Post images of beauty (quote pics sparingly) - see Mod warnings in OP

DirkVoodoo

fishfoodie wrote: »

+1 How I lusted for that bike at that time.

Why did they drop that brake design, was it goddawful to use ?

Campag Deltas? I think Sean Kelly said they didn't work at all if it was raining.

Lumen

Delta brakes are ugly.

fishfoodie

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Campag Deltas? I think Sean Kelly said they didn't work at all if it was raining.

I can see where that would be a problem

Those crazy stylish Italians. :rolleyes:

drops

fishfoodie wrote: »

I can see where that would be a problem

Those crazy stylish Italians. :rolleyes:

I knew a few people who had them back in the day and they used to say that they were prone to locking the wheel up. I still wanted a set when i was a kid though - thought they were cool

07Lapierre

fishfoodie wrote: »

+1 How I lusted for that bike at that time.

Why did they drop that brake design, was it goddawful to use ?

I had those brakes very strong, but they were a Bi#ch to set-up. The cable had to be cut just below the cable clamp, which is inside the brake housing. Once set-up correctly they were great.

levitronix

Doctor Bob wrote: »

Hey Lumen- what's that you were saying about '20 paces'? How many paces would you say it is from Sandymount to Wicklow?

Hey Greentopia- so, uh, how you doin'? :cool:

If I remember rightly, the Bear folk mentioned that the bikes are similar to an Azor (though a quick search of the Azor catalogue didn't yield an exact match). You could check the site of Het Zwarte Fietsenplan, which is Bear's Dutch partner, I believe, but there's no exact match that I can see there either.

And what makes you think I don't normally wear tweed or '50s/'60s suits? (Trackies? It'll be a cold day in hell...) It's still a bit warm for the tweed, but I have a couple of lovely Italian suits handed down from my grandad which probably fit the bill- y'know, all continental and ventless. Maybe I'll break one out for tomorrow in your honour! In the meantime, this is the best I can do on the photo front- it's the bike I test rode in June, rather than my own. Do I meet with your approval? (Sorry about the ridiculous hat.)



(That wasn't you, or one of your girl friends, who stopped to offer help as I was examining my drivetrain on Saturday afternoon outside DIT on Aungier Street, was it? Perhaps I was imagining it, having read your post that morning, but I sensed a knowing glint in the lady's eye as she stopped to chat. Or maybe you're not alone in feeling the lure of the opa...)

Blorg got a another new bike ?

gman2k

Lumen wrote: »

Delta brakes are ugly.

Surely you jest, they are absolutely the most stunningly beautiful brakes of all time (may not be much good for actual braking though)

Doctor Bob

levitronix wrote: »

Blorg got a another new bike ?

Ha! I thought briefly about superimposing blorg's visage upon my own (who hasn't dreamed that dream?), but I decided to shoot for something slightly less preposterous. There are levels of greatness to which we mere mortals, no matter how delusional, would never aspire.

Greentopia

Doctor Bob wrote: »

Hey Greentopia- so, uh, how you doin'? :cool:

All the better after seeing your photo doc but the oul beard looks like it needs a bit of a trim

Doctor Bob wrote: »

If I remember rightly, the Bear folk mentioned that the bikes are similar to an Azor (though a quick search of the Azor catalogue didn't yield an exact match). You could check the site of Het Zwarte Fietsenplan, which is Bear's Dutch partner, I believe, but there's no exact match that I can see there either.

YES!! I hoped actually they were Azor's with the Bear logo when I looked on the Bear site. They do look quite similar (then again most black oma's look quite similar to each other don't they)
Just from looking at the pics. I see they don't have the piping along the chain-case as the Azor does or Brooks saddles-not that that matters much to me and I could always replace the saddle with a Brooks.
I'll check out the Dutch site, thank's.

What's the build quality of the Bear like and what's it like to ride? Do you think you'd get a good 15/20 years out of it?
I could always take a Bear out for a test spin and find out for myself of course ...but then I'd probably be tempted to buy it and I don't have the spondooliks for another new bike at the mo. ::sniff::

From everything I've read about the Azor (lots!, it's my dream Dutch bike) I'd consider them to be the Rolls Royce of Dutch upright bicycles-hand-brazed and lugged (love lugs on a bike )hi-tensile steel frame made entirely in Holland, stainless steel handle-bars, steering stabilizer springs for the front wheel, supposed to ride like a dream despite weighing about 50lbs fully kitted out, very solid with all high quality components, the afore-mentioned Brooks and so on.
I'm considering going over to the U.K. or The Netherlands just to buy one next year.

