Wood wheel builds

     These are a pair of wheel Curtis recently built for a customer. They are a cool modern solution for older bikes circa turn of the century. The rims are basically a single wall 700C clincher rim with a wooden top attached to them. This enables you to use a regular clincher tire on a bike that would originally use a single tube pneumatic tire / rim combo. Also of note, usually the rim size would be 28", so these are a bit smaller in diameter. The rims come unfinished. These had a couple coats of shellac applied, giving them a wonderful honey finish. Color can be adjusted depending on preference. Add some striping, get nutty!  Riding on original wooden rims / tires can be risky as the tires are likely to crumble. Great idea for a parade bike / Eroica type set-up. Then you can preserve the original wheels for show / display purposes on the bike. Contact us for pricing!

Happy Birthday to our founder Curtis Anthony!

Happy birthday to one hell of a guy! Curtis Anthony, the founder of Via Bicycle! Many more my friend!

Spring of 1994

 This is a photo of Curtis at the Waterworks, by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Taken in 1994 by an unknown photographer who later gave the framed print to us. The bike is an 1880's Columbia Expert. Note the radial spoke lacing. This was a "go fast" machine, Curtis says this was a great riding bike that he put a lot of miles on.

Curtis is back with some bikes from the midwest!

     We got a few bikes in from the swaps in the midwest. my colleague Jacob made this photo. Yes, that is Curtis as Scrooge McDuck diving into the trailer full of bikes. Come pay us a visit and get the pick of the litter!

Cool shop bike: Curtis's Grandis

     Today's post features a long time companion of Curtis, his Grandis. He purchased it in the early 1980's from a gentleman named Gus Betat, who was an importer of high end cycling parts from Louisiana. Originally it was painted blue with yellow decals, the opposite of the color scheme now. Curtis sweated the paint right off the bike from putting so many miles on it. It was re painted by a long time friend of Curtis named Tim Tarbox. He is a sign painter by trade and actually painted the front of our store, signs, and designed the logo for the shop and made the first business card that I had previously posted. Tim brush painted the bike! You really have to look close to see that. He is highly skilled and it shows. Curtis had purchased a replacement decal set a long time ago and Tim also applied them.
    I made no attempt to clean or "church" the bike up as to show it in its actual, ridden condition and set up. The componentry is a mixed bag that works well for Curtis. Shimano 600 hub set laced to aero profile dark anodized rims. The 8 speed rear cassette works nicely against any terrain. Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur and Campagnolo front Nuovo Record derailleur handle the changes. Campagnolo Nuovo Record brake set, Campagnolo Chorus Cranks (minus the auto extractors) which usually get seized anyway. Mavic bottom bracket and Mavic 310 headset, which require the unique tool for adjustment. Early Shimano Dura-Ace STI shifters work well. Flite Ti rail saddle and Campagnolo aero style seat post. Yes, those are basic MTB pedals with plastic toe clips, hey, they work. Two nice frame details are the arching rear brake bridge, which is more associated with British bikes and the engraved logo in the head tube, as opposed to a decal or head badge. Excellent construction with classic Italian lines and styling. Nice semi sloping fork crown, again with the logo cast into the shoulders. One final note is the "made in China " sticker on the under side of the down tube. We like jokes here! Enjoy!

Shop history: The first business card!

     This is the original business card that Curtis used when he first opened Via Bicycle in February 1982. The shop was located at 1353 Lombard Street on the second floor, no windows. Rent was $100.00 a month. Curtis was the only employee. We have come a long way since then, and thank everyone who helped us get to where we are today!

Cool shop bike: Colnago Pista

     Todays edition features this pretty slick 70's Colnago track bike. We acquired this a few years ago at a swap meet, it has been hanging in the office ever since. Curtis says he has plans to put it back in action, but he is a very busy man with little free time. So, it patiently waits.
     It is outfitted with all the components one would imagine to grace such a specialty machine. Steel Cinelli stem and Pista bars, model 18 I believe. Campagnolo pista grouppo with the cool steel pista headset. Crank arms have unusual stamping on the back, no date code but 8 digit number sequence. Not sure of the signifigance. Super Champion  Arc en Ciel rims laced to Record pista hubs. The bike currently has a San Marco Concor saddle, but we have the proper Colnago Unicanitor saddle for it. Maybe some day we will install it?

The decals are mostly gone but the ghost images are still visible as well as a few bits. The fork crown on this bike is the real star in my opinion. Large "C" with clover graces the top of the flat crown. Immediately recognizable. Nice round fork blades are very strong. The clearance between the front tire and crown is super tight, literally 2mm. I really like that look and it also speaks to the precision of who ever built these wheels , very little room for error. Elegant head tube lugs with classic clover cut outs. Nice seat cluster with smooth lines, again classic Italian styling. Campagnolo track ends and nice clover cut out in the BB shell. The paint leaves a little to be desired in my opinion, not really feeling the "ketchup" red. But that is just nit-picking. This bike is superb, a real thoroughbred in great original condition!

 

    

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!)