I'm making some changes to a 'country' bike I acquired. Acquiring this bike was like having a ticket on a time machine to go back and buy some very quality Japanese and English made kit.
Offered here a nice assortment of RBWish and BOBish bits of which pictures can be viewed here: http://picasaweb.google.com/gmackler/BOBishBits# Suntour Superbe Pro Road pedals These are in absolutely fantastic shape. The top of the line road/ touring pedal from Suntour in '86/'87. The spindles gleam like they were hand polished yesterday. I'm tempted to keep them and just use them, but considering what they are worth I can't justify it. Maybe you can. If you appreciate the pinnacle of Japanese craftsmanship during the heyday of quality Japanese bicycle goods (prior to the cutbacks following the devaluation of the Yen) then these are for you. A ticket to a foregone era before Shimanoculture was ubiquitous, and when bicycle components were still heirloom quality. $140 Brooks Professional with Copper rails/hardware/rivets The world seems to be divided into two camps, those with prostate problems and those riding a Brooks. A Brooks saddle needs no introduction. A saddle that can transform a bike from a machine, to something...more. Not the lightest, no carbon fiber or titanium here, merely a world class saddle crafted, not manufactured, with hammered copper rivets, and copper hardware and rails. Saddle cover reads "Presoftened" in sweeping freehand font, reads "Brooks" on nameplate above rear rails, reads "Professional" along saddle wings. You can buy a brand new Brooks Professional with copper rails for around $200. It would be new. This one isn't. You could have your choice of color. This one is different depending on the light. Leather feels moist like it was treated recently with Brooks Proofride. There is some copper patina on the underside of the leather from the rails. If you prefer saddles that look like they belong on a time trial bike in a gran Tour somewhere this is not for you. This saddle has character and personality and deserves to travel to wonderful faraway places. It needs to be a perch for brevets or randonnées, epic rides, and experiences. This saddle should not have been sitting on a bike essentially unridden for the past twenty-three years. Perhaps that is what has gone with the world, this saddle, being unridden, that is. $150 Toutan sensible bike rack (Yakima compatible) So you have a A. Homer Hilson or a Betty Foy, You've built it up quite sensibly, nothing garish on the bike. Its a mode of transportation, a testament to the forgotten finer craftsmanship. Its time to take the bike to a distant Rails-to-Trails ride to take in the spectrum of the Fall colors. So you throw your bike up on your brand new sleek and modern Yakima roof rack. Really? Here we have a vintage French Toutan bike rack. Its Yakima round bar compatible. What it isn't is the latest rakishly techno-geek looking sci-fi inspired rack. What it is, is a sensible rack for sensible bikes. I have two. Much more sophisticated than anything Thule or Yakima manufactured. I've never seen these for sale in the United States. A veritable bargain considering they can salvage your reputation as a BOBish bike person of sensible tastes. I have two. They take standard skewers. Maillard Skewers in there now, you could use whatever you like. The Toutan straps could easily be replaced by your favorite leather toe straps for even better looks. $100 ea. (less than the price of most modern bike trays) No discount bin clearance prices here. I know what these are, I know how scarce they have become. Good Suntour Superbe Pro components are becoming impossible to find, and while there are plenty of crisp new Brooks saddles around, good old ones that aren't dry and cracking just don't exist. Period. I know what these are worth and I'm asking a fair price. Certainly less than some ridiculous titanium spindled flexy clipless pedals or a modern art saddle like an SMP. Offered for sale. I'll update as sold once they are. Buyer to pay actual shipping and insurance. Insurance is not optional. These can't be replaced. They are not making more (the Brooks leather stamping has changed for any smart alecky type people, it would be a similar saddle, not the same). Delivery Confirmation to be paid by myself. Not the creepy print at home kind either. The real thing. Green Sticker, actually having talked to a human being at the Post Office, that kind of thing... --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