Doctor Bob wrote: »

I have a couple of lovely Italian suits handed down from my grandad which probably fit the bill- y'know, all continental and ventless.

Niiice me likey a man in a fine Italian suit. Sandymount was it you said lived?

Doctor Bob wrote: »

(That wasn't you, or one of your girl friends, who stopped to offer help as I was examining my drivetrain on Saturday afternoon outside DIT on Aungier Street, was it?

No, not me Doc. but it could have been a friend of mine, some of them would like nothing better than to stop and examine a gentleman's drivetrain, the hussies

Doctor Bob wrote: »

Perhaps I was imagining it, having read your post that morning, but I sensed a knowing glint in the lady's eye as she stopped to chat. Or maybe you're not alone in feeling the lure of the opa...)

I wouldn't say I'm alone at all there Bob... not alone at all... the lure of the opa is strong I reckon

mloc123

Didn't manage to get a picture.. but I saw a guy with homemade disks yesterday. Looked like he a cut out some circles from an election poster, the plastic honneycomb style boards, and cable tied them to his wheels... aero advantage++

cdaly_

Apparently fixie riders use these for bike polo. It's not so much for the aero advantage as for the avoiding a polo mallet in yer spokes advantage...

AstraMonti

This thread is going off topic!



Ah.. I feel better now.

irishmotorist

Back to the Concorde, it looks like wiggle are doing it too...though a bit newer.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Concorde_Bikes_PDM_Team_Replica_Road_Bike/5360048885/

manafana

AstraMonti wrote: »

This thread is going off topic!



Ah.. I feel better now.

very tt looking frame, im fan of the zipp deep section rims.

72hundred

manafana wrote: »

very tt looking frame, im fan of the zipp deep section rims.

I think most of the Western world is too!

AstraMonti

My frediness has almost completed. Now I am only missing a PM and I ll make tunney the happiest bunny of all.



Huge thanks to Dirk for helping me out with fitting the rim tape and the cassette and lots of things

fondriest

Very nice px, LOVE the wheels.

fondriest

my new machine.

DirkVoodoo

fondriest wrote: »

my new machine.

Wow! (Needs more seatpost, leg extensions ftw)

fondriest

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Wow! (Needs more seatpost, leg extensions ftw)

Have ordered new legs (4cm longer) . Seriously the seat post does'nt look as short in the flesh.

Coronal

AstraMonti wrote: »

My frediness has almost completed. Now I am only missing a PM and I ll make tunney the happiest bunny of all.



Huge thanks to Dirk for helping me out with fitting the rim tape and the cassette and lots of things

I love the decals, nice and understated :pac:

Chips Lovell

AstraMonti wrote: »

My frediness has almost completed. Now I am only missing a PM and I ll make tunney the happiest bunny of all.

Huge thanks to Dirk for helping me out with fitting the rim tape and the cassette and lots of things

Tell me you're going to race that bike next year. It deserves it

niceonetom

@Astra - did the wheels come with those decals? or are they after-market? I've never seen them before.

AstraMonti

el tonto wrote: »

Tell me you're going to race that bike next year. It deserves it

That's the plan!

AstraMonti

niceonetom wrote: »

@Astra - did the wheels come with those decals? or are they after-market? I've never seen them before.

They came with the wheels. They are the white edition of the cosmic's.

Creamy Goodness

AstraMonti wrote: »

My frediness has almost completed. Now I am only missing a PM and I ll make tunney the happiest bunny of all.



Huge thanks to Dirk for helping me out with fitting the rim tape and the cassette and lots of things

what saddle is that if you don't mind me asking?

Coronal wrote: »

I love the decals, nice and understated :pac:

the 2009 planet-x decals are a million times better than the 2010 ones. i really don't know what they were smoking when they came up with deciding on that font. they might as well of used comic sans.

DirkVoodoo

He didn't believe me, but I was sure they were the 2011 Carbones and I think I may have been right.

AstraMonti

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

what saddle is that if you don't mind me asking?

This.
Not for sensitive bottoms, it really is hard, but light!

Chips Lovell

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

He didn't believe me, but I was sure they were the 2011 Carbones and I think I may have been right.

I think they are too

AstraMonti

I 've weighted them, they are 1760, which matches the weight of the 2010 model.