JayleneSlide

Last summer the LBS gave me this old Rodriguez that was part of a batch of bikes they got from an estate sale. I just "completed" it yesterday. Even in its neglected state, it felt soooo good. Also, since it was from the original era of Rodriguez, it merits all the love.

How I got it:

The original TA 50.4 BCD crank was ruined because it was over-torqued to the point of rubbing the frame. Not the biggest issue since 50.4 chainring selection has been problematic for decades.

I stripped it down, cleaned it thoroughly, touched up the paint dings, and put clear film on all the wear points. I'm not a fan of blue on bicycles, but this metal flake blue really grabs me.

The handcut lugs and brazed cable guides are also a pretty detail.

Upgrades:

• VO fluted triple crankset, 165mm
• VO 124mm cartridge bottom bracket (holy hell, this took me months to find; of course, now they're back in stock :D )
• VO Enterprise wheelset, 27inch, 126mm rear OLD
• Pasela Pro-Tite tires, 27x1 1/4 (meh)
• VO first gen quill stem, 100mm, NOS
• Nitto Noodle 177 bars, 46cm, NOS, traded some IT work with the LBS for these
• Shimano BR400 brake levers, NOS (although I recently found out these are still in production!)
• 14-30 custom, rebuildable freewheel traded from the LBS retrogrouch in exchange for homemade peppermint patties :D
• VO clear braided stainless brake and shifter cables
• Forager Cycles cable cherries (highly suggested farkle for all your bikes! They make cable adjustments much easier away from the workbench.)

What I kept:

• Suntour Honor rear derailleur - not the prettiest, but a total workhorse and will last until the heat death of the universe
• Huret front derailleur
• Campagnolo Record downtube shifters
• Suntour Superbe sidepull brakes
• Specialized cartridge headset
• SR Laprade seatpost (but it needs a polishing)

What I'm going to change:

• 700C wheels - there's plenty of room on the brake arms to move the pads down; the switch to 700C will vastly improve my tire selection and give me room to add...
• Full coverage fenders, probably VO smooth
• Tubus Fly stainless racks, front and rear
• That bar tape was not my best wrapping job and the tape itself doesn't impress me; probably gonna go with Lizard Skins DSP or Supacaz Super Sticky Kush

Part of the fun of these old bikes is the by-hook-or-by-crook refurbishing journey. The networking and human connection involved in bringing this bike to its rideable state... it absolutely took a village. I found fellow retrogrouches in my small city. I helped the LBS resolve a bunch of their computer network problems. Old components that were languishing in a box got a new life on a bike that will be ridden. Seeing this in the sun, feeling it on the pavement, all that frustration turns to joy.

Special callout to Classic Cycle in Bainbridge Island WA USA: (https://classiccycleus.com/museum/bikes/). They are a seriously cool museum bike shop. They have encyclopedic knowledge and a ridiculous NOS parts selection. For being such a tiny shop, it's absolutely worth the trip. Be sure to say hi to Tullio, the friendly chill shop kitty.

No, this isn't a cast iron thing. Using stainless pans, you can get nonstick effects that, in my experience, far outperform Teflon anyway. The process is called "spot seasoning." I have cooked crispy, cheesy rice noodles with eggs with zero sticking.

I love my cast iron pans, but stainless is my daily go-to. Added bonus: use 100% copper wool to clean your stainless pan. The copper-coated wool at most grocery stores is problematic; you might get a few uses out of the coated garbage and then it starts shedding metal bits.

In order to add this to the cart, the user must first view their in-house financing advertising. Switching to desktop mode shows an "Add to Cart" button, but focus stealing scripts cause the page to skip around to the point where the page becomes useless.

I'm learning how to build up my own synths in Bitwig Grid, but I'm far from the point where I can just imagine a sound and then implement it.

Does anyone know what synth that is in the sweep at the linked time? I realize it's most likely an analog or analog-modeling synth, but which one? More advanced question: what combination of oscillators and filters would one combine to get that sound?

My commute was 25 miles each way, 1400 feet (426m) of ascent each way, with no transit option. Last winter, a surprise blizzard rolled in during the week. My ride home took me 2.5 hours, rather than my usual 1:40, but I managed to stay upright the whole ride despite riding on slicks. Fixies and foul weather, better together!

