Category Archives: Vintage touring bicycle

Spotted on Hawthorne: a Rivendell Rambouillet

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As I was having lunch at a neighborhood cafe, I saw a cyclist pull up on on a Rivendell and thoughtfully lock the frame up with a beefy cable.  I don’t see these bikes in Portland all that often, but the first thing I noticed before I even realized what kind of bike he was riding was the Sugino X D triple crankset – a beloved component which, especially as manufactured in decades past, would seem to never wear out.  I had one on my old Cannondale, and it definitely rivaled the performance of my 1984 Shimano 600 triple crank, which is still going strong and is now mounted on my Terry.

I introduced myself to the bike’s owner, Roger, and asked permission to photograph his bicycle.  We struck up a conversation and I learned that his Riv was a retirement gift to himself, fully spec’d by Rivendell, and purchased new back in 2004.

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This model is no longer available, but as you can see, he has taken great care of the bike, even though it has thousands upon thousand of miles on it.  It was nice to visit with another “mature” rider who, though older than most cyclists in Pdx, clearly relishes each ride on his beloved machine, from centuries to week long tours to neighborhood jaunts.

Grant Peterson has to be credited with the welcome shift in the cycling industry back toward the comfort of non-racing frame geometry and lugged steel construction.  He also championed a return to bar end shifters, platform pedals, and “normal” cycling clothing.  The Rambouillet was designed with a slightly (2 degrees) sloping top tube so that the stem position could end up a bit higher to provide a more comfortable ride.

The original components appear to still be going strong.  Probably the Ruffy Tuffy tires were replaced a few times over the last 12 years – but maybe not.  Although I personally don’t care for the way they ride, I did use a set for a number of years and they never showed any wear at all.

This Rambouillet is even equipped with Rivendell’s quirky hi-viz spoke mounted reflectors, and a Rivendell water bottle!

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Sheldon Brown championed a number of Rivendell models, and counted the Rambouillet among his collection, which he first had set up as a fixed gear, but then later converted it to a 7 speed. 

Fortunately, Rivendell  continues to fill an important niche in the cycling industry – riders who want a quality machine with reliable components, a bike that will last through the ages yet not bust the budget.  This Rivendell gives evidence to the success of that mission.

More Than Eye Candy

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1973 Jack Taylor

Drooling over gorgeous vintage bicycles is one thing, but appreciating their enduring ride quality is another thing altogether.  This 1973 Jack Taylor Tourist has been with me for over eight years, and while I rode it quite a bit initially, I eventually set it aside.  The bike is larger than my usual size, and I did not adequately assess the lack of comfort associated with a 55 cm top tube length, given that I normally ride a 51.

Adding to that are the big 27 inch wheels and 29 cm bottom bracket height.  Throwing a leg over this bike is like mounting one’s 16 hand steed for a ride in the country side.  However, the very tall riding position is great for commuting.  It puts your head up above the fray and helps make you more visible to the car driving masses.  So, in order to enjoy this bike I needed to make some ergonomic changes.  Back to the drawing board.

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I needed to bring the bars closer to me. The tall Nitto Technomic stem came to the rescue.  Drop bars or mustache bars would push my arms out too far for this top tube length, so I located a vintage city style bar that had the right clamp size for the Nitto Stem.  I used Velo Orange levers to complete the vintage look.  Even though new, they are quite a bit more sturdy than the Weinmann and DiaCompe flat bar levers made in the 70’s.  Their only downside is that the levers sit out pretty far from the bar, so they are not the best choice for smaller hands.  I couldn’t resist using some bright yellow Benotto bar tape, which when wrapped three times over fit perfectly on the grip side of the bars, and which brings out the bike’s vibrant yellow highlights.

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This bike is unique in many ways, and one of them is the rear wheel which features this Sachs-Fitchel 2 speed Orbit hub.  The internally geared hub takes the place of a front derailleur and extra chain ring.  I had sent the hub out for a rebuild 8 years ago, not daring to do it myself at the time.  It still feels smooth, so I resisted the very faint urge to tear it down.  The internal gears can be lubricated by removing the spindle and squirting in a bit of automotive oil.  Easily done.  The spindle broke apart a number of years ago, so I did my own repair job using a tiny brad which I banged into the chain links.  The repaired link is slightly bigger than it should be, but hasn’t caused any problems.  One of the nice things about this gearing arrangement is being able to shift to a lower gear when stopped.  That’s not something you can do with a 100% derailleur equipped bicycle.

Whenever a bike sits for a while, all kinds of things go wrong.  Grease congeals, one kind of metal fuses itself to another kind of metal, bearings embed themselves into their cups and cones, and rust seems to form everywhere.

So, there were lots of other issues to address:  pitted bottom bracket cups, which I replaced with an exact and pristine match that I happened to have in stock; broken wiring for the sidewall driven Soubitez dynamo; and various rusted areas on the frame which needed to be sanded and then painted (I use clear Testor’s paint).  I had considered replacing the dynamo with something newer, but it is actually working just fine, and I can use it as a back up to my battery powered light if needed.  (P.S. I hate dynamos).

