It's 7:30 am on a clear, breezy, Kansas City Sunday morn. The weather is already warm, promising a hot ride today. The boot of the car is stuffed with trade goods for the natives, the small rivet Brooks glows faintly under a new coating of Proofhide, the chain gleams with fresh oil, and the battle scarred old Italvega snorts and paws the ground as I hoist her onto the trunk rack. It's vintage ride time again.
Another Kansas City Vintage Bicycle Club ride has come and gone and, yet again, a fine time was had by all. I suspect it's all due to the extremely painstaking, detailed planning that goes into these rides. (What time is the ride this month, 8 o'clock? No nine. Okay, planning over.) There was a fine turnout of CR listies, including Sarah Gibson, Rick Chasteen, Calvert Guthrie, Greg Gagliano and your humble corespondent. The preride meet and greet was a bit more extensive than usual due to some confusion over the start time, but it actually left more time for people to admire bikes, test ride other folk's iron, and generally putter about with the myriad details that need to be handled before the pedals can be turned. The one universal sentiment was unbridled admiration for the now infamous Raleigh on display in Sarah's shop. Who cares about the frame tubing, this bike is stunning. I asked Sarah if she was going to ride it, but it's too big for her. The suggestion that I should ride it for the sake of all things vintage was too transparent a stratagem and netted only a slapped wrist as I tried to fondle the gear shifts. Oh, well, good thing it's too small for me by quite a bit.
Machines used by non CR listies included a Schwinn Le Tour, Raleigh Grand Prix and a pretty Guerciotti. Your correspondent used the previously mentioned Italvega, but scored no points for being too slow. I'll have to drop a better engine into the bike. Sarah rode one of her shop's new Darwin frames. Points were deducted for the bike being welded instead of brazed & lugged, but it was steel and featured classic geometry with lots of clearance for big tires. Sarah explained the idea was to get a classic riding steel frame onto the market at a reasonable price point, to compliment her shop's lugged steel Santa Fe model. A few more points were deducted from the bike's score for being too darn fast. Mr. Gagliano rode a beautiful Mondonico, but, alas, lost a few points for having aero brake levers. Otherwise he would have been right in the running for best bike on the ride. Mr. Chasteen showed up with an outrageous fixie, a Schwinn single speed frame (Typhoon?) painted gloss black, with a crowned Tange fork and Campy NR high flange wheels. Darth Vader meets Gen X meets classic bike. The seat post had to be 18 inches long.
But the best in show award goes to Calvert Guthrie's newly re-commissioned copper orange Raleigh International. Calvert, always a daring non-conformist, rode in baggy shorts, black leather Sidi touring shoes and fashionable black knee socks. Only Calvert can pull off this ensemble and the bike is a honey. Congrats, Calvert, and we'll send over the traveling trophy as soon as we get in engraved.
Post ride festivities included some wild parking lot swapping, and then lunch at a refined Lenexa eatery, famous for it's gracious atmosphere and appreciation of two wheeled ambiance. Yes, Wild Bill's Tavern is a definite "do not miss".
Well, thanks again to everyone who made it, and for those who didn't, you'll have to wait for next month to see Calvert's socks. Pictures will be posted within a few days, when I can get a few spare minutes.
Peace, love and lugs.
Tom Adams, Kansas City