Italian Dreams-Benotto & Atala
These two beauties make a cameo appearance in the previous post, but they’re both worthy of special mention. We all have some appreciation for the beauty and flow of the Romance languages, and bicycle makers in those nations have indeed capitalized on the American desire for something a little bit more-how shall we put this-well, maybe just a little prettier. Think Bianchi, De Rosa, Colnago or even (dare I say it) Peugeot. But the Italians seem to have maintained the most cachet, so let’s just focus on them for a minute. It’s also tempting to try and spin a fictional love story for Benotto and Atala; I am sure they do love each other very much, and enjoyed every minute they spent together riding along the cobblestone roads of the Italian countryside…of course now they have both found themselves in San Francisco, are a little lost, and need loving homes!
For Benotto, San Francisco streets should pose no problem. You might find him easily powering up the rolling hills, thanks to a good low-range gear and a comfortable handlebar with some moderate sweep.
Atala is looking pretty in her adopted country, proud of her freshly shellaced cork grips and matching saddle.
Braided gold cable housing nicely complements the flowy font and color scheme.
Benotto’s got a couple of scars on his head tube, but hey, who ever said packing up your life and sailing across the Atlantic to the New World would be easy?
Though they’re set up with different grips and brake levers, Benotto and Atala share the same Soma Sutro Stem and Velo Orange Milan handlebar.
Unlike Atala, Benotto does have a shifter-albeit a simple, original, and pretty classy one mounted on the downtube. Atala sometimes gets a little envious of this here in hilly San Francisco, but she tries not to let it hurt their relationship…
Atala is justifiably very proud of her wheelset. What other recent emigre has the good fortune of having Mavic Open Sport rims laced to Surly sealed bearing hubs? She knows these will stand up to the tough streets of America’s most European city. Who knows, she’s thinking, maybe they’ll outlast even my love for Benotto…
Atala, at 53 cm, would be a good fit for a human about 5’5″ to 5’9″. Benotto’s a little smaller, at 50 cm, and is seeking a rider in the 5’0″ to 5’4″ neighborhood. While both would like to think they’re priceless, the brutality of capitalism and the global marketplace have assigned each of them values of $550.
SFBC Winterfest Auction Bike - Custom built by Pedal Revolution
SFBC Winterfest Auction Bike - Custom built by Pedal Revolution
This bike was assembled from the frame up by Pedal Revolution and given to The San Francisco Bike Coalition for their Annual fundraising party - Winterfest!
Lead Mechanic Todd B. with assistance from two our Youth interns Daniel and Josh spearheaded the assembly utilizing many donated components from Soma Fabrications. This is a signature example of a custom refurbished Pedal Revolution bike; a classic steel frame completely rebuilt with great quality new parts into a totally reconfigured city bike. Our focus is versatility, function, reliability, and fun! Early mountain bike frames like this one had a very high level of craftsmanship from Japan and had more of a touring bike geometry compared to contemporary mountain bikes. We love transforming these classic bikes into unique and utilitarian commuter style bikes, capable of carrying significant loads and accommodating racks, baskets, and fenders. Many of our customers rely on their bikes as their primary mode of transportation, grocery getting, commuting, and recreation. They want a bike that can reliably get them to work and back home and then be outfitted for a weekend bike camping trip or out of town adventure.
Pedal Revolution is a non-profit bike shop that has been in business since 1992 and hosts a paid work internship program for at-risk bay area youth. We employ 20 young people every year as interns in our shop working side by side with our professional staff. Our interns learn a combination of basic work-readiness skills and participate in a bicycle service based training curriculum experiencing bicycle repair, assembly, and sales in our own business. Interns assist our professional staff in the building of our new and custom refurbished used bicycles like the one you see here. Our refurbished used bicycles arrive from donations from individuals like you who want to support our program. The bikes are stripped, assessed, and then rebuilt with new components to assure a long and reliable life. These bikes are unique, one of a kind creations with distinct style and a character all their own. Please consider donating your old bicycles, frames, or bike parts to our program to support our social mission. Next time you are in the market for a fantastic new or refurbished used bike come visit us!
