Eroica California Ride Recap

by Igor

Class. Fun. Spectacular riding in a majestic countryside setting. All without taking itself too seriously. Oh, and a bike festival to boot. Eroica's got it all - and we're excited to have been able to attend it last week in Paso Robles, CA.

Eroica California is a celebration of all things vintage bike - wood rims, non-aero brakes, and all! Saturday primarily featured a Concours-style judging and swap meet while Sunday was all about riding mixed terrain through the beautiful scenery that SLO County has to offer.

The Concours featured a whole lotta beautiful bikes that were judged according to different classes such as year, restored, original, unrestored, etc. Bikes from the early 1900s up through 1987 were scrutinized for period-correctness, backstory, and condition. Judges eyed every nook and cranny of the bikes to determine the rightful winner of each class. 

Not a ton of fender'd bikes, so this randonneur really stood out

I'm not going to lie, Theo was a hit in his Molteni onesie.

Kirk Precision!

Bent seattube on this Jack Taylor. A beauty!

Roller racing. The Faemino is wearing a Drillium Crankset.

Very, very early derailleur'd BSA.

That lugwork, my goodness.

'nago with 'nolo.

Sunday was ride day. I opted to ride the short route to allow plenty of time for socializing both on and off the bike, photographing the beautiful scenery, and indulging in the all-around chill atmosphere of the event.

The ride took us through and around vineyards, olive groves, countryside roads, and dirt farm roads - classic mixed terrain. Dirt, pavé, soft sand, and steep climbs graced our tires and sometimes the soles of our shoes.

For gearing, I opted for our 50.4 Crankset for a lowest gear of 30/28 - that was a good idea. There were several riders I spoke to that rode last year and swapped their 53/39 crankset for our 50.4 or Drillium specifically for the event. There were some adventurous souls who did the ride fixed or single speed. My mind says yes, but my knees say ouch.

Fueling up at a cafe

Should we offer this jersey?

They sent us off in waves, so there was time to ogle lots of bikes that had VO bits. This one is wearing our cassette hub and RAID rims.

Washboards

Snaking around grapes

Rest

Stamped

Each stop was like a mini bike show. You could walk up and down and never see the same bike twice.

Wine straight from the source. Provided at the rest stop of course. 

A custom painted Specialized Allez with our Long Setback Seatpost.

A lovely Colnago with our Hammered Fenders, Campeur Rear Rack, and Constructeur Front Rack.

What goes up...

Must come down. Thanks for the photos, Jason and Bien!

Out in the countryside

Kevin riding his Raleigh and jersey from his racing days

Rest

Over washboard gravel roads, things got a bit bumpy. Nothing 38mm tires couldn't handle.

These two were riding his and hers old French city bikes and were ripping!

Thanks for the wonderful memories and great times. We're looking forward to next year!