This past weekend was the Philly Bike Expo, and while I did not attend I did pay homage to that fine city yesterday by riding my Engin, which was of course made there:
Drew Guldalian of Engin has sinced moved on to titanium and “progressive” geometry so I feel lucky to have caught him back when he was still willing to join steel tubing together at traditional angles. As someone who prefers riding to the trails and scampering around on terra firma to driving to them and then launching myself into the air, I still prefer all-terrain bicycles like this to more modern fare:
So I plan to enjoy this one as long as my aging body allows, because the don’t make ’em like this anymore…though we are talking about the bike industry so I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before someone not only starts making them again, but also acts like they invented them.
Speaking of celebrated bicycle fabricators who began with steel and now express themselves in the medium of titanium, Bill Davidson is another:
And as you know I’ve been riding one of his older bikes, courtesy of Classic Cycle. You may even recall I was so taken with it that I implored someone to buy it:
Well, a reader who knows quality when he sees it took me up on it (though why someone with such a discerning eye would be reading this drivel is anyone’s guess), and he picked it up from me today:
John came all the way from Buffalo to get his new bike, stopping on the way to partake in a cyclocrossing competition and then visiting with family in the area, and we enjoyed a sunny autumn ride over the Tappan Zee Mario Cuomo Bridge this morning before he embarked upon his return trip to the other end of New York State.
While I’m sad to see the Davidson go, I’m happy for John, because I know firsthand what a fantastic bike he now owns, and we should all be so lucky to have one so special. I’m also happy for myself, because Paul from Classic Cycle has dispatched a replacement, and it’s scheduled to arrive tomorrow:
It may look like a regular bike, but view it from another angle and you’ll see it’s specially designed to channel road spray directly to the rider:
I’ll have to be sure to carry an extra-long bottle at all times.
Stay tuned!