Bianchi Campione del Mondo

I have continued with rebuilding/restoring Bianchis.  For some reason I love the Bianchi.  Perhaps it is because Eddy Merckx rode one.  That guy really is the best.

I have decided to match my bike builds to birds that I like through colour similarities.  This one to the left gets its colouring from the male Pine Grosbeak.  It is actually a matter of convenience because the frame is red and I ordered parts that just so happened to match this bird.  I could not lay claim to starting out with a bird I like and building a bike to suit.  That said, I will build a snowy owl some day.  It is just a matter of time.

My plan is to make cool license plates that have the image of the bird.  Something more interesting than just a print out of the bird.  

I also need to get a much better camera (it's on the list) as well as take better pictures than cramming myself in the entryway of our townhouse.  

I am loving the simplicity of single speed, which this one is.  I have flip/flop hubs, which allow me to go fixed should I desire, but I just don't know about that.  Not as hip as I should be, I guess.

 This is the Pine Grosbeak  -  a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Canada, and in subarctic Fennoscandia and Siberia. This species is a very rare vagrant to temperate Europe; in all of Germany for example, not more than 4 individuals and often none at all have been recorded each year since 1980 (Mahalo, Wikipedia)

JB

Sophia on two wheels

Sophia loves her bike, and I love her desire for speed, and how much she appreciates her helmet!!

The Latest Edition

So, I figured that I was due for a bike stand, which I was. I headed down to MEC in Calgary and treated myself to one. No more fixing bikes upside down! Or by holding them between my legs. What a difference it makes to have a third hand, and a bike at the right height. It has totally made tuning up my bikes a much more enjoyable and efficient process.

It's also a great place to store a beer and your beer bottle opener. I vote for a Porter to be a great bicycle maintenance beer :)

Norco Single Speed

My Uncle Bill picked up this Norco road bike at a dump in Southern Alberta - go figure! After a little love, and a seat, it is now a road-worthy single speed. Ready to roll.

The 'New' English Glider

Here it is, after some love.

Raleigh English Glider

So.....picked up this old English Glider from a guy who said it belongs to his mother. This bike is not really my style, but I couldn't pass it up. I love the old fender, chain guard, and handlebars. I put new cable housing on, new cables, and got the wheels back into good working order. I am hoping to sell this bike too.

I am a fan of the crest on the head tube with the dove on it.

red bike

Well, I have been working on this red bike for a while. It's for sale, too. New brakes, new bottom bracket, new cables, new cable housing. No labels. I like that about this bike. It's just a red bike. It's a bit larger, 21 inches measured from the centre of the bottom bracket. One speed. Currently, its gear ratio is huge, so I am looking to change that, when the part arrives, or whenever I find it.

1981 Bianchi Campione del Monde

So, yeah....blog maintenance for me is terrible. Probably because no one is reading it, yet here I am. Putting up pictures of bicycles.

This is the 1981 Bianchi I got my hands on from someone in Calgary. On the bottom is the way it came to me, on the top is what it is now, a fixed-gear ride.

I simply flipped the freewheel hub around, so it's not a "true" fixed gear, but it still works that way. And it has no brakes, so it has to work that way.

I'll see if I can keep this blogging up.

JB