Here are some photos of the before and after bike build process:
Pictured below are two of our current youth interns Josh and Daniel holding the vintage Miyata “Terra Runner” frameset that provided the foundation for this build:
80’s Japan built, triple butted, lugged steel goodness.
The paint was a little rough so we sent it off to our friends at Champion Powdercoating for a super sweet repaint.
We’ve come to referring to this textured blue finish as ” Pining for the Fjords Blue”.
Service Manager Joel had the bright idea to have the stem painted to match.
Came out quite nice!
Here are Josh and Daniel again with painted frame, fork, and stem with the new wheels and Soma Fabrications New Xpress tires which they set up and installed.
Below Daniel carefully shellacks the cork grips designated for the bike. We love the classic look of cork grips.
Shellacking weatherproofs them and keeps them looking good for a long time.
Brand new drivetrain with Sugino touring cranks, Shimano and IRD mechanicals, and stylish MKS touring pedals.
Shop bottle/shop sticker steeze.
Sprung leather touring saddle.
Soma Fabrications Oxford Handlebar, IRD thumbshifters, Champs Elysees front rack, and Wald basket….gotta have a basket.
Those grips though!
This was a really fun project for the Pedal Rev crew. Hope you like!
Bike details:
-80’s era Lugged steel Miyata “Terra Runner” early MTB frame
-Made in Japan
-Size 21”
-Custom powder-coated “Pining for the Fjords Blue”
Parts:
-Shimano 26” wheelset
-Soma Fabrications New Xpress Touring Tires
-Sugino XD500 Touring Crankset
-Shimano Deore M591 Long cage rear Derailleur
-IRD Front derailleur
-MKS Sylvan Touring Pedals
-Velo Orange Leather Saddle
-Soma Fabrications Oxford handlebar
-IRD 9spd indexed thumbshifters
-Shellacked Cork Grips
-Soma Fabrications Champs Elysees stainless front rack
-Wald basket
Pedal Revolution Used Bike Update: IRO Mark V Single Speed
Pedal Revolution Used Bike Update: IRO Mark V Single Speed - 49cm
Depending on your needs, a single-speed bike can be awesome. In addition to the excellent elemental minimalist stripped down bare naked good looks, single-speeds tend to be more maintenance free than bikes with complex gear systems. Because the drivetrains are so simple, wear and tear parts that do need to be replaced are generally less expensive (1/8″ single speed/bmx style chain for $15 vs a $50 10 speed cassette chain!!!). Simply due to having fewer parts, the bikes also trend lightweight for less dollars.
As a secondary or tertiary bike, single speeds are ideal. Their lightweight and simplicity makes hauling them up and down apartment stairs and on and off public transit a breeze. Further, no need to worry about your rear derailleur getting bent out of shape when parking at a busy bike rack.
This bike has super nice unique handbuilt wheels (super strong and light!): pink IRO sealed bearing hubs and Velocity rims. The brand new wheels are 650C size (actual rim/Bead Seat Diameter 571 mm), smaller than conventional road 700c (BSD 622 mm) wheels so they are appropriately scaled to the very small frame and rider.
Oury grips, neo-retro Tektro brake levers, and a sweptback Velo Orange Milan handlebar for comfort and style.
Because of the unique parts, and small frame and appropriately sized wheels, this is a really killer bike for someone around 5′ tall:
$600 - 49cm frame
Pedal Revolution Used Bicycle Update: Motobecane Step-Through 3-Speed
Pedal Revolution Used Bicycle Update: Motobecane Step-Through 3-Speed
Another Pedal Revolution original here. This bike was donated with long obsolete 27″ wheels, a conventional derailleur drivetrain, a low long deep drop handlebar (i.e. uncomfortable) and a bric a brac of low-endish 80s parts.
The bike was reconstituted with a more upright Velo Orange Milan bar and svelte Tektro neo-retro levers (they look like a lot of levers on older bikes but benefit from stiffer cold forge construction and return springs for smoothness and greater cable life).