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Soubitez dynamo headlight is working!

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Testor’s Paints – I use clear paint for touch ups.

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Inelegant wire routing. Oh well.

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Perfect for commuting – Lyotard pedals with reflectors and cage tabs to keep your shoe in place.

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Frame touch up – sanded and painted.

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Very tight clearance due to low tread Stronglight 99 crankset.

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IRC Road Winner 27 x 1 1/4 tires

I really like these IRC 27 x 1 1/4 inch tires.  I purchased them eight years ago and unfortunately, they can no longer be found.  Not not only do they have a nice appearance, the sidewalls are very supple and the ride quality is even better than the much beloved Panaracer Pasela’s I have ridden.  I hope to ride these tire until the bitter end, and replace them only when absolutely necessary.  One issue with these older rims is that they cannot tolerate high pressures, due to their design.  So, I have blown these tires off the rim more than a few times.  Finally, I have settled on 70 psi in the rear and 65 psi in the front, and have had no blow outs since.

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In addition to rebuilding the pedals, front hub, and bottom bracket, I also replaced the straddle cables for the Mafac Cantilever brakes.  The brakes, while very powerful, are noisy under hard braking, partly because I am using these Kool Stop pads which not only don’t allow for toe-in, they seem to provide for the opposite of toe-in.  Even so, I would rather have these strong and reliable cantilevers for commuting in Portland.

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And finally, I sourced an exact match for the taillight with the broken reflector. I kind of miss the look of the bare bulb, though.

Now it’s time to get back out on this bike into this Fall’s windy, rainy weather and ride the leaf strewn avenues of Portland – hopefully in comfort!

1968 Sears Catalog

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The arrival of the Sears Christmas catalog in our household inspired an array of emotions and behaviors – excitement, confusion, secrecy, sorrow, but most of all, fascination.  The catalog was huge, and packed with every kind of consumer good that a child (or adult) could imagine – electronics, entertainment, books, toys of all kinds, sports and hunting equipment, power tools, clothing, and of course, bicycles.

I remember especially the reel-to-reel tape recorders, microscopes, portable radios, and cameras.  Oddly, I also remember the amazingly stylish men’s clothing – something of a surprise for stodgy old Sears & Roebuck:

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Nehru collars and fancy scarves…sweetly gay!

So, in a nostalgia moment, I recently acquired a 1968 Sears Christmas catalog on eBay, which was in surprisingly good condition.  I have been enjoying perusing the pages and studying the specifications, as well as noting the pricing on many of the items in the catalog – very high given the wage and price levels of the 1960’s.

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The color TV console pictured above (with awesome NASA spacecraft featured on the screen) is listed at $629.95.  That translates into $4,314 in today’s prices.  Similarly, a desktop Hi-Fi with detachable speakers went for $117.95, which would be $808 in 2015.

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The highest quality bicycles in the catalog are those listed above – “touring” bicycles, made in Austria for Sears by Puch.  The 5 speed bike has a gear ratio of 38 to 88, according to the specifications, and includes caliper brakes, chrome fenders, rims and hubs, a rear rack and headlamp.  The $57.95 price would be $397 in today’s buying power.  That seems quite reasonable, and definitely at odds with the prices of the electronics in the catalog.  Manufacturing efficiencies for bicycles were much more fully realized, having been around for nearly 80 years at this point, even though low wage manufacturers such as Taiwan and China were not serious players at this point in time.

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Accessories included multi-colored tires, proving once again that there is nothing new under the sun, for the most part, when it comes to the world of bicycle manufacturing.  After all, index shifting was first introduced in the 1930’s, and while many components have been perfected and tweaked over the decades, the basic design of many cycling components has remained unchanged.  Derailleurs are a good example of this.

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Sears was not a company to miss out on trends, so these “Spyder” bicycles are prominently featured in this two page spread, and in the photo below.  These were comparatively expensive bicycles – costing more than the top end touring bike, with the highest end model going for $534 in today’s prices (again – not bad).

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With their suspension and rear knobbies, these bicycles seem more ancestral to the mountain bike craze than the Schwinn Excelsior modified by Joe Breeze.  One of the higher-end models was an auto-shifter with 5 speeds and dual rear brakes – wow!  The ten speed model was also built with dual rear brakes, and maybe that’s why us kids thought we should blast down hills as fast as possible – something I did on my own green sparkle model!

Raleigh had its own version – the Chopper, which was designed for popping wheelies, and had smaller front wheel, but also included the ape hanger bars and sissy bar saddle.  The Raleigh version is now highly sought after as a collectible bicycle, whereas the Sears Spyder models are not so much.  However, the Sears-Puch 5 speed touring bike was a decent machine for what it was, and there are still enthusiasts out there who appreciate them.  Here are some color photos on an enthusiast’s Facebook page for your enjoyment.