Guy,
Glad you are enjoying our discussions and experiencing the joy these classic bike offer.
I would wager that the majority of CR folks RIDE our bikes more (at least, as much) than we talk about them. I know I do. Few of us could speak so elequently and passionately about these bikes if it didn't reflect the joy we find in ridng them. Super Record, silk tubulars, Brooks swallow saddles, etc... mean so much to us because of our experiences using them. We reflect on their feel, their character, their beauty.
I can't say what my mileage was this year - I do not have odometers on most my classic bikes. I know it was nearly as much as I'd like. I will say that my time on a bike was 20 times greater than the time I spent talking ....(well, I must admit that I talk a lot about bikes, but I still spend a lot of time riding).
Jill DiMauro Kensington, MD
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-admin@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-admin@bikelist.org]On Behalf Of Guy Apple Sent: Friday, December 28, 2001 2:58 PM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Classic Mileage
Hi List Members,
The question for the list:
Do you guys talk about your classic lightweight bikes more than ride them? What part of this hobby do you enjoy the most?
As another year draws to a close, I am considering what I achieved/learned over the last year. In doing this retrospective exercise, I reflected on the thoughts of another more venerable list member's comment to me just the other day, while on a vintage ride.
"We (CR types) tend to talk about our bikes more than ride them."
The discussion continued...CR is really about a the hobby, riding is only part of the hobby...the sporty part.
I am pretty new to the list, less than a year. I joined to learn more about lugged, down-tube shifting classic bikes and to maybe make some new friends. Not necessarily to ride more. For me, I rode (almost) twice as much this year as last year and I can directly attribute some of that extra mileage to my renewed enthusiasm for my (new) older bikes.
Here is my mileage for the year:
2000 Lemond Chambray (modern aluminum "crit" bike) 1700 miles 1972 Schwinn Paramount (fixed-gear commuter bike) 645 miles 1987 Colnago Master (C-Record/Delta) 420 miles Misc mileage from all other bikes (estimate) 150 miles
Total miles for (2000 was 1600 miles) 2001 2915 miles
Further, I did not own the Schwinn and the Colnago a year ago. I did not know a C-Record group from a NR group and I certainly did not know what a fixed-gear bike was! I did learn alot and am making some new friends.
Happy New Year, thanks to Dale and the List for a great year!
Guy Apple
Sunnyvale, CA