Random shelf photo

Awesome customer's bike: 1961ish Frejus

     I really enjoy seeing what our customer's bring in and this one is no different. Actually, it is a bit different because it is a bike I have always wanted for my collection. The bike is a Frejus road model and the owner dates it to about 1961. Frejus bikes were very popular in the USA from about 1945-1965. This one was imported to New York by a neighborhood shop in Stony Point, NY which was owned by the late Thomas Avenia. His shop became well known for importing Frejus and Legnano bikes. The top end models had a grease port on the back of the head tube and many classic Italian features. Some of which are the seat lug that utilizes a seat collar to tighten around the seat post and the simple and elegant head lugs as well as the semi sloping fork crown with slim cut out windows. This bike has all those features with the exception of the seat collar.
      The patina on this bike is perfect in my opinion and shows it is a reliable and well ridden machine. A nice touch is the Frejus stamped alloy fenders, very sturdy and sharp looking. The bike also has a full Campagnolo Nuovo Record group with the exception of the Suntour Bar con shifters, which i like better anyway and the Balilla center pull brakes and levers. It also has the second generation Campagnolo Rally rear derailleur with the reinforcing tab which made it more substantial. Earlier versions were somewhat prone to breaking. The Rally was Campagnolo's attempt at a touring derailleur, but also suffered the poor shifting of the Nuovo Record because it did not have the benefit of a slant parallelogram. Still, it is a classic of the era. Also of note is the Campagnolo triple crank set with half step gearing, somewhat unusual. The owner says it is among his favorite city bikes and enjoys riding it on a daily basis. Perhaps some day I will find one in my size.

Cool shop bike: Curtis's Bruce Gordon

     I was thinking yesterday about which bike to profile next and this one jumped out at me. It has been parked this winter in the garage way up high out of view to most, but I know its there. This is another one of Curtis's riders. This bike is a late 70's Bruce Gordon.
      It is a more traditional road racing frame with pretty tight geometry. Curtis has it set up with a little more versatility in mind. 28mm tires gobble up the rough city streets and the trails in the Wissahickon. Campagnolo  Nuovo Record rear derailleur has been converted with Rally cage plates and Bullseye jockey pulleys to allow for wider range freewheels. The rest of the components are standard fare Nuovo Record grouppo. Blackburn rear rack mounted with Blackburn custom eyelets (allows you to mount a rack on Campagnolo drop outs without using P-clamps). This gives the bike some carrying capacity. Criterium style bars add to the fast look of the bike. Note the front light bracket on the front brake caliper, when doing night rides a front wheel built with a Schmidt generator hub is used. E6 front light occupies the bracket providing superior illumination of the road ahead. SPD pedals with platforms provide option for both clipped in riding, or more casual around towning.
      The frame construction is excellent, nicely thinned and contoured lugs with attractive fast back style seat cluster. If you look at Bruce's current work and then look at this bike, you can see the stylistic connections. The rear brake is mounted on the inside of the brake bridge. The paint and decals have nice patina. Like I said, this bike is a rider! Really attractive fork crown with subtle stylistic treatments.
     When Curtis and I have gone on rides in the past and he is on this bike, His smile is bit bigger than usual, I guess he enjoys it! (which of course is the point of riding a bicycle!)