Church in Cartagena
4 Mar
24 Feb
We arrived to a very balmy and windy Cartagena after traveling for about 20 hours. So far this is a place to visit and is amazing, the culture the people amazing see pics!
19 Feb
14 Feb
Ahh the famed yellow jersey—-this frame is Reynolds 853 with carbon fork and Cane Creek S6 sealed headset. Recently purchased frame from friend who had bought complete bike and harvested all of the components. This frame was built up using complete Shimano 105 gruppo, brakes, front der, rear der and shifters. BB is a new Truvativ with FSA Pro Carbon crankset and new SRAM 9 speed cassette with new SRAM chain. Wheelset is a very lightly used, by me, Mavic Askium Race in black with bladed spokes. All cables housing and bar wrap are brand new.
14 Feb
We are getting ready and the countdown has began, today we mark one week before we get on the big jetliner to take us to the equator. We catch a red eye out of PDX on the 21st at 11 pm and we will arrive in Cartagena around 8pm the following day, now that should be a fun, an 18 hour journey to the land of sunshine. Currently the weather is 78 at night and 84-90 during the day. Yummy.
Say tuned!
14 Feb
This is a 54cm Surly Cross Check in Robin Egg Blue. This frame and fork is lightly used and is in perfect condition and of course in Surly fashion it is built with 4130 cro-moly tubing and has all of the braze ons to mount fenders and racks that make this a very versatile commuter, cross ride, touring machine and daily rider. All of the SURLY stickers have been removed except the pair on the forks and seat stays. I believe this frame to be a ‘10-’11 as it has the rack braze ons mid way down the fork blades. Listed below is a detailed description of components I used to build this machine up.
Drive Train: Complete Shimano Ultegra 6500 series with very few miles which includes Octalink Bottom Bracket, 9 speed cassette 12-25, STI Shifters, double crankset 52-39, front and rear derailuer, with all new cables and housing. Chain is a brand new Ultegra 9 speed for crisp clean shifting. Shimano Ultegra 6500 Gruppo w/cables and stops.
Wheelset: Pair of brand new out of the box Velocity Aeroheads in silver laced to a Pair of Formula High Flange Ultra Lite hubs in black. Rear is 28h and front is 24h. Currently wrapped with a pair of Continental Top Contact Commuter tires 700×28. Wheels have new rim strips and new tubes and are pumped up to about 100 psi. Wheelset w/tires and tubes.
Brakeset: Pair of Brand New out of the box Tektro CR720 cantilevers in silver with new pads, and all new cables and housing.
Headset: Freshly installed Chris King “NoThreadSet” in Pewter with silver graphics, super smooth.
Cockpit: Brand new CRX.3 seat post, Surly Constrictor seat post clamp, new Bontrager Inform SL saddle in black. Avenir Series 100mm stem and Bontrager Pro drop bars, wrapped in new Salsa black bar tape with black bar plugs, Shimano SPD pedals.
Blackburn Rear Rack and SKS Longboard Fenders.
16 Dec
Here is mid 80s (’85-’88) Italian Cratoni “Colorado” the frame measures 56cm (c-c) with a 56cm top tube and is constructed of Columbus Tretubi tubing (3 main tubes Columbus SL; Stays and Fork blades Columbus Aelle) and features short point Italian lugs with cut outs, and cratoni has been pantographed on fork crown and seat stays. A dove is pantographed on the fork crown and a 4 leaf clover on the rear dropouts. In short the frame set is in extremely good condition and sports a great ride and road feel. The wheelbase is 38 1/2 in; rear spacing is 126mm and front is 100mm, dropouts are stamped Campy. Paint is in great shape with just a few minor chips along the right chain stay, and a few minor touch ups, she is ding and dent free. Decals are intact but do show their age. The rear brake cable runs thru the top tube and derailer cables run across the bottom of the BB. Very nice craftsmanship, paint and style that was typical of the high end Italian rides in the mid 80’s.
Below is a list of period appropriate components (mostly Campy Super Record) that was meticulously sourced to rebuild this sweet and rare Italian Stallion:
>Wheelset is a pair of Campy Super Record hubs laced to a pair of grey anodized Mavic Open 4CD rims with stainless spokes, rear has English threads for a spin on freewheel cassette, very very smooth and wrapped in a new pair of Forte DC 700X23 racing tires that are red and black, new rim strips and tubes.
>Drive train starts with the Campy Strada double crank set with the Campy chain rings 53t and 39t that have seen very little use. BB is a sealed bearing Campy Super Record verrrry smooooth, front der and rear der are also Campy Super Record that are in perfect shape, no nicks or scratches. New old stock Shimano 600 6-speed spin on freewheel and new Sram PC80 chain, this shifts perfectly with the aid of a pair of Campy Super Record down tube shifters that are pantographed with the Gazelle logo and matching red, white and blue strips….snazzy.
>Brakes are a pair of Campy (either Super Record or Victory) with new Campy pads and wheel guides, Campy Super Record non aero pulls with new black Ame hoods, new cables and new white Jagwire housing.
>Cockpit starts with brand new Tange Levin headset, NOS 100m Nitto Tecnomic stem and NOS Nitto drop bars with new red Cinelli gel bar tape in red. Saddle is a brown dark suede San Marco in perfect condition with a Campy Super Record Aero seat post 27.2.