mxleader on 25/7/2024 at 21:50
I'm rewatching the 1995 tour because I don't know any of the names anymore. I worked in the cycling industry for 29.5 years and used to watch every year. One of the craziest things about the 1995 tour was when Chris Boardman dropped from the tour in the first five minutes of the first state because he crashed out during the time trial. What a great time that was when team Banesto was the dominant team and Motorola with Lance Armstrong and Frankie Andreu that were just climbing up the ranks.
mxleader on 8/8/2024 at 15:32
If you are a road racing fan you might like reading Fallen Angel: The Passion of Fausto Coppi. I just finished reading it after reading a book on Tommy Simpson. Both good reads if you like vintage Euro road racing stuff.
heywood on 9/8/2024 at 16:34
Thanks for the recommendation. I haven't thought about the 95 Tour for a long time. Indurain's last victory before the dopers took over. I think I was getting a little bored with it at that point, with Indurain pulling away from the competition every year. That was also the summer I moved to Ohio and hardly rode.
What part of the industry did you work in? I've been an on-again, off-again road racing fan ever since Greg LeMond's win in '86. I dabbled in racing during high school and college, but never got serious and have been out of road cycling since my kids were born. I got my kids started into mountain biking and we have more fun with that.
mxleader on 9/8/2024 at 22:28
Quote Posted by heywood
Thanks for the recommendation. I haven't thought about the 95 Tour for a long time. Indurain's last victory before the dopers took over. I think I was getting a little bored with it at that point, with Indurain pulling away from the competition every year. That was also the summer I moved to Ohio and hardly rode.
What part of the industry did you work in? I've been an on-again, off-again road racing fan ever since Greg LeMond's win in '86. I dabbled in racing during high school and college, but never got serious and have been out of road cycling since my kids were born. I got my kids started into mountain biking and we have more fun with that.
No problem!
I was actually watching the '95 tour the other day on YouTube. Such a great tour. Induráin was an inspiration for me at the time because I was kind of new in the bike industry and a little on the heavy side. I'm an inch shorter in height than him. I bought a Pinarello Monviso in '96 and built it with Campy (Campagnolo) Record parts and as many other Italian parts as possible. I went from 230 lbs down to 180 lbs at 6' height in about six months because I couldn't stay off of that bike. Indurain's bike fit and riding style, and that Pinarello, were a life saver for me. And yeah, after five tour wins for Indurain, I started to get a little bored too.
I started working in bike shops in '94 after leaving the US Navy. Started as a bike assembler one summer after my brother called me and asked if I wanted to work in a bike shop. I hadn't ridden in a bike in a few years by then but I said yes because the factory job I got after leaving the Navy really sucked even though it paid more than the bike shop.
Then I worked as a mechanic and eventually a shop manager for 18 years. Got my BA degree and started working in customer service for Raleigh bikes in WA State where their US office was located, eventually moving into supply chain.
Then we moved to Arizona and I started working for a small bicycle accessories company (SERFAS) as an inside sales manager. Most recently, before getting laid off, I worked for Pivot Cycles in Tempe, AZ in supply chain. So 29.5 years in the cycling industry before getting replaced by someone in their twenties. I'm not bitter though at this point, just looking for my next ride...
I'm mostly a roady although I've ridded a lot of mountain bike, cyclocross, touring, randonneur, a track bike for about a month and BMX. I have one kid and she lost interest in bikes shortly after we moved to Arizona, which is kind of a bummer but you can't force it onto kids.
Incidentally my TTLG name is from a lugged steel Eddy Merckx Mxleader I owned for a short time when I first registered my account on this site.
My Pinarello Monviso:
Inline Image:
https://i.imgur.com/P6Knjpll.jpgBig Mig's Pinarello:
Inline Image:
https://i.imgur.com/fokMoVsl.jpgMarconiex on 17/8/2024 at 21:18
Great to hear that Mark Cavendish broke Eddy Merckx's record! What a legendary performance by Tadej Pogačar this year, dominating the Tour like that. Fingers crossed his victory holds up.
heywood on 19/8/2024 at 18:48
MX Leader - Cool history with bikes. I don't know Merckx bikes very well, so I didn't get the reference. Hope you find another job in the industry soon. I'm guessing it's not a great time to be looking, since bicycling seems to be one of the industries that boomed during COVID and now has a hangover. I do see a lot of new riders on e-bikes though.
I enjoyed BMX through middle school, but as I hit high school I wanted to explore further. I also remember ABC's Wide World of Sports began airing TdF highlights when Greg Lemond won in 1986. I had never seen bicycle racing before and that inspired me to want a road bike. My first was a 1987 Centurion Lemans RS, purchased in Nov '86. It looked exactly like this, only with the toe clips still on:
Inline Image:
https://i.imgur.com/WXlwBl6.jpegIt was a nice riding bike and was equipped with Shimano's first low end group to get indexed shifting and SLR brakes. The low end Shimano components worked very well except the front derailleur, which I replaced. When I started to race it in college, I replaced the heavy cast seat post and stem and bought a set of faster wheels. Then clip-on aero bars for time trials. I kept the bike for about 10 years until the headset and bottom bracket were shot. It was a price point bike and that's where they cut costs. I still have the original handlebars from that bike on my current road bike, and the same front wheel I've had since college. But it hasn't really seen much use since I got a gravel bike.
Do you still have your Pinarello? It's a pretty bike. And with Campy Record it's got to be worth a bit these days, with old steel making a comeback.
I remember Indurain was impressive to watch in time trials of course. It was obvious he had the biggest engine in the peloton. But unlike, say, Fabian Cancellara, Indurain was just light enough to defend in the mountains. He looked unstoppable until the dopers took over. He was a pretty good role model too. He seemed like a humble guy who did his talking through his legs and didn't make any enemies.
mxleader on 22/8/2024 at 03:01
Quote Posted by heywood
Do you still have your Pinarello? It's a pretty bike. And with Campy Record it's got to be worth a bit these days, with old steel making a comeback.
I remember Indurain was impressive to watch in time trials of course. It was obvious he had the biggest engine in the peloton.
Centurions were decent enough bikes if you were just getting into road bikes and didn't have a ton of money. I've worked on a lot of them over the years.
No, I sold the Pinarello to buy the Eddy Merckx, which turned out to be a mistake because I hated the Mxleader because it was way too stiff.
Yeah, Indurain was a monster on time trials as long as they didn't put in too many hills. The last year that he was thought to win the tour they changed the TT courses back to more hilly ones so he pretty much lost. Also, he was a new father that year and had all those wins under his belt so I don't think his heart was in it anymore.
heywood on 22/8/2024 at 11:45
Yes, the Centurion was very much a value bike. Only $425. I got it as a birthday present when I was 15 years old. My parents bought the bike, while I spent all the money I had at the time on clothes & gear. I built its replacement when I was in the military and had no money, based on a $700 Specialized frame that had just the right geometry. By the time I was about 30, most of my cycling friends had multiple high end bikes, but I guess I'm not a gear head because I stuck to midrange bikes even as my income grew. I mostly just care about fit and gearing these days.
What do have now?
mxleader on 22/8/2024 at 13:38
Quote Posted by heywood
What do have now?
I'm currently without a bike. When I got laid off from Pivot last August I was riding a Pivot Trail Enduro but then I sold it two days after I got shown the door. I've been shopping around for a vintage Italian lugged steel road bike as well as something more modern. I'm probably going to go for a more comfortable fitting road bike these days now that I'm over 50. There are a lot of Specialized bikes on the used market here in the Phoenix area so that's one direction I'll look. It's been weird not riding for an entire year though but I walk and do light hiking to make up for it.
