In a message dated 11/15/2001 9:24:06 PM Eastern Standard Time, phatswag@mediaone.net writes:
<< Subj: [CR]WTB: 56cm track bike Date: 11/15/2001 9:24:06 PM Eastern Standard Time From: phatswag@mediaone.net (Charles Taylor) Sender: classicrendezvous-admin@bikelist.org To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Hi All,
I'm helping a friend's wife find a track bike for friend's christmas present. Bike would be ridden on road and so would need drilled fork, preferably NOT drilled for rear brake. Friend rides a 56 c-c and although I know track frames traditionally run a bit smaller, I think he'd prefer to maintain that frame size. Hoping to spend no more than $500 for a complete bike - less would be even better, but would consider a mostly complete bike (say missing crank, or seat/post, etc - I can dig up the missing bits in my heap).
Anyone? Anyone? Larry?
-Chuck Taylor Boston, MA >> I'll keep my eyes open I recently had a friend come in wanting a track bike in such a size and I rounded up several. He was going to trade a very rare and unique Rigi track bike for it. He brought the Rigi and I paid cash for it but he's going to fix up another road bike for now as a fixed gear The Rigi has the split seat tube, wood rims (70's) and a combinatione Gipiemme/OMAS group Although it's a top-shelf first-class frame, it uses Aelle not SP or traditional Track tubing
I think it's because with the strange seat tube(s), tubeset configurations might be more appropriate.
The other bike he brought really caught my eye and imgination. It's a Cosmopolitan by HiE This would become my most interesting lightweight of the era should i get it. It's way too wacky to describe, and if you know Harlan Meyer or anything about the Company, your imagination might run wild. HiE Cranks screwed to TA rings HiE BB- hollow tube pinned to the crank arms with roll pins HiE Frame- Way OS aluminum aircraft-hammer-rivited to homemade aluminum lugs Internal cabling, dropouts riveted Homemade Aluminum fork crown, riveted blades, eccentric stem clamp. HiE seatpost- thin aluminum tube with internally bonded collar and homemade seat clamp - overly intricate with a lever-actuated abgle adjustment. It came with a cheap 70's seat but I installed a very appropriate Unicanitor nylon track seat and will swap to a Cool Gear 'the seat' titanium when I find it in the piles. HiE Bottle cage - light bent hardened aluminum wire and a thin stainless single hose clamp HiE bottle- these were sold en masse, like the cage, and many of us had them The bottle resembles a squatty shampoo bottle complete with flip-spout. It's reputed make your water last longer than the larger bottle because the liquid takes so long to get out. HiE pump peg - thinner hose clamp and aluminul L bracket HiE Pedals- Too much for words - way ahead of DynaDrive - low profile, single crank-mounted bearing. Everything home-made-low production and one of the few patent-applied pieces. HiE Wheels - these were used extensively and I have three sets now - no two alike The front on this Cosmo has 20 spokes but 40 nipples The nipples were thin hex discs threaded and adjusted through the rim- no protrusion(skirt) through the inside of the rim for aerodynamic advantaga and weight reduction. The spokes are headless. Each one starts at the rim, loops through the hub, and goes back to another hole in the rim. The hub has 48 holes and 8 of them are left open and unused. A must-see in terms of the pattern Rims are heavy foil, rolled and held together with eyelets that become the spoke holes. Home made HiE skewer (we used these often on track and road) The entire front wheel is barely 400 grams- gotta be the lightest 40-spoke wjheel ever, and all without the use of composites - it's all metal
There's a Harlan/70's mix of commercial parts Heavy GB stem, filed away, with a steel hex expander bolt Cinelli deep road bars - #65 CLB rear centerpull brake - reverse-mounted on the 'reverse-mounted riveted bridge and actuated by one of 3 internal cables entering the frame at the ahead-of-their-time head tube area.
Jubilee rear derailleur- drilled out version Simplex front derailler -this one is the most baffling and must have been lying around
Universal brake levers and universal front sidepull - xtra long reach.
I'm planning a coming-out reception for this piece. I remember the Technician Emeritus Hal Wooster of the L.A.B. had such a reception for a veryt similar bike - A Durham Bullseye, back in the early 70's. I now have thet way oversize aluminum bike in my stash already and may bring it along for the show.
When and if a camera pops up that works, along with some time, I'll post some fotos- unless a local volunteer comes along and relieves me of that task. This one's a conversation piece and will probably be my cirque ride Because of the questionable reliability of some of the parts, I may take the short ride or go slowly and cautiously. It's a safe bet I won't be out sprinting the tandems at 45mph on that downhill next time with a hairnet or a SkidLid.
Larry Black
Larryu