"Classic" Road

• I am hesitant to label anything made of titanium "retro," and so I'll dub this road build "classic" instead. Any misguided intentions to race bicycles were beaten out of me a decade ago, but it's nice to ride neat and quick, with a group of similarly skilled cyclists. And so now that spring is at least threatening to stick, I figured it was time to roll out on a proper spring road bike. This one was built for longish, spirited rides and maximum comfort, at least insofar as a road racing frameset can deliver. Each tube is specially butted and tuned for the rider's weight, strength, and pedal dynamics, but they are still round and narrow, giving the overall build a pleasing visual simplicity and lightness. There's not a drop of carbon fiber anywhere, but the drivetrain is reasonably modern: 10 speed Campagnolo Centaur, which for my money is simply the optimal balance of super premium performance, light weight, and "reasonable" cost. The wheels are borrowed for now, as this roadie will be running 36h Mavic GP4s laced to matching Centaur hubs and shod with some beautiful Vittoria gumwalls tubies. So at least for me, it's light enough, fast enough, and gosh darn it: so. damn. pretty.
  • 8kg
  • Frame: Custom geometry "Stage" TATI 3-2-5 titanium, double and triple butted round tubes. 2.9 lbs
  • Fork: NOS Vitus aluminum 1" threaded, 1990
  • Headset: Tange "Better than Chris King" sealed 1" threaded, 80g
  • Stem: Nitto Pearl, 11cm
  • Bars: Nitto 115, 40cm
  • Tape: NOS Fujitoshi superthin semiperforated leather, tan. 1987
  • Drivetrain: NOS Campagnolo Centaur "G" 10 speed. 2004
  • Pedals: TIME RXE
  • Seatpost: NOS Moots titanium, 1999
  • Saddle: NOS Selle Italia flite, limited edition tan, 1991
  I can fully understand why recreational and club riders prefer lighter, stiffer, uglier bikes. But I am quite certain that with care and attention, a machine like this can be built in such a way that it will match the performance of bikes twice the price. And it will look timeless and classy to boot. In the past year, I've been criticized of offering the bicycle equivalents to vinyl records: technically inferior, but aesthetically superior products that appeal to a tiny clique of cycling mandarins. I doubt builds like this will silence the critics, but it's actually indicative of the bulk of the work that comes out of the workshop. And for that matter, this spring we'll see an array of carbon and (gasp!) aluminum offerings, which will hopefully put TATI on equal footing with, say, Kozy's. ;)