Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Glory that was France...

I came across this classic Peugeot on the streets of Oakland several months back in Oakland.




Notice the classic Peugeot racing colors on the seat tube above.

It also had an interesting mixture of old and new components. Notice in the top picture the aero brake hoods on the handlebars. If you look below, you'll notice that this was still using the same old crank that came with it. None of those smooth aerodynamic looking things that Shimano, FSA, and Campy, produce these days.


This classic Peugeot reminded me that way before this age of Titanium/Carbon Fiber/Aircraft Aluminum, and various other materials I can barely pronounce, a great bicycle was a simple thing. It was either French or Italian, and it was always made of steel.

If this bicycle were an actress -- it would be a 1990's Catherine Deneuve. Beautiful, classy, timeless, and a reminder of all the things we love about France.

In the beginning....

...there was man, and he was lonely.  The Lord created....

JUST KIDDING!

This blog is about bicycles, or more to the point, the simple beauty of bicycles.  Living in the Bay Area, I come across thousands of people each week zipping along on a bicycles of all shapes and sizes.  Some new, some old, some cheap, some expensive.  Some are butt f*&-ing ugly.  Some are well preserved works of art.

This blog is dedicated to the various beautiful and unique bicycles I see everyday in the streets of San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, etc.  Not everything here is brand new.  Much of what you see is actually quite old -- which is where their beauty lies.  An old, well preserved, bicycle is not all that different from a classic car.  Moreover, a beautiful old bicycle speaks volumes about the people who own them --- people who genuinely love their bicycles, and are willing to devote the extra time to keep them on the road.  As an ex-bike mechanic once told me, anybody with money can buy a blinged out bicycle.  But all that means is that guy has money.  It doesn't mean he is a good cyclist, or even appreciates bicycles.

How did I get into this?

I'm an occasional cyclist. Much further back, in my late teens I tried to become a racing cyclist.  I was part of the generation that got into cycling watching CBS Sports every July when they would show their abridged coverage of the Tour de France.  It was there CBS introduced all of us to a (then) young guy from California named Greg Lemond. 

Twenty years later, I don't ride that much anymore.  Too many other commitments -- job, baby, etc.  I do the occasional triathlon, where I see these awful monsters they call Triathlon Bikes.  But no more pure cycling.  Haven't the time or money anymore. 

But I still appreciate a beautiful bicycle.  And this blog is homage to the Noblest Machine.  Read on.