This is the Bay State Games criterium, back when it was held right out on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. The start finish was between the bridges, and the course headed west, through the "cobbled" Mass Ave underpass before doing a hairpin turn and coming back east. You then did another hairpin and sprinted back up the other side. My day ended with a podium on the steps of one of those buildings (an MIT library maybe?), in 3rd place. Back then you needed three top 3's or six top 6's to upgrade, and this was my third 3rd place after similar finishes at Myles Standish (where Charge Pond is) and the old Springfield, Vermont criterium. As a Cat 4, we raced at 9 am, before all the cars had even been towed from the course, and I was out till 3 in the morning the night before...
Next up, just a quick one for Gewilli, here is my collection of Dura-Ace freewheel cogs. These work on both 6-speed and 7-speed bodies. All the ones in the plastic box are still brand new. I had a bunch of 7-speed bodies (still do) and my favorite combos for racing were 12-20 and 13-22. I miss the "even" gears... I had to throw that 12-17 Regina 6-speed can in there too. 42x17 low gear. Sound like fun? Thanks for reading.
Bell Windjammer and a Specialized Allez.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fred.
XO,
il B
The Windjammer weighed about 5 pounds. Basically it was a hockey helmet. I couldn't get a good fit with the V1 Pro that the cool kids wore.
ReplyDeleteSpecialized wasn't Fred-like back then. The brand was still pretty small, and well, specialized. Got that bike for $599 with a Japanese made hand-brazed frame, Specialized branded cold forged crank, sealed hubs, Saturae rims, and Suntour Superbe Pro brakes and drivetrain. In the picture I have already replaced the non-aero Suntour brake levers with the then-new DiaCompes. Too bad you can't see my clips and straps and Duegi 101s in the pic.
You can actually tell that it's a allez by looking at that picture?
ReplyDeleteThe "S" on the headtube gives it away. They only had 2 road models then, the Allez SE (mine) and the Allez, which was a handbuilt road bike.
ReplyDeleteThese were the neutral support bikes for the Coors Classic. The caravan cars one year were Cadillacs.
The Campy guy used to have a big Buick station wagon with about a 10 bike rack on the roof. He flipped it into a ditch one year on a serpentine mountain descent.
The real Freds rode Centurion Ironmans and Schwinn Tempos back then.
I sold a bunch of Allez. Very nice. The shop had just picke up Specialized in 1985 when I started there. I just wanted to tweak SB.
ReplyDeleteThe Allez was featured in the film "American Flyers" starring Kevin "Dances on Pedals" Costner.
I liked the S-brand cranks.
That helmet though... I upgraded the Brancale and got a Vetta around that time. Still sucked. V-1 Pro sucked too. Brain squeezer.
Centurion Ironmans. Shudder.
ReplyDeleteThe other cool feature of the Allez was the "dishless" rear wheel, made by using a hub shell the width of a 5 speed in conjunction with a Sun Tour "ultra-6" narrow freewheel, but then spec-ing the frame to 126 mm "wide six." Then with a regular length axle, you can fit an extra 6 mm of spacer on the non-drive side, and the wheel had practically zero dish. I rode the shit out of that wheel. It never broke, it ended up on a bike that I gave to a nephew who commuted on it until it got stolen.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bruce came home with the DVD of AF last summer. $1.00 at Stop & Shop.
ReplyDeleteIf I ever figure out how to turn on the DVD player I might give it a spin.
I saw it in the cinema in Boston the night before a Mayor's Cup Criterium (1985?). Eddy Merckx got a cheer but there were a bunch of bemused bike geeks leaving the theater.
I tink a movie night may be in order...