First bike you fell in love with?

[James]

It could be something you saw that just ignited that part of your brain, or one you owned.
For me it was a Specialized Allez Epic we had hanging at the first bike shop job I had. The one with the lugged carbon tubes, early 90s, just gorgeous. I wanted it so badly.

Years later when I was just getting into road riding again, seriously, it was a Look 555. I'd been on some carbon/alloy Giants, but nothing really too serious, 105 parts. This one I built with Ultegra and some nice Easton wheels, bar, stem, post. The ride was so phenomenal on it I never wanted to stop.
I still have the bike, I don't think I could bear to part with it, even though I ride the Colnago more these days.
Part of it I think was that it was such a big step up from my previous stuff it, nowadays the jumps for me seem to be smaller. Though the stuff is amazing, it's not that giant leap forward like it was to the Look...

What about you guys?

[ire]

The first bike I fell in love with was the Klein Adroit, I was never lucky enough to own one but for a long time I had an Attitude. Currently I'm in love with the Colnago C50 cross bike....damn hot

[James]

The first bike I fell in love with was the Klein Adroit, I was never lucky enough to own one but for a long time I had an Attitude. Currently I'm in love with the Colnago C50 cross bike....damn hot

Hey I had one of those in my hands this morning!
:)

I was thinking about doing a run of some complete bikes, like 15-20 just decked out, but we sold some of the frames, and we're gonna focus our attention on something else for this year.

[DRB]

84 or 85 Pinarello all super record in a chrome finish. It had been a team Carrera bike that a local shop owner got some way or the other. Crazy cool.

[OGRipper]

I am not being cheeky when I tell you I fell in love with the first bike I ever rode without training wheels, a blue ross convertible little kids bike. I must have been like 5 or something. (Yeah, I fell hard and fast from the very beginning, and I've basically never stopped.) The second one was a Raleigh Rampar R10, cherry red with black tuff wheels. I must have been about 10 when my grandpa brought me to the bike shop to pick it out (like '79 or something). Man I loved that bike so much, even when I broke the stem jumping and stuffed my face in the dirt. (It got stolen and to this day I count it as one of the most painful losses of my life.) After that I coveted a chrome kuwahara bmx hanging on the wall at a shop. It took me about 6 months of weekly payments to get the thing and it was super rad. Then there was...well, you get the idea, it's a long list...

[Westy]

Like OG it was my first bike. A Red Raleigh Renegade with ape hanger bars and a banana seat, basically a poor kids Stingray.

I've never been in love with a road bike. I like my current roadie, I wouldn't spend a cent to replace it with anything no matter how nice but road bikes just don't stir that emotion.

[James]

Going back a bit further, I had a Panasonic 500 (I think) road bike that my dad got me when I was like 12 or something, some random 10 speed. Years later when I was first getting into bikes, I pulled it out of the basement, into my room, so I could try working on bikes. I never really rode it then, I was too tall by then, but having it in my room really helped fuel the transformation into a complete bike geek...

[ire]

I've never been in love with a road bike. I like my current roadie, I wouldn't spend a cent to replace it with anything no matter how nice but road bikes just don't stir that emotion.

:disgust1:

How could you not love this?
http://www.vanillabicycles.com/frames/road/2/lrg/1.jpg
http://www.vanillabicycles.com/frames/road/2/lrg/4.jpg

[DRB]

Oh that roadie was so entirely different than anything I had known to that point. That bike was the bike that changed how I viewed bikes. Until then they were a means to an end. A way to get to the pool or school or a friend's house. That bike made biking the end. I very soon after coned my parents into getting me a road bike and which I would go ride to simply ride. So yeah I loved that bike.

[dhzion]

My old super trick purple and white Kent that I had, oh, 20? years ago. I saved a years worth of paper route money for that sucker. Rode it up and down the 20' front porch the day I got it cause it was pissing down rain

[Westy]

:disgust1:

How could you not love this?
http://www.vanillabicycles.com/frames/road/2/lrg/1.jpg
http://www.vanillabicycles.com/frames/road/2/lrg/4.jpg

Good looking bike but I'm not looking at it when I ride. Roadie lust is generally too much on the aesthetic side for me. I lust after my MTB because of the way it rides.

[James]

Good looking bike but I'm not looking at it when I ride. Roadie lust is generally too much on the aesthetic side for me. I lust after my MTB because of the way it rides.

I lust after my road bikes for exactly the same reason.
The aesthetic side is one part, but it has to ride like something else entirely to form that bond.
I like how small changes in parts or setup can transform the ride too. Tires, tire pressure, an extra spacer under the stem. Wheels are a bigger change but they can totally change a bike. When I put some tubular carbon wheels on my bike, it was like riding it again for the first time.

[Westy]

I lust after my road bikes for exactly the same reason.
The aesthetic side is one part, but it has to ride like something else entirely to form that bond.
I like how small changes in parts or setup can transform the ride too. Tires, tire pressure, an extra spacer under the stem. Wheels are a bigger change but they can totally change a bike. When I put some tubular carbon wheels on my bike, it was like riding it again for the first time.

I'm not a big guy but I ride like an ape so certain details are completely lost on me.

