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<\/a><\/p>\nThe Cycling Gods were smiling upon me. They could\u2019ve been laughing; it was hard to tell. But there, among the hoard of bicycles at Woodstock Cycleworks was this beautiful blue Colnago Super. Nils Hansen, the establishment\u2019s owner was smiling too. Possibly laughing as well. Like those deities above, he too knew there was no way I was going to resist it \u2026 my path to vintage bike ownership had been smoothed, prepared and practically ordained.<\/p>\n
It began with the 2012 Singlespeed Mountain Bike World Champs held for the first time in South Africa. I was to do a piece for Red Bull\u2019s mag on what this fringe element event in Winterton KZN was all about and needed a suitable bike. My carbon dual susser was clearly not eligible. Thanks to my good mate Matthew De Jongh, I was soon uncrating a black Cotic Simple \u2013 a steel-framed, fully rigid singlespeed 29er \u2013 that changed the way I approached cycling from that moment on.<\/p>\n I never rode that dual susser again \u2013 not once \u2013 and a series of steel Cotic singlespeeds and gravel bikes became my go-to off-road machines. A GT carbon road bike was also jettisoned, choosing the Cotic Escapade gravel bike for road use. Although heavier than their carbon cousins, these steel bikes were far more forgiving and comfortable; and tougher too. Compared to what my mates were forking out maintaining their fragile investments, my bills were minuscule. Oh, how they loved hearing me point that out.<\/p>\n Yes, by now I was a card-carrying steel-frame advocate. It\u2019s a lot like being a vegan or a cross-fitter \u2013 a condition best illustrated by the joke: \u201cHow do you know if someone\u2019s a vegan?\u201d Answer: \u201cThey tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n Then I did the inaugural 2016 Eroica South Africa \u2026 and my steel-frame advocacy morphed into the practically evangelical.<\/p>\n Again, a feature article was the motivation, this time for the UK\u2019s Cyclist magazine. Nils loaned me an old brown Peugeot Rapport, I had a 1967 Team Peugeot replica jersey made (just like Eddy\u2019s), left my helmet at home, fastened myself into old school toe-strap pedals \u2026 and completed the most memorable cycling race I\u2019ve ever done.<\/p>\n It was like coming home. I\u2019ve long had an appreciation for vintage, owning classic cars and collecting vintage watches, and here was cycling\u2019s equivalent. I\u2019d found my people. Milling about at race registration were a myriad cyclists in old woollen jerseys, leather-soled, lace-up cycling shoes and the most beautiful array of road bicycles you can imagine. Locally made vintage Peugeots, Le Jeunes, Alpinas, Du Toits and Zinis, alongside Bianchis, Cinellis, Gios, De Rosas, Tommasinis and, of course, Colnagos.<\/p>\n There\u2019s something about a vintage steel frame road bike. That classic geometry \u2013 the horizontal top tube, quill stem, chrome detailing \u2013 just looks right. It\u2019s a purity of design that makes modern bikes seem overly fussy and complicated \u2026 like those old frame builders had distilled the essence of what a racing bike was all about and modern brands are just dicking with the formula on instructions from the marketing department.<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s the ride. Yes, there is more flex in the frame and wheels \u2013 especially when you\u2019re out the saddle and upping the wattage \u2013 but if you\u2019ve never ridden one before, you\u2019ll be astounded by how much more comfortable they are. You learn to ride them in a different way too. Too much side force isn\u2019t what you want \u2013 throwing the bike from side to side with out-the-saddle power pedalling is not what they like. Keep the bike up-right and exert force in a more straight-up-and down linear way gets the best result. Watch old videos of Eddy climbing \u2013 he\u2019s rarely out the saddle, and when he is, the bike doesn\u2019t sway about much.<\/p>\n On the descents, they can be just as quick as their modern equivalents, though they do require more of a sure hand. Like old sports cars, they get grumpy when unsettled mid corner. Sit up half-way through with your hand squeezing the brake lever and you\u2019ll feel that flex wanting to high-side you out the saddle. Obviously, braking ability is nothing like modern rim brakes and an aeon away from discs, but again, brake a little earlier, commit to your line, turn in smoothly, and you\u2019ll be just as quick. This isn\u2019t point-and-squirt stuff. We\u2019re talking finesse and feel here.<\/p>\n Vintage machinery aside, the Eroica event itself is something very special. There are three distances \u2013 45km, 90km and 135km (plus a new 155 km race for modern gravel bikes) loops that use the Western Cape town of Montagu as a base. And it\u2019s not a race, but more a celebration of cycling. There\u2019s a stop at the Kingna Distillery to sample their craft brandy and water points where wine, toasted bruschetta and olives invite one to chill the hell out and take in the beautiful scenery you\u2019re cycling through. This is where the Cycling Gods live. And it\u2019s why I had no choice but to buy that old Colnago.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n