When you see a bike like this, you realize why people like me like steel road bikes so much.
I spotted this Pinarello, which appears to be from the '80's or early '90's, parked near the site of the former World Trade Center.
It's not so unusual to see old racing bikes re-purposed as commuters. It's most commonly done by replacing the dropped bars with flat ones, as the owner of this bike did. However, I'm seeing more old road bikes with "mustache" bars or the Velo Orange Porteur (which I love).
But it's still fairly unusual to see full fenders on road bikes from the '80's or later, with their short wheelbases and tight clearances. Older racing bikes, like the Peugeot PX-10 and Raleigh International, were made to accommodate protection from the elements.
That's why I was fascinated to see the Velo Orange hammered fenders on this Pinarello. They're narrower than the ones I have on Helene and Vera, but of the same style. It's funny how it can make what had been a flashy racing machine into a classy, classic commuter.
In one of my early blog posts, I mentioned seeing a Pinarello on a campus where I worked. I contrasted it with the near-absence of bicycles on another campus in which I worked, and that whenever I parked at the latter campus, my bike--even Marianela, the old Schwinn LeTour III on which I was commutig--was by far the best.
Well, the young man who used to ride the Pinarello has graduated. But, yesterday, I saw another bike that surprised me almost as much as seeing that Pinarello did.
Seeing a late-model Cannondale, particularly in an upper middle-class suburban area like the neighborhood that surrounds the campus, is not remarkable in and of itself. Seeing a Cannondale track bike is somewhat more unusual but, again, not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
What shocked me was how well-equipped that bike was. Most track, fixie or single-speed bikes parked in campus bike racks have serviceable, but not spectacular components. However, this Cannondale sported Mavic Ellipse track wheels, an FSA carbon crankset, a Ritchey Pro seat post, Salsa stem and Nitto bars.
The only components that seemed incongruent were the flat pedals, intended for downhill mountain biking, made by Crank Brothers (makers of the Egg Beater pedals). Don't get me wrong: They're a high-quality component. But they did seem odd on a bike that otherwise seemed to be built for the velodrome.
I wasn't able to get a better angle to take close-up shots because a motorcycle was parked next to the Cannondale. But I think you can see why it stood out even in a bike rack that has hosted a Pinarello--and Vera, my green Mercian mixte.