TL;DR: this was my very first road bike, purchased new in 1986, and it came back to me twice.

I bought this new in 1986 after two problematic race seasons on an eighth-hand, hand-me-down Bianchi that fit me poorly. This was my first new bike ever. When I went away to college, I perma-loaned it to my best friend. When he went away to law school, he left it at his parents house, and his evil mother put it out at the curb as a freebie. @#%^&@%^@#$^% No, seriously, she was a horrible person and not just because of the bike.

Twenty years later, I set about trying to replace my lost first love. I had a bunch of alerts set on Craigslist. After about two years of patience, I got a notification for a Batavus Course in NYC; I lived in Portland OR. I contacted the seller, put down a deposit, and bought my plane ticket. I was doubly surprised to find that it was my same bike, same serial number. The bike was in need of some TLC with a lot of paint damage, but was otherwise straight and solid.

I stripped it down and sent it to get repainted with a triple-pearl white. I knew I was going to use Nokon cabling, so I had them color match the pinstriping to the new housing.

Other changes:

• Velo Orange 165mm triple crank
• Velo Orange Grand Cru mirror finish headset
• Velo Orange Grand Cru brakes
• Nitto Grand Randonneur 46cm handlebars

When I moved onto my sailboat in 2013, I sold the bike because I couldn't stand the idea of subjecting this bike to the salt air environment. The buyer fell in love immediately, and I was happy that my first love was going to a good home.

Cut to November 2024... the woman who bought the bike got in touch and asked if I wanted my bike back. ABSOLUTELY! It was again in rough shape and poorly maintained, but nothing that couldn't be fixed in an afternoon with a couple beers and some good music. I'm not letting it go this time.

My partner works in a bike shop, and I get to ride all of the top shelf bikes they have. None of them feel like this. I steadfastly believe that modern bikes do everything better, but something is missing. Taking the Batavus out for a sunny day fast ride, it's easy to understand how vintage sports cars are so popular. These old machines might not be the best at cornering, accelerating, and braking, but they just feel so connected and visceral. The Reynolds 501, definitely an entry level tubeset, is flexy, but in all the right places. It feels like love.

This Raleigh Raveino 4.0 is the first road bike my partner ever bought. She used this for everything: touring, triathlons, commuting, grocery getter, and joy rides. It was in desperate need of love and had been sitting neglected in favor of her mountain and gravel bikes. She was making some comments about just giving it away since we don't have space for things we don't use. We recently reached a place in our lives where road biking is back on the table. She wanted a new road bike, but nothing she test rode really spoke to her, regardless of budget. This bike has a lot of sentimental value for her, so I low-key encouraged her to hang onto it. I stealth-asked a bunch of questions about her component preferences with the intent of surprising her with a whole new modern group, but she still holds this bike as her platonic ideal of a general road bike for flogging. No major component changes, got it.

Sorry, I don't have a good pic of before the overhaul.

What was wrong:

• Front brake track was worn way beyond the safe limit; I've never seen a rim that worn without blowing out
• Chain was past 125% wear; fortunately the jockey wheels and chainrings were still okay
• Seatpost was single bolt design and we couldn't dial the angle for all-day comfort
• Cable sheaths were cracked and worn-through
• Bar tape was worn through in places
• Saddle was packed out, torn, and no longer comfortable
• Bent derailleur hanger

What got changed:

• Deep clean everything, ultrasonic parts wash for the brakes, derailleurs, and crankset
• NOS cassette (holy hell, finding the exact match cassette involved some bike part archaeology)
• New cables and housing
• New Raceface zero setback seatpost
• New Terry saddle
• NOS Bontrager Aeolus Comp 5 bladed spoke rims
• New cartridge pads
• New Rubino Pro tires
• New chain
• Aluminum lock bar end plugs

Yeah, the pedals are gnarly, but she wanted the old pedals. And I'm waiting for a pack of Fastenal stainless M5 bolts to backfill the braze-ons on the stays.

Her first test ride was a climb up the biggest hill in town and was a resounding success. She's overjoyed!