RIDING THE CANNONDALE TEAM COMP

The Cannondale Team Comp and I, spent an entire season traveling to and from the Paper Mill.  The two of us made, at least, one journey to the United States, to ride the Munger Trail.  The Cannondale always performed perfectly, until I blew the rear wheel rim, on the way to work, one morning.

I happened to be going too fast to avoid one of Thunder Bay's pot holes.  WAP!  Though I did not know it, at the time, the rear wheel rim had separated (split), creating an out of true rear wheel which was now dragging on the rear brake pad.  By the time I finished the ride to work, I was baffed.  That evening, while watching "Dancing with Wolves" for the tenth time, I laced a new/old rim to the rear wheel and was ready for work the next morning.

Near the end of the Cannondale's first season with me, the bicycle was sold.  A local fellow came to my house one day, just as I was returning home.  He told me that he had been watching my comings and goings on different vintage road bicycles and wondered if I had any for sale.  I told him that I would sell anything in the Old Shed - for the right price.

Our conversation continued and he asked my how much I would sell the Team Comp for.  A price was stated and he reached into his pocket.  After producing the asking price, he watched me remove my pedals and install a set of quills for his use.  The Cannondale, my first aluminum bicycle, was gone - for a while, anyway.

The buyer of the Cannondale did return from time to time, for tuning tweaks here and there.  One day the new owner showed up with an all but destroyed back wheel.  Apparently he had noticed the spokes were loosening up a bit.  Of course, he did not bother to do anything about it until the rear wheel failed utterly.  He brought the bicycle back to me, with its Taco-ed rear wheel, and asked if I could repair it for him.  Nope!  He needed, at the very least, a new rim.

And this brings up a point about vintage road bicycles, in general.  These old bicycles are for enthusiasts!  They need more maintenance than do their newer counterparts.  If you don't have the interest, time and/or skills to look after your old road bicycle, it will fail you and end up being stored away, in some forgotten place - sooner or later!