Mike Jacoubowsky
12-31-1969, 08:00 PM
"Qui si parla Campagnolo-www.vecchios.com" <peter@vecchios.com> wrote in
message
news:0cddcc8e-ee86-42c7-821e-33094da65919@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.com...
On May 22, 12:06 am, "Mike Jacoubowsky" <Mi...@ChainReaction.com>
wrote:
> > ahhh, from the era when the object of the ride was the ride, not the
> > bike. Where the bike was there to get you there, not there to swoon
> > and gush over before the ride.
>
> Excuse me? When, exactly, was that era?
>
> Same era as my Ciocc, with Super Record and once built it just went.
> Disappeared beneath me, was there everyday I needed it. Nobody in my
> club got all weak kneed at the coffee shop before our weekend 4-6 hour
> epic, pointing and lifting and talking about the latest gizmo, gadget
> or latest, not compatible with anything else, widget. Our bikes were
> our tools, not the object of annoying affection and weird lust of
> another's ride. After the ride, we went home and cleaned them, checked
> them so as to make sure they would do the same thing the next time we
> rode them.
OK, the big difference is that, while I didn't expect ANYBODY else to lust
after my bike, well heck, I didn't want that because it would have made me
jealous. It was MINE to lust after. There's no way I had a purely mechanical
relationship with my bike. It was magical, and I expected nobody but me to
appreciate that. Perhaps that's the difference between what you're talking
about and the "coffee shop" crowd. I would never expect people to oggle my
bike at an event, and am somewhat embarassed when it happens (rather unique
paint job that does draw a bit of attention). Which, of course, is kinda
dumb since it might help me sell more product, but outside of the store,
when I'm riding, that's not really what I do. I ride.
Are we on the same page or am I still wrong to have had such a relationship
with my bike?
OK, you want to know how weird I was? As if you can't figure that out
without any further info? When I discovered, early on, that Robergel 3*
(trois etoille) spokes looked pretty but failed often, vs the
outrageously-ugly zinc-plated Robergel Sports that you couldn't kill... I'd
actually remove the zinc and polish the spokes up from time to time to make
them look nicer. And that wasn't for anybody else. That was for me. It was
something special I could do for my bike.
--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
message
news:0cddcc8e-ee86-42c7-821e-33094da65919@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.com...
On May 22, 12:06 am, "Mike Jacoubowsky" <Mi...@ChainReaction.com>
wrote:
> > ahhh, from the era when the object of the ride was the ride, not the
> > bike. Where the bike was there to get you there, not there to swoon
> > and gush over before the ride.
>
> Excuse me? When, exactly, was that era?
>
> Same era as my Ciocc, with Super Record and once built it just went.
> Disappeared beneath me, was there everyday I needed it. Nobody in my
> club got all weak kneed at the coffee shop before our weekend 4-6 hour
> epic, pointing and lifting and talking about the latest gizmo, gadget
> or latest, not compatible with anything else, widget. Our bikes were
> our tools, not the object of annoying affection and weird lust of
> another's ride. After the ride, we went home and cleaned them, checked
> them so as to make sure they would do the same thing the next time we
> rode them.
OK, the big difference is that, while I didn't expect ANYBODY else to lust
after my bike, well heck, I didn't want that because it would have made me
jealous. It was MINE to lust after. There's no way I had a purely mechanical
relationship with my bike. It was magical, and I expected nobody but me to
appreciate that. Perhaps that's the difference between what you're talking
about and the "coffee shop" crowd. I would never expect people to oggle my
bike at an event, and am somewhat embarassed when it happens (rather unique
paint job that does draw a bit of attention). Which, of course, is kinda
dumb since it might help me sell more product, but outside of the store,
when I'm riding, that's not really what I do. I ride.
Are we on the same page or am I still wrong to have had such a relationship
with my bike?
OK, you want to know how weird I was? As if you can't figure that out
without any further info? When I discovered, early on, that Robergel 3*
(trois etoille) spokes looked pretty but failed often, vs the
outrageously-ugly zinc-plated Robergel Sports that you couldn't kill... I'd
actually remove the zinc and polish the spokes up from time to time to make
them look nicer. And that wasn't for anybody else. That was for me. It was
something special I could do for my bike.
--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA