Bob Jackson

I still can't believe how beautifully it turned out. It almost seems a shame to ride it, but ride it I will across the United States this summer. Most of the credit belongs to my good friend Milton Trimitsis, the Nobel Prize quality bicycle mechanic, and all the good folks at the Broadway Bicycle School. Here are some photos:

  • An overall view showing the bike sporting its spiffy Carradice saddle bag.
  • Showing the Schmidt dynohub that I bought from Peter White Cycles in Acton, Massachusetts. The electrical terminals are hidden behind the fork (and not connected to anything yet).
  • Showing the Campagnolo Rally long-cage touring derailleur.
  • Showing the Brooks Champion Flyer saddle that I bought from Harris Cyclery in Newton, Massachusetts. This is similar to the B-17, with slightly softer leather and a sprung suspension.
  • Showing the drivetrain, notice in particular the Campagnolo Record downtube friction shifters and the track pedals with Christophe toeclips.

And for all you bike nerds out there, here are the vitals:

Anybody with more than a passing knowledge of the bicycle industry will recognize that I am an unrepentant retro-grouch, unimpressed by all the "technology" that the bicycle industry has become so enamored of lately. Much of the success of the bicycle as a vehicle is due to the simplicity of the design, a principle that the bicycle industry as a whole seems to have lost sight of. The sad fact is that the majority of bicycles sold in this country are never ridden any significant distance, and so the priority in design is given to features that are good at moving the bicycle off the shop floor but lousy in over-the-road performance. Inexperienced cyclists seem to be very impressed by whiz-bang gizmos such as computers that tell you what gear you are in so that you don't have to look down, hideously complicated levers that combine the shift and brake functions, and whacky wheels with excessively sparse spoking patterns and short life expectancies.

If you actually ride a bicycle somewhere, and are sympathetic to this point of view, then some of the following merchants might be of interest to you: