Chuck's Bikes

If a little bit is good, a WHOLE LOT has got to be JUST GREAT
--Janis Joplin
"Rust is our friend, It makes our bicycles LIGHTER!"
--CK

~1989 Davidson Discovery

1985 Cannondale SR900
All Campagnolo
Inherited from my buddy Hank

1985 Zullo Special

1986 Fuji Opus III From the brother of the second owner.

1990 Bridgestone Radac 2100 - bonded aluminum.
Shimano 600/Ultegra components from the top tube down, except for the Campy rims.

1991 Cannondale SH800
Early hybrid / 29er. Turned out to be a fantastic neighborhood bike.

1992 Cannondale 2.8
A very classy late 90's upgrade

1993 Raleigh USA MT500
Front half of the frame is 7005 double butted aluminum bonded to a Tange Prestige steel rear triangle.

1997 Softride Norwester
An odd dead end in bicycle suspension design, 1991-2007

2004 Cannondale R3000

~1989 Limongi SLX
More Photos Here

1988 Centurion IronMan Expert - from the son of the original owner

1993 Cannondale DeltaV700

2004 Trek 5200

1985 Pinarello Montello
From the friend of the original owner

1989 Masi Nuova Strada

1996 Cannondale 2.8 R600

1992 Cannondale 3.0 R600
From the brother-in-law of the original owner

1984 Sannino - frame almost from the original owner
More Photos Here

1983 Austro Daimler Superleicht - from the son-in-law of the original owner
More photos here

1973 Grandis Super Leggera
Detail shots here

1987 Specialized Team Allez (by Dave Tesch)
More Photos Here

1991 Bridgestone RB-1

~1991 Basso Laguna - made in the USA by Aegis
More Photos Here

2003 LOOK KG386
More Photos Here

1998 Klein Quantum Race
More Photos Here

1982 Ciocc MOCKBA '80 (Moscow '80) - from the son of the original owner.
More Photos Here

1988 Cannondale SR700 Black Lightning
More Photos Here

1994 Specialized Epic - lugged carbon fiber - from the original owner
More Photos Here

1979 Echelon Odyssey - from the original owner
More Photos Here

1992 Schwinn-Paramount-Waterford-Buell S.A.S.S.
A few more detail shots and some links

1984 Vitus 979 Paris Sport 600 group - from the original owner.
Detail shots here

1994 Cannondale R2000

1984 Zullo Special 600 group - from the original owner
Detail Shots Here

1989 Bianchi Campione de Italia - from the original owner
More photos here

1992 Tommaso TSX - from a friend of the original owner.
Detail shots here

1992 Serotta Colorado II Coors Light Team Replica.
More photos here

1973 Grandis Super Leggera - from the original owner
Detail shots here

1983 Puch Austro-Daimler Inter-10. Back from the dead!
More photos and the story here

1984 Ross Mt. Whitney
More photos here

1991 Specialized Allez Epic - another bike that I've always wanted.
More photos here

1989 Cannondale SR800
More photos here

1999 Lemond Zurich - 853 Reynolds frame and Calfee carbon/titanium fork.
More Photos Here

Trek 5200 - 1992, the first year for the OCLV construction and Shimano 600 STI and 8 speed cassettes.
The first two years had that string bean CF fork, which is more than a little springy. - From the second owner.

1984 Olmo Competition
Detail shots of the Olmo here

1983 Austro-Daimler SLE - Bought as a bare frame and assembled from leftover parts. Smoke chrome frame, 531db frame w/Puch fork.
Detail shots of the A-D here

Another garage sale frame built back into a bike, this time a 2000 Marin Argenta. Billato built, made in Italy frame with beautiful Columbus Zonal tubing and a selection of shed components. First aluminum bike that I had where I could understand what the folks that complain about their stiffness were talking about. I'm not gonna complain though! From the second owner.
A couple extra photos and label detail shots.

A week after the Mondia I found this 1985 Raleigh Team USA. 555sl DB tubing and a middle quality bike, but I remember the US Racing Team Raleighs from '83-'85 and admiring the paint -
from the original owner

1981 Mondia Super, 531 metric tubing, and mostly 1980 Dura Ace AX components - almost from the original owner.
Detail shots of my Mondia.

