achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on Sept 17, 2005 21:06:09 GMT -5
hey gang! been away for a while, combination of work and free time spent doing other stuff. and you know, once you miss a few days, it tends to spiral until weeks go by.............
but speaking of Italiano works of art............i just ordered another frame. the builder of my current bike, Antonio Mondonico, is set to retire at the end of the year, and i just couldn't pass up the opportunity to own one of the last frames he'll ever build(and indicated as such on the frame).
so anyway, he and his son Mauro were coming to the states one last time to measure people for custom fit frames, so last weekend i journeyed down to Conn., bike on board, to meet them again, have them sign my bike, and order the new one. great day overall, saw dozens of beautiful Mondonico frames, and met a bunch of very happy Mondonico owners.
when i asked Bill Mcgann, the owner of Torelli Imports, why Mauro didn't simply continue building frames after his father retired, i was told that they would probably be very happy to keep on building, but the realities of the falling dollar, and the declining interest in steel framed bicycles, means that they just don't have enough demand to keep them busy doing so. you'd never know it by this shop, at least 20 people came by to get measured for frames, many getting their second or even third Mondonico. another ten or so just came by for a photo and to get their bikes signed. two years ago, they had 20+ people again at this shop ordering Mondonico frames.
anyway, if you visit smartcycles.com, and explore around the site, you can see many of the frames and people i met that day. and if i figure out how to get this posting of pictures to work, some shots of what the new frame will look like.
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Post by Kensterberg on Sept 17, 2005 21:17:41 GMT -5
Hey achn! Great to "see" you back here again! And early congrats on your new steed, I'm sure you'll be just as happy with this one. What kind of grupo are you going with on it (please tell me you're getting a Campy set for this fine Italian frame)?
While you're here, make sure you check out the Greatest American Rock and Roll Band discussion under Influential Music. Hope to see your votes soon ...
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achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on Sept 17, 2005 21:22:08 GMT -5
ok, let's see if this works. this is the color scheme(dark green with yellow decals, chrome fork and right chainstay, horizontal dropouts) that the new one will have. sadly, it won't have the chromed head lugs.    the only difference is that Antonio is building it with a bit of a head tube extension, and the seatstays won't be the monostay pictured here, but the same as my current bike. |
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achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on Sept 17, 2005 21:28:03 GMT -5
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achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on Sept 17, 2005 21:40:14 GMT -5
oh, and to answer your question ken, it will have a Campy Chorus group, just like the one i already have. i've already got a set of Chorus 10 speed shifters, and rear derailleur from back when they were still alloy, not carbon fiber(ooh, shiny!!)
i can get the rest pretty cheap by ordering from totalcycling.uk. i may just go with a Centaur front derailleur, just to save a few bucks. probably order another set of wheels from Torelli. got a nice Cinelli XA stem, the only thing i need to find is a silver, traditional curved handlebar. hope to snag one on ebay sometime.
course, since i really can't even afford the frame, it's probably going to be hanging in my bedroom for a year or so before i get around to building it up.
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achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on Mar 7, 2006 20:26:39 GMT -5
well this board has died a sudden death, huh? anyway, got the news a while ago that my frame was finished, in california and ready for painting. and a couple weeks ago, was told that it was finished, and sitting at the shop in Conn., all done and waiting for me to pick it up. so i'm going down next week, see the guys at the shop, and bring my baby home. the shop owner says it's gorgeous. and he posted a picture to tide me over til i can get it.  the green is such a color that in darker light or shadow, it almost appears black. and i found my handlebar on ebay, cost me a big $15. gonna spend the next months keeping an eye out for other stuff, brakes, cranks, derailleurs etc., and see if i can snag them new or lightly used, at decent prices. |
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Post by Fuzznuts on Mar 8, 2006 10:25:57 GMT -5
absolutely gorgeous.
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Post by Kensterberg on Mar 8, 2006 10:34:00 GMT -5
Wow achn, that is a killer paint job. Absolutely beautiful. How much chrome are you gonna put on it, BTW?
I'm still riding my Bianchi w/chorus. I didn't get in nearly as much saddle time last year as I'd have liked (summer back injury for any of you who might remember), but this year is looking much more promising. I really, really, REALLY want to do my first century some time this year, probably our local one in September.
