Maxi-Car Hubs History & Image Gallery

Célestin Auguste Ripet patented the use of special annular bearings in bicycle bottom brackets and hubs in 1933. Rousson & Chamoux were already producing a wide range of hubs, pedals, chainrings and crank arms under the trademark name RFG by then. (RFG stood for “Roulement Francais Garanti”). These two manufacturers would eventually merge three decades…

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Ernesto Colnago Photo Gallery

Ernesto Colnago was perhaps the greatest racing bicycle designer, builder and mechanic of the 20th century.  He started in 1945 at the prestigious Gloria Bicycle Company when just 13 years old. After apprenticing there, Colnago enjoyed a relatively brief racing career himself that ended with a horrible crash. This led to him opening a bicycle…

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Ernesto Colnago: Fortune in Fracture and Ferrari

Bicycle racers face immense danger every time they swing their leg over the top tube, from broken bones to outright death. Some might even argue a severe bone break can be worse than death itself, for it can spell the end of one’s racing career.

Hetchins Bicycles: Meticulously Lugged

Bicycle companies faced a historical deletion around the time World War II hit as the prevalence of automobiles and weight of war became overwhelming. Manufacturers, racers and race organizers found their livelihoods interrupted – and in some unfortunate cases, even ended. It was around this time that several European bicycle companies found themselves struggling through…

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Tech Specs: 1984 Colnago Super Pista

FRAME: Colnago Super Pista Columbus Tubing Minimalist Lugs Clover Head Lug Engraving Dual Colnago Seat Stay Engravings Chrome Stay Ends FORK: Colnago Super Pista Columbus Tubing “C” Clover Engraving Elegant Square Crown Minimalist Pointed Tangs HEADSET: Campagnolo Record, 1″ diameter HANDLEBAR: TTT Pista, deep drop, 39cm length STEM: TTT Pista, steep angle, 115mm length SADDLE:…

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Jo Routens: Randonneur de l’Excellence

Joseph “Jo” Routens was one of the greatest makers of randonneur, cyclotouring and cyclosportif bicycles in all of cycling history. The only other name regularly considered alongside his more aged contemporaries, Rene Herse and Alex Singer, Routens was distinct from these seminal influences in his unwavering commitment to the everyday cyclist. Initially through his partnership with…

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Cycles Alex Singer: Ageless Grace

“Alex Singer” sounds like a name you might more associate with the fumbling lead character in a classic Woody Allen movie than with what many consider the most revered bicycle builder and outfitter ever. Yet this tiny shop, first opened by its namesake founder some 80 years ago in Paris, France — which still occupies the…

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Carlton Cycles: Foundation for Greatness

Carlton Cycles is one of the most deserving bicycle companies to be better known than it is. While revered by its cliquish followers and well-known among enthusiasts of fine road bikes, a mention of Carlton to any member of the general public — even the lad or lassie tooling along the bike path on an aluminum…

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The Mystique of Masi: From Vigorelli to Volumetrica

Since the dawn of competitive bicycle racing, Italian frame builders have produced some of the world’s most painstakingly crafted and sought after machines. Of all the Italian brands desired by bicycle aficionados, vintage Masis turn up high or even highest on the list.