tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737851275453020904.post9207797884692228781..comments2024-03-08T14:27:48.599-08:00Comments on albertnet: Simplex RetrofrictionDana Alberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13488621586586091954noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737851275453020904.post-42753210854988758802015-11-24T00:31:06.277-08:002015-11-24T00:31:06.277-08:00I just picked up a used pair (from France) on eBay...I just picked up a used pair (from France) on eBay to put on this bike http://martin.dare-connect.org/bicycles_ROAD_S3.html -- <br />Empty Therehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08097019671881235607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737851275453020904.post-65793848314026831942013-04-02T08:36:59.630-07:002013-04-02T08:36:59.630-07:00I still want a pair... No idea what j would do wit...I still want a pair... No idea what j would do with them other than keep them with the brand new pair of Adidas Edddy Merckx shoes that Takumi gave me.<br /><br />I briefly thought about mounting a set to a bar end adapter and making my folding bike a 5 speed...but quickly stopped...<br /><br />As I mentioned in the email thread -- Takumi covets these as well...<br />Empty Therehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08097019671881235607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737851275453020904.post-10127785120917965862013-03-31T15:08:54.601-07:002013-03-31T15:08:54.601-07:00The bit about Valentino Campagnolo reminded me of ...The bit about Valentino Campagnolo reminded me of an experience I had at the Tokyo Bike Show back in the late 90s. I'd just gotten my aluminum Gios a few months or a year earlier, and it had been built up with a Dura Ace 7700 groupo. Great bike (although, as noted by Trevor elsewhere in this thread - jeez can aluminum bikes be overly stiff! Especially when combined with the adjustable dropouts of the Gios, which I always had jammed forward as close as rear tire - seat tube clearance would allow…) and a great groupo. Just one problem with the combination however: The rear wheel (with DA hub) could not be mounted or removed from the bike without completely unscrewing the quick release nut from its skewer.<br /><br />The problem was that the nut on the skewer, which was standard issue Dura Ace, would hit the b-knuckle of the derailleur and not allow the axle to slot into or out of the dropout! The nut fit into the allotted space on the dropout just fine, it just would not pass through the available space when mounting or removing the wheel. And mind you, this has nothing to do with the fact that the dropouts are adjustable fore and aft on the Gios Compact Pro frame. The derailleur hanger is integrated with the dropout itself, and moves along with it.<br /><br />So anyway, back to the bike show. I visited the Gios booth, and admired all of the beautiful frames and full bikes they had on display. I went to the counter, thinking to have a chat with one of the sales reps. Who was there? None other than Alfredo Gios himself. I told him how much I liked my Compact Pro, what a great bike it was, etc. etc. Then I explained the issue that I had with my DA group… You know what his response was? "We build and test our bikes only with Campagnolo." I swear to god. And sure enough, in looking around again at all the bikes on the floor, every one of them was Campy-equipped.<br /><br />Long story short, the following year I went back to the Tokyo Bike Show. Half of the bikes on display were Campy, and half were Shimano. Glad to have done my part in advancing bicycle manufacturing...darwinianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00154417210746759745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737851275453020904.post-6736403950073976422013-03-31T08:14:27.152-07:002013-03-31T08:14:27.152-07:00JP (above) also inquired, via e-mail, about my non...JP (above) also inquired, via e-mail, about my non-standard "Pro Superbe" vs. "Superbe Pro." It's a fair point. My rationale is this: around the time it came out people called it either Pro Superbe, Superbe, or Super-bee. (Super-bee wasn't meant ironically and I heard actual bike shop guys pronounce it that way!) There were also arguments about whether there were two lines (regular & Pro) vs. people just leaving off the "Pro" part. In later years I almost always heard "Superbe Pro," and could have rendered it accurately in the blog post, but felt it was better to represent the sloppiness accurately...Dana Alberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13488621586586091954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737851275453020904.post-57369175588697009242013-03-31T07:29:24.967-07:002013-03-31T07:29:24.967-07:00Dana, you are correct! I was the one who had been ...Dana, you are correct! I was the one who had been lusting for the Simplex Retrofriction shifters. Still do. Don't know if I can pay the prices they're asking on ebay, but I still love those shifters. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane.John Pelsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04958744771404797357noreply@blogger.com