Sage advice, both on and off the bike.

Another East Coast artifact

     If you were a messenger in NYC in you know the patch on this bag. This is an original De Martini messenger bag. De Martini is the original messenger bag. It was started as Globe Canvas by sailmaker Frank DeMartini in the 1950’s. For many years DeMartini was the only messenger bag maker in the world and he supplied most messenger companies in New York. He passed away in 2000 but the bags live on and original ones from when he was still alive are very tough to come by. Here is a link to the modern day website where they are still being made.  De Martini  We used to sell these bags here at Via back in the early 1990's.

RARE! First Generation Campagnolo Record front derailleur 1960.

     I found this very rare item while going through a drawer the other day. It is the first generation Campagnolo Record front derailleur from 1960! You can tell by the chrome plated brass pivot arms that are held to the clamp body by the plated flat head screws and the unslotted cable stop. The arms were later changed to aluminum and were held in place with either a circlip or press fit. Very cool item.

OLD SCHOOL BMX for the Delaware Valley

     East coast artifact here. To be more specific, the Delaware Valley. BMX'er magazine from May 18, 1981. Published out of Langhorne, PA. This is the way I like publications to be:  black and white, short, sweet, and to the point. In this issue is the announcement of three track openings. One in Millville, NJ, one in New Flemington, NJ, and one in Lawrenceville, NJ with race reports. I also love all the ads for the BMX shops from this time. Also included are flyers for upcoming events, including one at Supertrack in Charlestown Township, PA for NBL riders. Classics!

For Sale: Sturmey Archer ASC hub / rear wheel

     Pretty rare Sturmey Archer hub / wheel combo offered for sale today. It is a Sturmey Archer ASC three speed FIXED gear hub dated 1949 laced to a Mavic Sport tubular rim 700C in great working order. Here is a link to the Sturmey archer page with the technical info: ASC   Here is an ad from 1953 for the hub:








                                             
  

  Also included with the wheel are the extremely cool Sturmey Archer wing nuts for easy wheel removal. It unfortunately does NOT have the QR indicator chain or the shifter. There is a method of converting a 4 speed trigger to work with the ASC hub, but is a bit finicky. Also, the metal oil port on the shell is missing, I should be able to come up with one though pretty easily. Also of note is the "Alpine" type butted spokes. They are of an unknown make and are quite "beefy" at the heads and then taper down to about a 1.8mm diameter. The hub was recently overhauled and had a few parts replaced. It  hits all three gear ratios reliably. It is currently outfitted with a 15 tooth splined cog. We also have a couple different size cogs available, if this one does not suit your needs. The wheel is round and true and seems to have had a pretty easy life. The sidewalls show virtually no wear and there is very little glue residue on the tire mounting surface.
     These are highly sought after, don't miss out!
                                Please contact me at: bikeville@gmail.com for pricing / questions.
                                                                           Thanks!

Awesome customer's bike: 1981 Lotus Aero Super Pro

     Sorry for the lack of posts in the past week. I was very busy boxing and shipping out larger internet sale items and also was ill. But, enough about me. This is a really unique bike one of our loyal customers / friend brought in for us to assemble / tune up. It is a 1981 Lotus Aero Super Pro frame and fork complete with the spec'd Shimano AX Dura-Ace component group that he sourced. It is a fine original example, probably the nicest I have ever seen in person. Here is an article about the model's history and specs. Lotus Aero Super Pro! Thanks so much for trusting us with its care! This design was pretty cutting edge for the time and was a bold move for such a young company. It was also featured in the July 1982 issue of Popular Mechanics Magazine! My favorite detail is the aerodynamic brake caliper barrel adjusters, no detail spared in the pursuit of streamlined advantage! Not too long after this, Campagnolo famously introduced its C-Record groups in 1986 complete with the iconic Delta brakes and sculpted components. Enjoy the photos!