Fedex man dropped off my new toy. 1978 Nishiki Superbe frameset. Nice lugs, pretty light for a steel frame. I'm sort of on a quest to see if Jan Heine's (of Bicycle Quarterly) view of more flexible frames holds for me. Modern carbon fiber or aluminum frames are adverstised as being 'stiffer' so that more of the rider's power is transferred to the rear wheel. Jan thinks that more flexible frames can lead to some synergy between the rider and bicycle, whereby the rider is able to produce more power.I think this will be the last steel frame for me because I've tried a good variety. I've owned or do own the following: 1990ish Bianchi Campione D'Italia, 1973 Raleigh Professional, 1986 Trek 310, 2002 Serotta CIII, and 2005 Jamis Aurora. These bikes cover the gamut from standard diameter to oversized tubing (Serotta and Jamis) and frame very thin gauge (Serotta) to very heavy gauge (Jamis). So far the Serotta (not surprisingly) is the nicest, but I'm excited to test out the Nishiki. Reaper ride, here I come.
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No bike races for a while for me. My hobby for the meantime is watching the baby swallows outside our front window. This pic isn't so flattering -- they are ugly right now -- but they're a blast to watch when mommy or daddy bring some bugs.
1 comment:
I have the original saddle, chain, rear der, and pedals from that exact frame! They finished off my '78 Superbe nicely, as it is now all original!
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