Rest Day #1

Finally, a rest day. All that Elvis can say about those first 10 days is WOW! 562 miles!

Some folks might look ahead on a rest day but Elvis is going to look back. Not just back on the leg-breaking first part of this year’s 50% of the Miles 100% of the Effort Tour Challenge, but way back to the day that Elvis became a real cyclist. June 14, 1985. Elvis had spent plenty of time on bikes as a kid and had even done a couple of triathlons in the early 80’s. But on June 14, 1985 Elvis ordered his first real (and real expensive) bike. A 1984 Colnago Triomphe Saronni. This bike used a frame identical in construction to the one rode by Giuseppe Saronni when he won the World Championship in 1982 - just beating a young Greg Lemond.

The bike came stock with a Campagnolo Chorus groupo, new at the time, and a pair of Ambrosia Elite wheels. Elvis ordered it sight unseen from a bike dealer in Florida who had an ad in the back pages of Bicycling Magazine. Total price: $683.00. Plus $33.00 shipping. That was a lot of smack at the time. Over $1400.00 when adjusted for inflation. Elvis was a poor young man at the time and probably had to pay a few bucks a month for years just for the privilege. But what a privilege! An honest-to-goodness Italian racing machine!

Elvis even kept the sales receipt. It’s faded and a bit hard to read, but here it is;

Over the years Elvis has tried a variety of bike brands but recently came back to Colnago. Four years ago Elvis found a used CT-2 frame (titanium) and three years ago a snappy carbon fiber C-50. Both the CT-2 and the C-50 are what Elvis uses today. Neither has ever let him down. Colnago’s are everything you have heard they are and more. The ride is smooth, true, fast and sublime.

The old 1984 Colnago has spent the last 20 years in a variety of basements, unused. Until today. Over the past few weeks Elvis spent some time cleaning, lubing and adjusting all of the original parts to get it road ready. And today he set out for a nice, easy recovery ride with his old friend. For the second time today Elvis could only say - Wow! What a ride! Elvis had forgotten just how smooth a high quality steel frame can ride. At first I forgot about the downtube shifters and would try to flick the brake levers. But when I remembered to use the downtube shift levers my brain remembered thousands of shifts from all of those years of riding 20 years ago and shifting was just as smooth as the new Dura Ace stuff; not one flubbed gear change.

It was as fine a summer evening as you could ask for; warm, golden light, light breeze. And riding along on some of the same roads that I broke this bike in on all of those years ago had Elvis feeling downright young again. And nothing, nothing beats looking down at a shiny chrome fork. Sweet!

Elvis will be doing a full review of this bike in the coming weeks. Maybe even a comparison of the 1984 Colnago to the 2005 version. In the meantime enjoy this quick peek;

1984 Colnago. A true Italian stallion.

Mileage goal for today: 0. Miles ridden: 17.