About a week ago Friday, Lestrud came over for an evening. At one time he owned a bicycle shop and he has tools and skills that I am sometimes lacking. Dan Ulwelling taught him to build wheels and he learned well. I don't know how he does it, when he builds up a set of wheels they never go out of true and don't seem to need a second tightening up after the spokes seat themselves. I seem to have misplaced my BB wrench, so he brought over a loaner and the full-size DT Spoke chart. I just furnished the water, ice and
Redbreast Irish Whiskey. We kind of did it backwards. We drank enough whiskey to make wives uneasy, and THEN I brought out the rims and hubs to measure. I think we focused, re-measured and re-read the charts enough times to get the spoke lengths correct. I hope so, because I have 72 DT Revolutions on the way. A testimonial: Revolutions are really light, 1.5mm with 2.0mm butted ends. I am a pretty good eater and heavy. I've broken spokes, but with 36 x 4 cross wheels I have never snapped a Revolution. I guess the light spokes must stretch and absorb the punishment rather than breaking. Anyway, a thumbs up. For Redbreast too.
Lestie left me a Fausto Coppi book and a couple of videos. Every great champion needs a strong, ongoing rival. Fausto Coppi had Gino Bartali. Gino was supposedly a war hero, smuggling documents on training rides, though I'm not certain why he wasn't drafted. Fausto was and almost immediately became a prisoner of war in North Africa and spent the war just trying to get by. Gino met with the Pope to be blessed before every race and made a show of crossing himself at the starting line and finishing line. Fausto didn't. He said he didn't think God cared what gear you were in or who won a bicycle race. I really want to like Bartali. He is even the featured rider on my blog background. I like his prizefighter look. Still it's hard, the more I read, the more it becomes obvious he was pious, arrogant and petty ... which of course makes him a good foil for the dashing, free-wheeling Fausto.
Lucky wheels!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads-up on the Revolution spokes. I'm thinking 36 per wheel should be enough for me! -Tony
ReplyDeleteOh, the Redbreast is soo good.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Middleton when someone else is buying.
You are baiting the bears.
ReplyDeleteI again point to the carrying of messages to aid the resistance during WWII.
It's OK to love pious Gino.
And, plus, even my big @$$ rides the Revolutions on pave.
Rev,
ReplyDeleteI have read enough about Gino to know that the aiding the resistance story is iffy at best. It was a long time ago and really doesn't make any difference now, other than it is part of the narrative. I do not wish to bait or even discuss. It is what I honestly believe.