a lesson in cycling history from Edward Albert:" Gangs of New York" bike exhibition at Rapha Cycling Club NYC this weekend.

This weekend is the opening of Edward Albert's "Gangs of New York" cycling exhibition. it is about early cycling clubs in NYC and builders. Mr. Albert is extremely knowledgable about the subject and is a friend of the shop. If you are in the area I highly recommend going to see this, IT LOOKS AWESOME! Check out the link for photos and a lot more info including times and date. Also, a tip of the hat to Isaac Schell for taking some amazing photos of the exhibition. Link Here!

Fred De Long's handle bar bag

     Some may not see the beauty in this item, but I think it is pretty awesome. This is one of Fred De Long's handle bar bags. For those who do not know who Mr. De Long is, I will give you a brief summary. He was the technical editor of American Bicyclist and Bicycling magazines and was vice- president of the American League of Wheelmen (LAW). He was a professional engineer who had a life long affair with the technical, as well as the recreational side of the sport. He was the technical consultant and project coordinator for the service and repair manual of the Bicycle Manufacturers of America. Mr. De Long lived in Hatboro, PA. Not far from Philadelphia. He wrote a well known guide called De Long's Guide to Bicycles and Bicycling which was published in 1974. He was a huge advocate of cylcle touring and I am grateful for his efforts.
     This bag  has seen thousands of miles and it shows. I like items such as this because they tell a story just by looking at them. The faded and torn canvas, the rusty staples, the sun worn patches, the dirt and grease stains. It all lets me know this bag has seen thousands of miles and was a trusted companion on the road. It reminds me that I need to ride my bike more and seek out adventures. It is easy to get lazy in our sofa king culture and it is good to be around inspirational items such as this. Enjoy! On a side note the last photo is of the bag next to a new old stock T.A.specialties bag to show the difference.

Potential SEPTA strike coming. Now may be a good time to get your bike ready!

Potential SEPTA strike coming
Check out the above link and keep it in mind!

Our colleague John in Nepal!

Our colleague John and his wife Becky are currently in Nepal on their honeymoon. Here are a couple shots he sent us. The first one  is him wearing our shop t-shirt; one store serving the globe, halfway around the globe! The second is a bike shop he passed by, I like it! I am always amazed at how resourceful people are who do not have many resources! Brothers of the wheel.

Random Image signed by Yoshi Konno of 3Rensho

RRe-post from Yellowjersey.org

Zeus!

Repost from veloclassics.blogspot.com

Spring is here! Come pay us a visit!

     Spring is here, barely! We have a lot of bikes in stock ready for you and your cycling needs. We also have plenty of accessories old and new. Also, a full service repair shop, so bring your bike in for service and repairs and beat the rush! Our phone number is 215-627-3370. Our hours are Tuesday 10-5, Wednesday 1-9, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10-5. We are located at 606 S. 9th Street Philadelphia, PA 19147. We look forward to assisting you!

Random image Fridays

Hugh Porter on a really cool Carlton. Photo from sporting Cyclist magazine June 1966

11 year anniversary!

     Today is my 11th year anniversary working at Via Bicycle. I remember the date because it was the day the USA invaded Iraq for the second time, March 20th 2003. I remember riding home after the shop closed around city hall and there were huge protests going on. People were in the streets, it was memorable. I remember thinking I was excited about my new job because i was finally able to make money doing something I love as opposed to just making money and not being very satisfied. Anyway, it has been a wild ride and have no regrets.  Thanks to everyone who has taught me something along the way, i still have a ways to go. The traditional gift for an 11 year anniversary is steel. Ha! Plenty of that around here, maybe it is time to get a new bike!

Personal bike: Mid 1970's Pogliaghi Pista

     Here is another one of my personal bikes. It is a mid 1970's Pogliaghi pista model. Here is a link to the Sante Pogliaghi section in the book The Custom Bicycle. link here! courtesy of Classic Rendezvous. I purchased it several years ago from the original owner, Scottie Hicks. He currently resides in the California Bay area and is a mechanic at The Missing Link. It was originally purchased from Hill cycle here in Philadelphia,  new. Scott raced it at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome for an unknown number of years and then retired it as a training bike. He changed the fork to one that was drilled for a front brake, but provided the original fork when I bought it.
      I have only made minimal changes to the set up. I changed the headset to a Campagnolo steel Pista model and the bars and stem to Cinelli model 18 steel pista bars and an older Cinelli steel badged stem. I also put new tubular tires on it. The rest of the componentry is a mixed bag of Nuovo Record and Super Record. Super Record pista cranks 170mm, Nuovo Record bottom bracket, Nuovo Record pista pedals with cyclo- cross toe clips and Alfredo Binda toe straps. Super Record seat post and Cinelli unicanitor wishbone rail saddle. Campagnolo low flange Nuovo Record pista hub set laced to NISI Moncalieri dark anodized rims. A Regina track chain rounds out the drive train.
     The serial number is #11294 which puts it in the mid 1970's. There is also a stamp of 60P on the BB shell, which I assume is the size and model I.D. One odd thing is the BB shell has the "R" cut out, which is Rossin's logo. the company was sold to him in 1982 and he continued production into the 90's. So I am not sure if Sante actually made this bike, or if Rossin did. Also, maybe it is a transition period when Sante was showing him how to he built bikes. The seat lug has the "PSM" stamp, and other frame details which make me think Sante built this bike, but I will never know for sure. Any help from someone more in the know than myself?
     The frame construction is top notch. Everything is filed and thinned nicely and the brazing is very clean. Classic Italian lines and styling. one nice detail is the drop outs. They are nicely filed into spear points where they are brazed into the fork blades and chain/seat stays. The flat fork crown is gorgeous and the large round fork blades are super strong. This bike retains all of its original decals and paint which is an added bonus. I am proud to be its care taker.