The light blue frame (top photo) was built by Hans and I just before he passed away. We built it about the time I was designing a velodrome for the failed bid for a Toronto Olympics.
I hoped to ride it there someday. With the loss of the Club's tech wizard , I could never even build it up, let alone ride it, so it sits on a wall in my home office
Thanks for those pictures. Great workmanship and photography. Hans was a legend in the cycling community. He introduced me to a nice German girl who is still with me and helped me on my most ambitious project Viscus and Velorution. RIP Metzen.
The Pegoretti illustrates when a bike frame become an artist's canvas. Dario was know for two things, artistry in frame building and his love for jazz. I own two of those jazz frames, both tributes to famous musicians. Those two sit on a wall. Each frame is different. The patterns, colour and overlaid textures are magnificent.
Liisa's bike, the pink chrome Battaglin. A masterpiece of co;our and also of ride quality. Most modern steel bikes are built with oversized tubing to reduce weight, but unfortunately those tubes increase stiffness and take away the magic of a steel bikes road feel. The Portofino, uses a more tempered approach. Large diameter tubes where needed to increase stiffness at the BB, but smaller tubing and using traditional lug techniques to provide
So do you have a masterpiece in your basement or garage, or one you admire and yearn for ?
Would anyone want to talk about any bike topics. I know most conversations have to do with the "where to cycle", or "new technology". How about starting with the Monty Python adage, of "and now for something completely different' ... the aesthetic of frame finishes.