Two weeks after finding the Dawes below, I found this 1987 Mercian at a garage sale. It had been converted (or built up) to a hybrid and I changed it back. It's all 531c tube and Shimano 600 components -
from the original owner
Detail shots of my Mercian

A week after I found the TREK below, I found this 1968(?) Dawes Galaxy. Very original except for the rear wheel and derailers.
I've built it up pretty stock to celebrate how my Dawes Galaxy tourer (below) started out.
Detail shots of my Dawes Galaxy

1996 TREK 2100 - Aluminum and carbon bike came to me as a frame, wheels and a couple of fixings. 600 and Campy components.. Not especially light, but a very nice ride.
Frame from the original owner

1991 Miyata Elevation 5000 that I've built up as my off road tourer.
Detail shots of the Miyata

1985 Cannondale SR500 I'd never seen a METALLIC PLUM Cannondale before. Suntour Cyclone derailers and an amazingly clean bike for being 20+ years old. Looks like it had only had a couple of years of use before I got it, and still has the Cannondale "The Aluminum Advantage" handlebars - from a friend of the original owner.
More Pictures Here

Another "new" bike, this time a 1990 Cannondale ST600 Tourer.
It had been used as a road bike, and I've added the racks and fenders, upgraded the wheel set, and intend to continue prepping it as a loaded touring machine -
though I don't know if I'll ever use everything at once! From the friend of the original owner.
More Photos Here
My three 3.0's here

1985 Univega Gran Sprint - S
Found it at a garage sale, after the previous owner had let the tires rot off of it. I know why; it came stock with sew-ups, probably one
of the last low cost bikes with sew-ups. I redid the wheels with Mavic aero clincher rims.
Detail shots of my Univega

Wile E. Guerciotti
1985 Guerciotti. A quick bike that I use mostly for short rides. I bought it as a race-retired frame abt. 1994, put it together with shed parts and rode it for about ten years before finding a Campy Victory group that I've used to upgrade it.
Detail shots of my Guerciotti

An early 70's Eddy Merckx. This bike was built by Falcon. I have upgraded it with all sorts of interesting components, including GB engraved bars, Universal Model 61 center pull brakes, Campy Valentino derailers, Modolo levers, Brooks saddle, Carnielli "cookie cutter" stem, Nissi Toro rims, Nervar crank, and even Heuret thumb screw axles and a latch-clip bottle holder with an aluminum bottle. It's heavy, but who cares? From the original owner.
Some detail shots of the Merckx

This is my Columbia Five Star General. I think that it's circa 1953 from some of the component dates. Originally it used 27.5" clincher wheels, and the front wheel included a generator hub and the rear had a Brapton three speed. I still have the parts, but replaced them with 26" wheels from a Raleigh three speed, and used the FRONT brake from the Raleigh too. Really interesting to see an American company try to meld the Continental three speed technology into an American arch frame.

This is REAL retro. My 1969(?) Dawes Galaxy tourer. Everything's been upgraded to mid 80's stuff including SunTour barends, 600 crank w/Arabesque derailers, Phil Wood hubs, and Weinmann concave rims . Latest tour was a overnighter to Lake Georgetown.
Detail shots of my Dawes Galaxy

My 1974 Ellis-Briggs. This was my first quality frame (1987), and is still one of the best balance of handling and comfort of any bike I've ever had.
I've probably put between 30 and 40K miles on it.

I ride these things, too. Here are some photos of my favorite rides.

The Overloop Collection at the Pflugerville Heritage House

2005 North American HandBuilt Bicycle Show

2011 North American HandBuilt Bicycle Show

11/13/05 First Austin "Old Bikes" meeting

3/18/07 Third Austin "Old Bikes" meeting

2010 Texas Custom Bicycle Show

Bastille Bike Day 7/16/11

Italian Republic Day 6/2/12

Bastille Bike Day 7/14/12

Bastille Bike Day 7/19/14

Interesting Bits and Pieces

Bikes I've known

Vintage Roval Wheelset

My Birthday Rides:

Completed a 66km@66 but didn't make 66 miles

65.5@65-1/2
65@65
64@64
63.5@63-1.2 a happy half-birthday
63@63
62@62
61@61
56@56
55@55
54@54

Fix-it stuff

Rolling dents out of a bicycle frame

Going Retro on a Zefal HPx frame pump

Austin frame builders:

http://www.crumptoncycles.com
http://www.kirkleebicycles.com
http://www.truefabricationbicycles.com
http://www.firemansbikes.com
http://www,paramourbicycles.com
http://www.icarusframes.com
http://www.chumbausa.com/
http://majacobicycles.com/
http://www.tomiicycles.com
http://www.sailabikes.com
http://majacobicycles.com/

and history:
Skip Hujsak has closed his shop, and is watching the river flow. Here's an old profile of Skip and here's the WayBack of his last site
Whit Moyer is now helping to irradiate the earth Whit's Flickr page
http://www.violetcrowncycles.com is suspended while Elliott guides Austin B-Cycle
http://www.gianobikes.com seems to have lost their website
http://www.willitsbikes.com is rumored to be closed.
http://www.sannercycles.com is back in California.
http://www.dominionbicycles.com/ seems to have lost their website.
http://www.alchemybicycles.com is in Denver now.

and other:
Our importer: William Lewis Imports http://web.archive.org/web/20090617230009/http://www.wmlewisimports.com/ retired in early 2011
Fairdale bikes designed in Austin. http://fairdalebikes.com/
Rol Wheelworks: http://www.rolwheels.com/about_rol_wheelworks.php has moved to Denver
http://www.airedalepaint.com/ has stopped taking new work
http://lehcyclinggoods.com/ leather goods.