As Neil Sedaka pumped out “breaking up is hard to do” but what he didn’t say was that the making-up is something special that you really look forward to. And it felt good. Yesterday my divorce officially ended. I was reunited finally with my road-bike frame, some 35-years after we first met. Sure, when we first met in 1980 the love was deep but like all relationships, it was then an on/off time ala, Burton and Taylor well, to be honest if you know me, probably more Gavin and Stacey. But still, the unpacking and then those first impressions gained, felt good. Sure, she may not have aged that well in places, with her wrinkled chrome forks, like peeling skin that hasn’t used sunscreen but largely, she felt light, looked sharp and surprisingly familiar for something I hadn’t seen in over 15-years, let alone ridden. D, my wife, asked me how I felt. “Surprised” was my first reaction. Surprised by all the things that looked so familiar. Surprised by how well made this frame was. Surprised that is was exactly as I remembered it. And surprised by how strikingly modern she looked. Looking at her, you have to credit and acknowledge the frame builder, Bryan Warnett, for his attention to detail, his engineering and above all his precise measurements. 35-years ago, the production of specialist road-bikes was a whole lot different to that of today. Then, each frame was tailored to suit. Each frame built to fit its rider perfectly, like a well-tailored Salvile-Row suit. Modern bikes have largely lost this connection. With a few exceptions, many are mass-produced in factories to generic plans. Bryan was different. His frames were so far removed from today’s approach, they are diametrically opposed yet, so, so similar. The frame geometry is, as if it were from today’s vintage. But improved. The tolerances and clearances for the brakes and the wheels have millimetres to spare. This is no accident. This is engineering, precise engineering to be exact. That tailored approach that is missing from today. I guess this puts Bryan in that special category of simply being ‘ahead of his time’. 35-years ahead. The pieces are assembling and the project is now live, real and happening. I for one can’t wait for the restoration to be complete and the riding to begin. This is one stunning road-frame and with the introduction of the finest Italian equipment of the era, ‘Campagnolo Super Record’ she will make one of the most stunning bikes on the road. #30yearRecycle
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 06:42:30 +0000
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