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achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on Mar 8, 2006 12:41:27 GMT -5
i did pay to have the chrome chainstay as pictured, and the steel fork is completely chromed, standard. that's it. didn't have the cash to have the entire rear triangle chromed as with the other bike. probably wouldn't have anyway, just to have some difference between the two. as it is, now i'm really regretting not paying a little more for the first one to have had the head lugs chromed, as that is gonna be my main bike until the day i keel over on it. oh well.
my goal this season is to do the local "Krank the Kanc", a roughly 21 mile ride to the top of the Kancamagus Highway, which is just about a mile from my front door. i've ridden the road a lot, but only done the official race once, because it comes so early in the season i've never been in shape for it, usually about the weekend before Memorial day. the last five miles are at a roughly 7%grade. still have never made it to the top without stopping, maybe this year
not that i'm in shape for it now either, but i'm not in really bad shape as i usually am in the spring. i didn't get a lot of miles in last year either, not as many as i wanted, but i built a little on the year before, and have been able to ride a little during the winter. went out yesterday and did 21 miles, and i feel pretty good, so i'm gonna try another ride today. still wish it were a little warmer though. gonna try to ride a lot in march and April, and then by the end of April start working on climbing and hopefully be ready for it. gonna do some hill intervals which i haven't done in years, to build up some leg strength and rcuperative abilities. and hopefully lose about 20 pounds.
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achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on Mar 8, 2006 12:50:55 GMT -5
met this guy last fall when i went down to order the new frame. at the time all he had was the frame and fork, but obviously he's built it up over the winter. beautiful frame, beautiful color.
notice the sweet chromed head tube lugs? that's what i wish now i'd done for my first frame. and you can't really make it out, but if you look at the center of the top tube, you can see some black scribbling, which is where he had Antonio Mondonico, the builder, sign his frame with a paint pen.I got both him and his son Mauro to do the same for my bike.
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Post by Kensterberg on Mar 8, 2006 13:01:50 GMT -5
Gorgeous bike there ... I'm obviously more of a fan of carbon fiber (and aluminium frames), but that's neither here nor there, I can certainly appreciate a hand-crafted steel beauty like that. And it's orange ... I love orange bikes (and cars, for that matter).
If the wind isn't too brutal today, I'm gonna have to go get some miles in after work tonight. They're talking about forty mph winds here in the near future, though, so that may not happen. I've ridden a couple of times in near thirty mph winds, and believe me that is absolutely no fun!
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Post by Kensterberg on Mar 8, 2006 13:05:07 GMT -5
my goal this season is to do the local "Krank the Kanc", a roughly 21 mile ride to the top of the Kancamagus Highway, which is just about a mile from my front door. i've ridden the road a lot, but only done the official race once, because it comes so early in the season i've never been in shape for it, usually about the weekend before Memorial day. the last five miles are at a roughly 7%grade. still have never made it to the top without stopping, maybe this year not that i'm in shape for it now either, but i'm not in really bad shape as i usually am in the spring. i didn't get a lot of miles in last year either, not as many as i wanted, but i built a little on the year before, and have been able to ride a little during the winter. went out yesterday and did 21 miles, and i feel pretty good, so i'm gonna try another ride today. still wish it were a little warmer though. gonna try to ride a lot in march and April, and then by the end of April start working on climbing and hopefully be ready for it. gonna do some hill intervals which i haven't done in years, to build up some leg strength and rcuperative abilities. and hopefully lose about 20 pounds. Sounds like we've got some similar goals for the year. I've also tried to be more active this winter, it just hasn't been on the bike (aside from sporadic sessions on the trainer). All this bike talk today has really made me want to get out there and ride ... wish I didn't have to get some documents filed today ... I hope I can get out of the office by five ... |
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Post by RocDoc on Mar 8, 2006 13:20:03 GMT -5
Ken, out of curiosity what did you end up doing to get that back injury healed?
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Post by Kensterberg on Mar 8, 2006 13:30:38 GMT -5
Mainly suffered through the pain. The pain killers my doc had prescribed didn't exactly agree with me, so I just shifted to motrin and trying not to stress my back out. Did some exercises, etc., and a lot of stretching.
If it hadn't improved, I was going to take your advice and go see a chiropractor. But since my own conservative treatment showed progress (albeit slow progress), I just kept with that. My doc did do X-rays and an MRI to make sure that there wasn't any kind of actual spinal injury, and it was all "just" soft tissue injury, which generally responds to rest and recovery type exercises.
But it was no fun at all.
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Post by RocDoc on Mar 8, 2006 15:25:19 GMT -5
I woulda had you back on your bike within 2 weeks...  |
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