Bike Love June 30, 2007

In my dalliances on the parkway, I’ve had the chance to chat with a few other mature guys about their bikes. It’s pretty cool. I find that most of treat our rides like friends or dogs. We pet them, we hang out with them, we’re defensive of their reputations. If you’ve got a story to tell about your bike, wax poetic here and help us assemble some stories about our rides. If you’ve got thoughts about steel vs. aluminum vs. titanium vs. carbon vs. hybrid mixes, leave ‘em here in comments, and link to products, but tell us about your rides. Yesterday a colleague/friend of mine was talking about his De Rosa, and the sparkle in his eye and his use of the word “romance” told me there was a story to be told. Perhaps many.

I notice a beating heart on their home page. Hmmm…

I’ll go first. As I’ve said elsewhere on this blog, I ride a Bianchi Campione,

which my De Rosa friend says is equally deserving of amore. From 2003, my ride is considered “entry level,” which means fairly heavy at 25 pounds, but also trouble-free and delightfully balanced and true. The Campy gear system and solid Mavic wheels make my Campione easy to care for and consistent, with nothing twitchy or unpredictable about it at all. Its steel frame is resilient and gives an intimate road-feel my aluminum-frame friends lust after. And then my saddle… my only issue with my ride was wishing for a cut-out in my saddle nose right… there. And whadya know? WTB makes its Speed V Comp saddle with the perfect cut out in the shell right… there. Along with its “Love Channel” – or is it the “Channel d’Amore “on my Campione? – life doesn’t get any sweeter.