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@gdkhgd
The following story is a testament to, and warning against, spending more time on the forum than on the road - one of the many perils I'm susceptible to as an unabashed fair-weather tarmac tourist. I blame the family and friends who actively encouraged this indulgence over the summer when C19 suddenly made it cool for everyone to ride and came to me, "the bike guy", to hunt for "something not too pricey (like sub 200 quid) but good for getting around town” without travelling in TFL petri dishes.
Ever-loyal friend and brother, I naturally gravitated to our own Classifieds and Wanted threads that cater to such desires and, thanks to sterling fellow-members, earned brownie points among my nearest and dearest and I hope made some pedal pedlars happy in the process. But, it may be that whilst wiling away so selflessly those hours of our first lockdown, I was lead astray…
Indeed, for as my digital perambulations lead me down various fine avenues contained in this magnificent compendium, I struck upon the MGOF goldmine. As if awakening a latent longing for the simple salad days before aero was king and cool was a half-way beer rather than a carb-gel at 300 watts, I was won over by the timeless chic that faced me. The thread read like a refined HHRSB for those with an eye for the finer details: loud monocoque sculptures were trumped by lugs of chrome and slender tubes that would have Kate Moss drooling with jealousy.
Yes, dear confidants, I do confess: I wanted in. Could this be the engineered expression of my amateur athletic endeavours? Might a classic frame explain my inability to hold wheels I once cruised past? Such questions troubled my waking hours and my dreams were visions of rim brakes and fillet brazing. It was only a matter of time before appreciation turned into acquisition.
There was temptation along the way, but as a young Brit seeking sanctuary in the EU with no fixed abode in which to harbour my hobby, I stuck to my ‘one bike to rule them all’ guns. I was particularly taken by a certain Serotta (https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/357431/#comment15689862) but quelled my keenness. I did then take a punt on this very fetching Epic Allez [https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/355811/#comment15747504] but too late!
If I were a tad more prudent, I’d have stopped there and put my fancy on ice until I had the domestic stability and the bunce to pursue this project responsibly. But I’ve come to accept that there’s an emptiness in my existence that can only be plugged with two-wheeled contraptions – and a Segway’s not my style. As it turned out, the hook that finally caught me was not a classic frame but @BigDog 's assortment of campag goodies that had been doing the Classifieds rounds for a couple of weeks.
Now I’m no Campagnolo aficionado and have been more than satisfied by the products of their Japanese competitor. Whether slogging up Pyrenean peaks or navigating urban obstacles, Ultegra and 105 have served me admirably and as far as function is concerned, I have no reason to look any further. And yet… it soon became clear to me that the sleeker tubes typical of pre-aero frames called for more than just practical machinery - propulsion should be provided by aesthetic accoutrements that compliment a leaner frame.
To this end, Shimano’s more recent offerings always seem to me slightly out of place on these classy creatures. Likewise the newer generation of four-arm campag cranks that bring to mind carbon hatchets far too chunky for what I had in mind. No no, it had to be the five-arm campag classic and this was just the ticket:
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