Odd ball bikes ?

[woodbutcher]

Same here
@woodbutcher they are normally well specced so if they are cheap enough might be a good source of spares or use as a donor bike to build a more suitable bike

I will make some enquiries re the spec. the asking price is about 250euros which didn't seem crazy money but l guess it depends what the spec. is ?

 

[Drago]

And then along came Jim Felt in the nineties, and BOOM! He redesigned TT bikes, having made a few for friends that proved outrageously successful, and the rest is history.

 

[woodbutcher]

And then along came Jim Felt in the nineties, and BOOM! He redesigned TT bikes, having made a few for friends that proved outrageously successful, and the rest is history.

Now lm interested...what do they look like ?

 

[Drago]

Pretty much like proto versions of modern TT bikes.

 

[woodbutcher]

It would seem that they both have an odd mix of Shimano 600 tricolour, Shimano 105 Stronglight, and Campagnolo . And l am guessing that time trialists are big blokes because these bikes are much to big for me

 

[rogerzilla]

Francesco Moser was well into funny bikes like those. Look up his hour record bike.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...francesco-mosers-1984-hour-record-bike-287395

16mm tyres!

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I've always thought of dedicated TT bikes as weird looking machines of little practical value - they certainly don't appeal to me to ride, although I wouldn't turn one down as a parts donor if it was cheap enough and had what I was looking for on it. I have a very simple rule of thumb regarding road bikes; if the top tube isn't both straight and perfectly horizontal, it's just plain wrong.

 

[Nibor]

I spotted a couple of weird short wheelbase bikes at a local vintage bike show.

 

[rogerzilla]

They're horrid! I suppose you get less wheelslip when climbing a greasy 1 in 4 hill but these bikes weren't designed for that anyway.

 

[woodbutcher]

They're horrid! I suppose you get less wheelslip when climbing a greasy 1 in 4 hill but these bikes weren't designed for that anyway.

Ooh a bit harsh ! but l must admit that aesthetically they do nothing for me. If anything they just look a bit "overthought" especially the orange one.

 

[BalkanExpress]

It would seem that they both have an odd mix of Shimano 600 tricolour, Shimano 105 Stronglight, and Campagnolo . And l am guessing that time trialists are big blokes because these bikes are much to big for me

Not sure that the spec would make then useful donor bikes at that kind of money.

That said I do like the late 80ies early 90ies approach: shimano for the stuff that really makes a difference: rear mech and brakes, and then a mix of what you fancy/ can afford for the rest

 

[midlife]

I spotted a couple of weird short wheelbase bikes at a local vintage bike show.
View attachment 434526 View attachment 434527

The top twin tubed Ian May reminds me of the old Saxton jobbies

The lower is a Trevor Jarvis "flying gate". In my era it was the MKM Ultimate ... Have a look at where the seat tube joins the downtube.

 

[biggs682]

@Nibor would love to know more about that Ian may , do you know the owner or rider at all ?

 

[woodbutcher]

The top twin tubed Ian May reminds me of the old Saxton jobbies

View attachment 434609

The lower is a Trevor Jarvis "flying gate". In my era it was the MKM Ultimate ... Have a look at where the seat tube joins the downtube.

View attachment 434610

I love that bike and that is a very elegant way to shorten the wheelbase. I can only imagine how twitchy the handling is at slow speed. Look how far in front of the hub the brake hoods are, exciting ....l want one

 

[Ian H]

Ooh a bit harsh ! but l must admit that aesthetically they do nothing for me. If anything they just look a bit "overthought" especially the orange one.

The Flying Gate (a disparaging nickname which Baines, the original makers, hated) must be one of the ugliest frames ever designed, but a friend says his is a dream to ride (though his is made by Trevor Jarvis, who revived the design).

But the Gate was not designed especially for time-trials, unlike the lo-pros featured in the first post.