Ibex

Loose cog you are a star! If you are in GP I will collect and bring cash. I'm in Fourways. I would like the "rubber band" coloured hoods. Please whatsapp me as to when it is suitable to collect on 074 331 7406.

Evening gents. Is anyone able to supply me with 1970'- 80's Modolo Corsa brake hoods?

Hi Loose cog. Will do, thanks.

Here is a real 12 speed classic. In 1997 I walked into Italian Cycles in Sandown where I saw this brand new Bianchi that looked like it was from a different era. Robbie Galinetti, the shop owner told me that it had been found in the customs facility in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (still in its box from the factory) and had been shipped to him to sell. I bought it on the spot for R1 500.00. It is still completely original except that the brake hoods have disintegrated. It still has the original tubbies and Bianchi pump and water bottle and suede Sella Italia saddle.It must be an early 1980's model. (The pedals have been removed to save space in storage.)

“In a car you're always in a compartment, and because you're used to it you don't realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You're a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. On a cycle the frame is gone. You're completely in contact with it all. You're in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.” ― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

My Felt retro cruiser in the Cradle on an autumn afterrnoon. When you ride a bike like this you are forced to ride at a different tempo, a more relaxed tempo.

The same bike (but with the original handlebars) at the Cape Town Cycle Tour earlier this year.

On Spring Day I rode out to Valverde for a coffee on my Felt Red Baron cruiser. With only 3 gears and weighing +/- 18 Kg's it was a pretty good work out. I replaced the wrap around type handle bars with MTB handlebars for a more sporty feel and better aerodynamics. The whole experience is quite different to an ordinary bike - it forces you to ride at a different tempo!

Amazing find! How did it get into such a state!

What a beauty! I'm doing the ride on this Felt "Red Baron" retro. Enjoy!

I agree with you 100%. It is not always about, or measured by, economics - it is about art and creative expression. What you say reminds me of the concept shared by Robert Pirsig in his epic book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. In the book (page 92) he is adjusting the tappets on his Honda and his mind drifts to the "idea" of "dimensional precision". He writes: "There is no perfectly shaped part of the motorcycle and never will be, but when you come as close as these instruments (referring to precision instruments) take you, remarkable things happen, and you go flying across the countryside under a power that would be called magic if it were not so completely rational in every way."

A mate of mine (aged 50) has an immaculate Chopper that is identical to this hanging on his garage wall. It even has the "exhaust pipes" on the chain guard. I remember wondering if he had added the decal. About 8 years ago I picked up a Mk3 version (with the gear shifter on handle bars and up-rated brakes) for R800. I bought it for my older son, Joseph, who was 8 years old at the time. Needless to say, the inevitable wipe out occurred and, in his best interests (and that of the bike) it was packed away in a box and put in storage. My youngest son, Zac, is 7 now and when he is a bit bigger we'll haul it out again and reassemble it. My brother had a purple Mk1 in +/- 1978 and a couple of my other friends also had Choppers - great memories!

What a compliment! You made my day, thanks brother. (I'm a lawyer in my spare time!) Here is a photo of the modified gear cluster taken through the wheel. I cut off the 3 mm screws flush with the nuts using a Dremel cutting disc to prevent them from snagging anything. I then daubed the cut off screws with red paint to prevent rusting and also for quick inspection. They look cool when they are spinning.

Hi Warren Last year I had the same experience as you are going through and I found that for casual training rides I wanted lighter gearing on my 2000 9 speed Bianchi (for cruising out at the Cradle). I bought a 27-12 Campagnolo Centaur 10 speed cluster and used the 27, 26 and 25 tooth sprockets which I combined with sprockets from my 9 speed cluster (which was virtually new). The 27, 26 and 25 Centaur sprockets were riveted together so I removed the rivets and replaced them with 3 mm screws and self locking nuts which I got from Builders Warehouse. (The nuts are fitted on the inside of the cluster i.e. where the spokes are.) I'll get a photo and post it shortly. Having separated the 27,26 and 25 tooth sprockets, I re-shimmed the spacers using tiny washers and then re-assembled them using the 3 mm screws and nuts with thread locker for extra safety. The 10 speed spacers are 2.4 mm thick while the 9 speed requires 2.7 mm spacers. The 10 speed sprockets are 0.1 mm thinner than the 9 speed sprockets and I took this into account as well in shimming the 10 speed sprockets. The whole set up works perfectly and all the hard work (about 3 hours) was really worth the enjoyment of using the lighter gears.

What a beauty! I own this early 1980's Rekord 841 with original Bianchi water bottle and pump. I bought it "brand new" from Italian Cycles in Sandton in 1997. Unfortunately the brake hoods disintegrated about 10 years ago. Is it still possible to source them?

I was riding up Ballyclare Road in Riverclub (towards the Total filling station) on Saturday morning at 06h30 when I was accosted by a man with a brick in an attempt to rob me of my bike. He had parked his early 1990's silver Honda Ballade (similar to the picture attached but in tatty condition) on the side of the road (at the intersection with Sycamore Street) with the boot open. Fortunately I had been watching him carefully and I wheeled my bike around. When I was about 40m away from him I turned to face him again. We were engaging in a kind of Mexican stand off when a motorist kindly stopped. The thug then closed the boot of his car and sped off. He was black with a dark complexion, in his late 20's or early 30's, roughly 1.80 m and was wearing an unbuttoned shirt with a T-shirt underneath and jeans. Please keep an eye open for his car.

Here are three more bikes at Sunday's retro ride.

Yes, by Owen Hani. LOL!

DHC stands for Deale & Huth Cycles, a South African company. Fabrication of the bikes was done by Hans Huth who was of German descent. Most guys in their 50's or older had one as a kid or knew someone who had one.

Thanks Eppie. Its actually quite patinated but it doesn't show on the photos. It runs like a beauty though!

Loose cog, the oversized down tube was clearly ahead of its time. It has a single Zeus shifter on the down tube. Originally the bike was a 5 speed. I fitted the period double chainring about 15 years ago when my wife and I used to ride it (before we had children). Subsequently I replaced the seat posts (which kept coming loose) and the stem and handlebars to make the bike rideable. The front fork is from a standard bike with bracing added on. There is a headlamp which attaches to the boss that is visible on the fork.

It is amazing that the cables run directly on the frame! What a beautiful bike!

The badge on this DHC is slightly different to the badges that I have seen posted previously on this thread. The D, H & C are all in caps. Also note the water bottle cage affixed to the handlebars.

This is a cool thread. I didn't know that so many other people also enjoy old bikes. My son and I rode this 1970's DHC tandem in the Cape Town Cycle Tour two weeks ago.