I guess it’s Steel Week here on Bike Snob NYC, and one reason to go with the magnetic option when choosing a frame is to not tempt the disembodied hand of fate:
Consider the Faggin:
It’s been in our family for as long as I’ve been writing this blog, which is an astonishing 17 years. (I mean writing a blog for 17 years is astonishing, not hanging onto a bike for 17 years.) Also, who knows how the frame was treated before that, since it certainly looked its age and then some when we got it. Now maybe I’m tempting the disembodied hand of fate [see above] by saying this, but while I know the Faggin could certainly Fa-fail at any point, it’s probably not going to do so in a scary way. (Hey, I used to race bikes, I’ve seen people crash and leave a race carrying two halves of a crabon bike. Also, I don’t know if it’s possible for a pink bike to be scary in any circumstance.)
Speaking of the Faggin, the Faggindex is quite high. Could it be that my recent posts about it have inflated their value? Almost certainly not–as cycling’s preeminent de-influencer, people go out of their way to do the opposite of whatever it is I’m doing. Still, what else could explain these prices?
[Via the eBay]
It’s a nice bike, but $2,500?
Of course, you could save yourself a lot of money by getting a tiny frame with Shimano 600 components:
[Via the eBay]
Just kidding!
Aw, fuck it, I’m getting the Faggin funny bike:
[Via the eBay]
Compared to that little guy it’s an absolute bargain:
And obviously none of those Faggini have the character of this one:
And no, I’m not trying to fluff you for a sale. In fact I’m forbidden to sell this bicycle as the frame has sentimental value and is a part of our family history. This is why I have returned it to regular service and am lavishing mechanical attention on it.
Speaking of steel bikes, and lavishing mechanical attention, my beloved Milwaukee of course comes from valued longtime sponsor Ben’s Cycles, who have graciously assisted me in updating my wheel situation:
The rims are Velocity A23s:
And the hubs are Shimano 105:
This stuff is not even remotely exotic, and that’s exactly how I like it.
Upon receipt they went right onto the Milwaukee:
I’d been using a Campagnolo hub, which is sort of ridiculous since it limits you to Campagnolo (or I guess also Miche) cassettes, but now between the Shimano hub and the friction shifter my cassette options are practically limitless:
Plus I still get the enjoy the perverse thrill of mixing Shimano and Campagnolo:
I might also remind you that derailleur was runner-up in the Classic Cycle 21st Century Friction Shifter Shootout, so give it the respect it deserves.
The A23s are wider than the Open Pros I was using, and are a good fit with the 35mm tires:
Which the Milwaukee clears with room to spare:
Even at the medium-reach brake caliper:
And, I also got a second identical pair of wheels, which I’ve now lavished upon the Faggin:
Yes, silver spokes would look better, but whatever.
The wheels I’d been using on there before were over 20 years old; I remember buying them used and going out to Long Island on my motorcycle to pick them up after work. (Can you imagine I once had a motorcycle and a job? I was a completely different person.) I’d recently replaced the freehub body, and while the operation was a success, it wasn’t the correct body for the hub, and for reasons I don’t quite understand I had to do all sorts of axle spacer shenanigans and the cassette wound up pretty far inboard. (Why an 11-speed freehub body on a 9-speed hub moves the cassette inboard I have no idea.) Anyway it all worked just fine, but the chainline’s much better now, plus the rims aren’t frighteningly concave like the old ones were:
If nothing else, one good reason to ride a steel bike is that you can use pretty much whatever hub spacing you want. Maybe I’ll even get some disc brake tabs put on there. Then the bike will be totally future-proof.