The Hardware - Il Campione del Cantina - Basso Gap

The Basso Gap is so named from Mariano Basso's World Championship win in 1972, in a narrow sprint over the one and only Eddy Merckx, a notable feat by anyone's standard (Merckxs Overall classification, Points Classification, and 6 stages in the Tour de France, overall classification and 4 stage wins in the Giro d'Italia and setting the hour record at 49.431 km in 1972 should have been enough for him anyways).

So when you have a victory of that magnitude, why not name a bike after it?

But hey, Basso was no one trick pony, and actually had a pretty decent career:
1966 1 stage, Giro d'Italia
1967 2 stages, Tour de France
1968 1 stage, Giro d'Italia
1969 Giro del Piemonte
Tre Valli Varesine
1 stages, Tour de France
4 stages, Giro d'Italia
1970 3 stages, Tour de France
2 stages, Giro d'Italia
1971 Points Competition, Giro d'Italia
2 stages, Giro d'Italia
1972 World Pro Road Race
1 stage, Giro d'Italia
1973 GP Gippingen
1 stage, Giro d'Italia
1974 1 stage, Giro d'Italia
1975 6 stages, Vuelta a España
1977 Coppa Placci
1 stage, Giro d'Italia

That said, let's not read anything into the title of this entry - The Champion of the Basement. It's my basement, I'm referring to, and this bike is the prettiest one I have.

It's Circa 1984, I bought it in new at the old Bicycle Exchange on Mass Ave in Cambridge in the spring of '85. Columbus SL tubing. This wasn't a top of the line bike. I was told after several frame alignments that the build is 'soft'. This is true, after riding several frames over the years, it certainly doesn't have the snap one would expect from a high-end bike. In fact, my '84 Kellogg frame has a better race quality (more on that in another post).

This is a 'club racer'. It's built for local hacks like me, wanting a reasonable race bike to keep up with the weekly local races. A task it fulfilled nicely.

A few years ago I decided to restore the bike - let me back up.



In the late '80s I stripped the bike and painted it. It was a red candy apple metal flake. I simply took it to a local auto body shop and asked them to paint it a deep blue metal flake. The fork was originally red like the rest of the bike, and I discovered while stripping it that the entire fork was chrome plated, but it was a pretty lousy job. There were pits and file marks, no wonder they painted it. I took the fork to a local metal fabricator that specialized in plating parts for cars and motor cycles, then asked the guy to strip it, plate it, and polish it. It came out fabulous.







In about 2002 I decided to 'restore' it. I took the frame (only) to Ted Wojciack and asked him to do a "showroom" paint job, in the original candy apple red, and put on a complete set of new decals, Again, it came out fabulous. Then I set out collecting old parts, to bring it up to a level slightly higher than what I bought. I went for a complete period Campagnolo Nuovo Record. It originally had a mishmash of Italian parts - modolo brakes, ofmega hubs, cranks, and BB, campy NR shifters and dérailleurs.







I still had some of the parts, but what the fuck, they were used and abused, crashed, scratched up, fuck it. I just decided to get everything as new-looking as possible.

I think I succeeded.



















I have the frame fitted with the following:
Cinelli stem, bars, and cork tape

Campagnolo Nuovo Record: brakes, derailleurs, cranks, seatpost, bottom bracket, 52/42 chainrings, shifters, and headset (yes, those are Bullseye red jockey wheels. Hey, as James Bond would say 'as long as the collar matches the cuffs, I don't mind')





Campagnolo Record hubs

Campagnolo Record Pave rims with newer vittoria sew-ups.

Sachs-Regina 13-18 six-speed freewheel.

A genuine Campagnolo seatpost bolt!!

And, Ya diggin' that gay white San Marco saddle with gold trim Solo?

The frame has details your rarely see on a production bike anymore, Note the logos cast into the bottom bracket shell, seat stays, brake bridge, and fork crown. There are a few little problems. The stickers aren't exactly period, they are from a much newer vintage, but I don't care.
There are a lot of chain-slap dings on the drive-side chain stay, but I don't care.

Ah thank it's real puuurrrrrty.

word.

Back to it/The Hardware - Old Faithful

OK, I realize, this is supposed to be a blog about cycling. In fortunately, in light of my recent injury, There hasn't been a whole helluva lot of that going on.

Last sunday, I tried sitting on the mag trainer for a while, easy gear, cadence ~80. I managed 45 minutes with no pain or discomfort. I went up to take a shower, and felt a slight burning sensation in my heel, and the swelling started soon after. I thought "great, I just set myself back a few weeks"

I went to the Dr on tuesday and got an 'all is going well' assessment. I'm out of the boot now, Her interpretation of the previous mag trainer workout was just that I over did it. Prescription: Short duration ~(20 min) low impact workouts and stretching. She suggested speed walking. She suggested, on a weekly basis upping the time by ten minutes. When I can get in an hour workout with no pain or swelling the next day, I can consider going back to a regular training schedule.

Which brings me to the first in another categories of blog entries: Bikes - The Hardware. I have currently nine (9) fully assembled and ridable bikes.

This entry features my favorite road bike - Old Faithful

This is a Merlin Road frame, Circa 1991. I have probably 50,000 miles on the frame. Currently, I use it as my commuter/weekday trainer.

Components:
wheels - Rolf Vector Comp
fork - Easton EC90 bars - Easton EC70 Stem - Easton EC70
post - Easton EC90 saddle - flite Ti
shifters - Campy Veloce Ergopower 9sp derailleurs - Campy Chorus Cassette - Sram 11-21
brakes - Campy Athena Crankset - Profile Designs Carbon 53/42

A few years ago I had it painted by Ted Wojcieck. It's held up OK, especially considering how well it's beat upon, and the fact that Titanium doesn't take paint very well. I love this bike. After riding something else, it always feels like I've come home. I can't say enough about the wheels, They've been commuter/trainers for about 8 years, and have a good 40,000 miles on them. The bearings are silky smooth (should be after all those miles) and I've never had to replace a spoke. Let me say, I don't exactly baby this thing. Yes, that's a fender. Since I commute on it, I ride alot when it's wet. I was amazed at how much better it is riding when you don't have water spraying up on your crotch.

This bike was one of my most satisfying purchases. This is one of the bikes I want to be buried with. Its ride is true and predictable, and exceptionally comfortable. It's one of the Tom Kellogg designed frames. I don't race it, really just because it doesn't have that out-of-the-saddle snap that you need for a good racing bike. Perhaps as I get older and _my_ snap ceases to be anything of interest I'll start racing on it again.