New 700c wheels with a Sturmey Archer 3-Speed internal gear hub replace the clunky and complex original drivetrain. Soma Xpress terra cotta tires make another appearance here. These are essentially a slightly more beefed up version of the Panaracer Pasela tires that get are often spotlighted on this blog.
The gold housing just looks really great. It jives well with the painted on logo but neither enhances or undermines the brake function.
The cork grips were heavily layered with shellac for good looks but they also don’t feel too bad.
The demi-mixte frame construction is totally wild. Just prior to Pedal Revolution being donated this bike, I (Joel), had seen another one of these frames in the shop for the first time and it blew my mind. So strange to have another one given to us so soon after that. The unconventional frame construction and 3-Speed rebuild make this a super unique bike.
Burgundy (in New Orleans, they would call the color “Ber-gun-day”) Motobecane Step-Through 3-Speed:
$500 - A Good Ride for someone about 5’4″?
SOLD
Robin Hood 3-Speed @ Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
1969 Robin Hood 3-Speed Step-Through - $350 SOLD!
In the year 2008, I (Joel) began my career as a bicycle mechanic. 7 years ago this month actually. I worked at Broadway Bicycle School in Cambridge, MA. This shop serviced many old British 3-Speed bikes. It was actually kind of a specialty of the shop. I was tasked with tuning up many of these bikes and let me tell you, at the time, they were the bane of my existence. Compared with contemporary bikes, these bikes are unconventional and quirky as can be (internal gear hubs that are influenced by by their position in the frame, front hubs that are adjusted in the fork, use of metric and non-metric/imperial fasteners, “Raleigh”/26 TPI threading, brakes that are centered with a hammer and punch!…).
At a certain indecipherable point (I suppose it has been a process, journey or evolution in my development as a mechanic and cyclist) I formed a real affection for these idiosyncratic machines best celebrated on the Sheldon Brown (fellow Broadway Bicycle School alumnus) website. Please allow me to quote:
These Are Real Bikes!
on’t sneer at old 3-speeds. They are serious bikes, built for serious use. They are meant for utilitarian cyclists, and they are still extremely appropriate for riders who don’t usually go more than a few miles at a time. They are particularly at home in stop-and-go traffic, because they can be shifted even while stopped. Their English heritage: full fenders, oil lubrication, and totally enclosed gear system makes them relatively impervious to wet conditions. They may be heavy, but that is not because they were built to be cheap, but because they were built to endure extremely rough usage and neglect. Properly cared for, they will outlast us all.As evidenced by the date stamped on this Robin Hood’s Sturmey Archer hub, this bicycle was manufactured in 1969.
In 1969, the guts of the Sturmey Archer AW hub were much the same as in 1902, having survived two world wars, the great depression, the baby boom and several high-profile assassinations fully intact. However, 1969 was a pivotal year of change in the history of Rock N Roll. Anyone in the Bay Area today who happens to catch audio glimpses of traffic reports referencing Altamont must surely be reminded of the ugly events that occurred at the free concert there in December 1969, the edge of the 1970s. As we now know, the Altamount Free Concert was the event that signaled the end of the day glow tie dye days of peace and love. What followed was a decade of earth tones, religious cultism, political assassination, heavy narcotic use, domestic terrorism, disco, escalating imperial war atrocities, and the emergence of punk rock. Around the time I was birthed, The Clash succinctly penned the perfect counter point to the peace and love espoused by the flowerer children of the 60’s, Hate and War (“the only things we got today”). A real theme song for the 1970s.
A more positive association one can make with this bike and The Clash is their invocation of Robin Hood in the excellent song White Man in Hammersmith Palais. Perhaps the first of example of White musicians properly doing what Bob Marley would affectionately call the “punky reggae”.
As mentioned in the above quote from the Sheldon Brown website, although these are real bikes, they were geared for the flat streets of Nottingham or Manchester (see the below video) England rather than hilly San Francisco. Thusly, the original cottered cranks were replaced with a Velo Orange threadless bottom bracket (mooting the Raleigh threaded bottom bracket shell) and a beautiful Sugino crank fitted with a 42 tooth chainring. This crank is mated to a 23 tooth rear cog and provides excellent gearing for our vertiginous local terrain.