle in the afternoon with additional use during the late afternoon to evening. I am not a mathematician but that adds up to thousands of cyclists using these paths daily. It was bad enough when they built the new walkway at Portage Ave. with an impossible left turn into a pile of rocks going uphill towards the foot bridge and a crazy blind right turn with a concrete garbage container when coming down to Portage. What amazes me is how little consideration and logic goes into all this, the poles that once split the entrances to the bridge that crosses Omand's Creek were so sketchy that wide handle bars on mountain bikes were a tight squeeze. Now the city has built a bike congestion instrument at one of the busiest bike and pedestrian intersections. If they go ahead and fence off the remaining meter of space they will essentially be creating a bottleneck for cyclists that only one bike can go through at a time and good luck wheeling chariots and little people carriers through it. I know that they have these structures on the way to Assinniboine Park in St. James and it's a pain for me when I have my child carrier and have to dismount to get through. I shouldn't complain without offering a solution so here's my idea, why not paint lanes like we use on roads?

The train bridge, as we who grew up in Wolseley call it, has always been a major bike corridor since I was a little kid growing up in the area. It makes me happy that I get to commute over the bridge every day, see the river and sentimentalise my childhood. I remember being frightened to cross it in Junior high because there were always older kids smoking and drinking. Thank goodness they were usually older brothers and sisters of kids I went to school with because they would block the bridge and start messing with me until somebody recognised me and said the magic words, "he's cool, that's Paul's friend". Then, I'd be forced to sip a beer or have a drag of a cigarette before they let me go. You know Wolseley wasn't all professors and socially responsible gentrified folk when I was growing up, it was much rougher back then. The train bridge has always held strong memories for me because it linked me to my friends from camp and from high school. It was symbolic of the class separations in Winnipeg between north and south of the Assinniboine, not unlike the rail shop yard separates the North End from the rest of the city. When I went to Kelvin, my friends would drop me off on Wellington Crescent by the bridge because they didn't want to drive me home. I also remember a time when me and Paul Thorvaldson were sitting on the bridge acting cool in grade nine (that was back in the day when there was no fence separating the foot bridge from the train bridge so you could sit on the black iron ledge) when a bunch of guys rolled up on bmxs from the north side. They said they were going to steal my bike; a Velo Sport Routier 10 with the foamy bars, and I said no way. I hung on to the bike as they tried pulling it away from me. Then they said they were going to throw it in the river and I said they'd have to throw me in too. I started using the bike as my defense, pushing it at them as they approached me. Paul was frozen to the bridge, he didn't move. One kid said, "Let's go, we don't need that gay bike". They passed by me, one spat on me and that was it, I'd saved myself and my Velo Sport.

Now we can all feel safer with the new fencing.... hey maybe the fencing was put up to deter all the dogs roaming illiegally off their leashes ( "don't worry he just likes chasing bikes, he's friendly, he doesn't bite) from crossing the bridge...no I guess they can go off trail and make it around easily. It must be for us dim wittted cyclists who can't help from crashing into each other as we enter and exit the train bridge.

Five Bianchis in a day

2012-05-24T09:43:00.000-05:00

I came across four Bianchis today and saw one for sale on kijiji for $180. Here are some pics.

Jorge going home on his custom built Natural Cycle Bianchi

Single Speed City Conversion

My Campione d'Italia Bianchi

Getting low with the long reach

Trying out the new seat

Ethan taking his kids home from mini-soccer on his fixie Bianchi

More Staff for the W.R.E.N.C.H. and the Bike Dump

2012-05-23T12:45:00.001-05:00

Whats up with the W.R.E.N.C.H. and the Bike Dump? I wanted to get some kids in to build bikes but they are all booked up till fall. We need some more staff at these places, they are organizing all kinds of great cycling events in the city and the community bike shops are awesome. Please take my tax dollars and fund these projects.

On another note: has anyone thought of starting a serious vintage/new bike shop in Winnipeg? Maybe something like this place in New York

http://www.redlanternbicycles.com/

or even better something like this place in Berlin

http://www.cicli-berlinetta.de/

I guess we're getting there with some of the shops like Natural Cycle, but I love the guys at Olympia on Portage and I love Woodcock on St. Mary's. Just put a white Selle Italia seat on my wife's Bianchi that we purchased from Al at Olympia. It was great, our son was wearing a pink hoodie after watching the Giro on Saturday morning so we were totally pumped to be bike shopping and the ladies were pumped about going out to the greenhouses in the pouring rain.

2012-05-18T15:59:00.000-05:00

Here is my 80's Faggin (ya I know, it's pronounced FA ZHEEN OR FA GEEN) that I just bought off kijiji a couple of weeks ago from a guy named Devon. Thanks for the great bike. I contacted the company in Italy about a shorter stem that would keep the integrity of the bike and they responded within 24 hours and told me they still hand make steel frames and have pantographed stems. I couldn't believe that they would give such personalized and prompt service, made me even happier with my new purchase.

Welcome to Cicli Winnipeg

2012-05-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

Hi,

I created this spot to share our love of bikes and to connect our community of cycling enthusiasts. I'm hoping to share pictures and stories about life on the streets for those of us with our heads above the cars.

Indossare il casco!