Ham on road…

I like ham. I like ham on a wall. I like ham in the dirt. I like ham on the road. I like ham, yessir and ma’am.

I recently sent one of the Cunninghams I had on display back to it’s owner and he sent out a new ‘ham to replace it. The ‘ham that recently arrived is of the rare road variety. It was built for Todd DeAngelis, a sponsored racer of Charlie’s. For a bike this old, it weighs an incredibly respectable 18 pounds.

A story about the bike goes like this: on Todd’s first ride with the US National Team at the Olympic Training Center, someone asked “Did your dad make that? Is he a plumber?” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Todd says that the bike was lighter and stiffer than anything else at the time. It was made for riding – pure and simple.

Check out the bottom bracket. It’s interesting that an over-sized bearing placed directly in the bottom bracket shell is the new technology on today’s bikes. This bike was made in 1984 or 85 – BB35. Guess what’s 25 years old is new again. I just hope that hair bands don’t follow suit.

(What’s playing: The Knitters Someone Like You)