[ire]

I lust after my road bikes for exactly the same reason.
The aesthetic side is one part, but it has to ride like something else entirely to form that bond.
I like how small changes in parts or setup can transform the ride too. Tires, tire pressure, an extra spacer under the stem. Wheels are a bigger change but they can totally change a bike. When I put some tubular carbon wheels on my bike, it was like riding it again for the first time.

:stupid:

Its a mix of aesthetics and ride quality. I'm getting a carbon cross bike this year and I'm stoked because it will look bling, and also give a cushier ride in the rough

[Wumpus]

I always wanted a Ritchey, but he wouldn't warranty stuff(p-23) around 1990 so I ended up getting a Stumpjumper so it's a toss up between my mongoose or my redline pl-20.


I guess I'm weird, but a bike is just a bike.

[ire]

I always wanted a Ritchey, but he wouldn't warranty stuff(p-23) around 1990 so I ended up getting a Stumpjumper so it's a toss up between my mongoose or my redline pl-20.


I guess I'm weird, but a bike is just a bike.

The P23 was a sweet rig, it was light and cool looking (I thought anyway)

[James]

For mountain bikes it was probably a '92 Giant/Cadex CFM-3 that was at a shop in the neighboring town. It was the owner's bike. Later on, like '94 or '95, he sold it to me. I miss that thing.

For road bikes though, that Specialized for sure, and my dad's baby blue Cannondale R700 (I think).

[douglas]

Similar to westy, my first 20 inch bike...banana seat and all.

I have never loved a roadie bike.

[MMcG]

For mountain bikes it was probably a '92 Giant/Cadex CFM-3 that was at a shop in the neighboring town. It was the owner's bike. Later on, like '94 or '95, he sold it to me. I miss that thing.



James - did the Giant look something like this?

http://hartford.craigslist.org/bik/716016313.html

http://images.craigslist.org/0101000102000103032008061129aa9eb4ab5b79475a00a883 .jpg

[maddog17]

mine was a Pinarello, probably back in 89-90. always wanted either the Candy Apple redish color with chrome fork and rear end or there was one in what they called Spumoni, 3 color... green, white and red. but it was like a metal flake type paint, and the white was pearl. it was awesome looking!! then there was the Concorde that i currently own, and selling :( in the PDM paint scheme.

[ire]

James - did the Giant look something like this?

http://hartford.craigslist.org/bik/716016313.html



$30?? Thats loads cheaper than the Look and Colnago bikes James has :biggrin:

[MMcG]

$30?? Thats loads cheaper than the Look and Colnago bikes James has :biggrin:


I was thinking if that frame for sale locally is the same as the one he lusted after and owned for a while - that I could inquire about it for him - if he wanted it for sentimental reasons.

[maddog17]

James - did the Giant look something like this?

http://hartford.craigslist.org/bik/716016313.html

http://images.craigslist.org/0101000102000103032008061129aa9eb4ab5b79475a00a883 .jpg

now that i look at that Cadex, a friend of mine had one of those. he beat the hell out of it and he was a BIG guy. i don't know if he ever broke it or not, i had told him i was surprised he didn't at the time i had seen it.

[James]

I was thinking if that frame for sale locally is the same as the one he lusted after and owned for a while - that I could inquire about it for him - if he wanted it for sentimental reasons.

Oh man, same year! thats the CFM-2 I believe, I had the CFM-3, which had the rad purple-to-carbon fade, and a matching purple rigid steel fork, AND a matching purple handlebar.
Thanks for thinking of me! I would kind of like another one someday, but honestly my house is filled with way too many bikes even now, I couldn't really justify another one. Someday though, someday!

Those Cadex frames were actually pretty damn bombproof, I don't think I ever saw a broken one, even when I worked for Giant. They had lifetime warranties too, which was great for the original owners.

I think I sold my frame for $50 when I was in college, I got an AMP B-3 to replace it. I totally regret selling it, but the new owner enjoyed it.

[James]

$30?? Thats loads cheaper than the Look and Colnago bikes James has :biggrin:

Man, for the day, those were pretty damn advanced, all carbon tubes, alloy lugs. Even the mono-stay was a short carbon tube! My Look is made the same way, carbon with alloy lugs...the C50 is different, it has carbon lugs... :)

[MMcG]

Oh man, same year! thats the CFM-2 I believe, I had the CFM-3, which had the rad purple-to-carbon fade, and a matching purple rigid steel fork, AND a matching purple handlebar.
Thanks for thinking of me! I would kind of like another one someday, but honestly my house is filled with way too many bikes even now, I couldn't really justify another one. Someday though, someday!

Those Cadex frames were actually pretty damn bombproof, I don't think I ever saw a broken one, even when I worked for Giant. They had lifetime warranties too, which was great for the original owners.

I think I sold my frame for $50 when I was in college, I got an AMP B-3 to replace it. I totally regret selling it, but the new owner enjoyed it.


No problem James. I figured I'd throw it out there after I read your earlier post.

Cheers,

Mark

[Serial Midget]

I lust after my MTB because of the way it rides.

To me this just says you've never saddled a hand built road bike - most hard core roadies do not ride ascetics, nice lugs are a subtle indication of a quality build.

[Serial Midget]

The first bike I fell in love with was my Miyata road bike in 1979, I don't remember what model or any else about it except it was white. I was 14 at the time and it was the fastest thing I'd ever ridden - to me it meant freedom to go wherever I wanted.