Jason Byrne built the frame on the left, his 5th. Given the color, choice of Ostrich bags, lighting, etc, I love it. I hope Jason posts a comment with
more details.Mike Ford sent photos of his neat Jack Taylor Super Tourist. He writes:
Like most JT's, it has an eclectic mix of
parts, reflecting the builders' views of the best components available at the time. This one has Campy NR cranks, shift levers, and front derailleur, Simplex SLJ 500 rear derailleur, Phil Wood hubs, bottom bracket, and pedals(!), Soubitez generator and lights with internal wiring, and JT's own custom racks.
Bob Rogen sent a link to photos of his drop-dead-gorgeous Steve Rex-built city bike. It's even orange. I hope our city bikes look as nice.Dan Renke built a very neat city bike starting with a Peugeot. The shellaced cork is great:
Here are a few photos of my city bike in the country. It’s an early
70’s Peugeot that I set up as a 1x6 with flat bars. I like the mix of old and new on this bike, especially the wrapped and shellacked bar-end’s and brake levers. She’s a great around town bike and lot’s of fun to just lean against a tree and stare at.
You're not kidding. Mr Rogen's city bike IS beautiful. Stainless lugs on the city bike? Hmm.... nice.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI built the frame with Richard Sachs "Richie-issimo Series" Lugs and Columbus tubing from Kirk Pacenti. Kirk has lots of framebuilding stuff at www.bikelugs.com.
I took the first ride on this bike this morning on my cold icy commute to work with no problems. I'm looking forward to using my C-cell maglite mounted to the front rack with velo-orange clips tonight!
Jason
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI built the frame with Richard Sachs "Richie-issimo Series" Lugs and Columbus tubing from Kirk Pacenti. Kirk has lots of framebuilding stuff at www.bikelugs.com.
I took the first ride on this bike this morning on my cold icy commute to work with no problems. I'm looking forward to using my C-cell maglite mounted to the front rack with velo-orange clips tonight!
Jason
Just when I think I've become too mature, too refined ...too 'sophisticated'...to like ornate lugs and fancy paint jobs, along comes something like that Jack Taylor and I'm in love again. And the flag...not some discrete little symbol stitched on the back of a black seatbag, but a full-blown, look at me, the British are coming, flag! God, I love it. Maybe I need a small stars and stripes mounted somewhere.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Jason, it must a really great feeling to ride your own bike. I envy you.
I am humbled by all of the beautiful bikes posted here. They all have a great deal of engineering, and yet they looks so simple and uniform (that's the hard part). It makes a beggar bite his lip amost every other day, for either wanting bikes or components one.
ReplyDeleteToei really creates some wonderful Franco-style bikes. Where in the heck are they coming up with all this Mafac, TA and Simplex stuff to put on their creations? And while I'm on this subject, now that TA has stopped making the Cyclotouriste, I'm concerned about finding replacement chainrings. I'm wondering... is Sugino still making the PX? And, if so, are they are they also producing chainrings for them?
ReplyDeletewell, the flag is a bit much for me, but I enjoyed looking at all these gorgeous rigs. I do agree with Neil in general about ornate lugs: somehow when contemporary builders get into the really flowery stuff I lose interest: it's not that I don't feel awe, or lack appreciation for the effort, but I'm just not compelled if the basic flow of the lug is obscured in decoration. Sachs, on the other hand, nails elegance.
ReplyDeleteBut when you see the curly stuff well done on an older French or Brit bike, you gotta love it: that's real old-school lug carving by guys who could do it in their sleep (and probably did).
michael white
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI've been told that Toei buyers often provide their own vintage parts.
I suspect that TA will continue to make 50bcd chain rings for a long while. There are also manufacturers who will make custom chain rings at affordable prices. The Sugino PX is long out of production.
There's a decent-looking Peugeot with mafacs and simplex deraulliers on eBay: buy-it-now $200
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/yqk9rt
Looks like Jason Byrne (or the rider of his bike) may be figuring out the optimum handlebar height, what with that extra bit of uncut fork column above the stem.
ReplyDeletenah, he just left that there for when he gets old and creaky . . . You saying you never did that?
ReplyDeletemichael white
Sugino PX's still show up on Ebay. I just received a 175mm NOS set today that I "won" a few days ago(there were no other bidders). They are in perfect shape and I kinda like the more rounded look of the arms. A couple of weeks ago a fellow in England was selling Sugino made rings for the PX cranks that also fit the TA Cyclotourist. They were quite a bit less expensive than the TA rings (but for some reason to my eyes didn't look as nice as the TA's).
ReplyDeleteMr. White has it right, I left it on in case I get creaky. It's hard to put steerer tube back on once it's cut.
ReplyDeleteJason
yep, very hard.
ReplyDeletemw
There are a couple nice Jack Taylors on eBay now: http://tinyurl.com/yt7kda
ReplyDeleteAnd a 1952 Paris (with the nutty seat-tube): http://tinyurl.com/ywwkl6