New Old Stock (NOS) Campagnolo GRAN SPORT brake levers from the 70’s-80’s.

Love the details. You spin the brev inter logo to spin the cable catchers inside.

I tracked down some nice soft and gummy hoods, amazing reproduction of the old stuff, so much love.

NOS Campagnolo Victory Pedals with Toe Clip and Straps. Yeah unused from the 80’s, what a win!

So amazing.

Campag winged logo toe strap end clips, so so awesome.

The Campagnolo winged logo, it’s all over the bike now.

I put so much care into installing the pedals, what is usually just a routine installation all of a sudden is something special.

Just like old times. Into the zone with some wine, Alice in Chains on iTunes and some internet references to get the brake cable routing right.

Vintage bike brake cable ferrules made for non-aero brake levers.

Took my time to get the cables right, so so right.

She’s now period correct, makes me so happy it sure took a long time to ditch those Japanese Suntour Superbe Pro aero levers which belong to bikes from the mid to late 80’s.

Waiting for some period correct bar tape now! So close to being “done” :)

Goodbye Anthem. You were great.

Goodbye Mr. Ti. What an up and down journey it’s been. You’re a work of art despite your flaws.

Goodbye deathtrap. You were crazy fun!

Due to my fucked up financial situation I was forced to sell a few toys on eBay in order to pay off the Zoomer (why do I do this to myself?!). The Anthem sold for $2550 (rrp is over $6k!). It’s an awesome bike, climbs hills better than anything I’ve ridden but in the end of the day hills aren’t my thing. Riding it helps me to keep up with the fast boys but I’ve never had fun on the thing. My Reign on the other hand just carves up the corners when going downhill and it kicks ass on technical stuff too so it won, anthem lost and now Anthem is gone.

The Titanium bike sold for $810 which isn’t too bad. The frame has a defect in the bottom bracket but I managed to find a BB that fits and works fine. It’s a work of art with that huge imperfection. I love it lots and I’m going to miss this one for sure.

The deathtrap went for $521. It was crazy fun to build and even more fun to ride. It’s a shame it’s illegal to ride on the streets otherwise I’d have kept it and not got the Zoomer. I’ve got a feeling I know the guy who won it on eBay. I’ll soon find out I suppose!

I’ve also got a buyer for my 20inch SSR wheels which I ordered for the V35 Skyline I owned before owning the Golf. They’ll be gone next weekend, so all up that covers the Zoomer purchase, now to re-top-up my savings (which will never happen as I’ll most likely spend this cash on mods for the Zoomer!).

Standard plastic footwell had to go.

When I ride I place my heels at the edges of this plastic piece (circled) in an attempt to stretch myself out over the bike.

Strip it!

I had to remove the fuel tank to get to the plastic bits at the bottom which I also removed.

I’ll be getting some sort of brace + foot pegs soon. The fuel tank itself could either do with a polish/clean-up or some sort of cover (there’s lots to choose from).

Can’t really afford mods right now so the next best thing is to just start ripping useless shit off that I’m going to replace at a later date in any case (LOL). Due to the lower seat rail the standard bars become very high and riding the Zoomer as is feels a little cramped, the bars sweep back a lot too which really doesn’t help (will be addressed in future). In an attempt to stretch myself out over the bike I’ve found that I ride with the heels of my feet at the very edges of the plastic footwell so I’m planning to install some BMX style footpegs at the front which will do the trick nicely.

I’ve decided to really finish off the Paino with period correct parts, and in order to do that I’ve got to spend time on eBay hunting down New Old Stock (NOS) which is not only rare, but usually quite pricey too. Found these lovely NOS toe clips. So so special, they sure don’t make stuff like they used to!