[CR]Not wanting to be contrary...

(Example: Racing:Roger de Vlaeminck)

To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Bianca Pratorius" <biankita@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2005 18:39:07 -0400
Subject: [CR]Not wanting to be contrary...

I understand Dale's insistence on drawing the line at 1983,... however I also believe that my favorite ride is still very much on topic due to it's frame style and component style. As it stands now only two of my bikes fit the 1983 time limit, but the Raliegh I have is technically a 1986 bike that came with Superbe Pro Suntour components that were neither indexed nor substantially different from what Suntour was making six years prior. I sold it's traditional pedals to a list member and put modern Looks on, because that is the way I ride now, but the shifting is still non-indexed down tube, the lugs and tubing is exactly what was made 10 and 20 years prior. The stem and bars are traditional. The wheels, brakes, chain, bottle cage also are traditional. What's the big deal? My newest bike, the Colnago Arabesque has Dura Ace 6 speed indexing on the down tube and IS 1983.

For me what makes a bike truly off-topic, is not indexing which everyone agrees came in the seventies on department store road bikes, nor bike computers which came in the early eighties and are technically on topic, nor clipless pedals which I still insist actually debuted in 1983... but what makes bikes off topic in my house are aluminum frames (an early invention), lugless frames (unclassic in the least), compact frames, 130 mm rear spacing on road machines, threadless headsets, carbon fiber anything, brifter or brake lever shifting, wierd wheelsets, dual pivot brakes, etc, These are the things that make road bikes hideous, and drive nails through my heart.

Garth Libre in Miami Shores Fl.