My Complete Bicycle History (Updated: 2021-10-24)

I was inspired by a thread on an online cycling forum to create this blog entry to document my bicycle history. I updated my original post with my latest bicycle information and corrected or added to some old information. These are all the bicycles I’ve owned (that I can remember) since beginning of my cycling “hobby.” (Note: I bought the bicycle during the model year listed and the bicycles are road bikes unless otherwise noted. Bicycles in bold are in my current inventory.)

This update contains numerous corrections and updates the status of the Bianchi Roger. This update follows the previous update in quick succession because I sold the Roger much more quickly than I expected. Such is the current popularity of Bianchi and the demand for used bikes (I surmise).

1. 1970 Magneet (unknown model): My first 10-speed bike. I got it because it had Campagnolo derailleurs on it. Never mind that they were Campagnolo Valentino derailleurs. It also had the ubiquitous (for that era) Weinmann center-pull brakes. I repainted the bike a metallic purple when the original paint sort of fell off. I actually “competed” in my first race on this bike. Not sure what I did with it after I stopped riding it.
2. 1974 Lambert Pro: One of the finest British racing bikes ever built (not). Started out with plastic Simplex rear derailleur, ended up with a Shimano Crane. Eventually put it out of my misery by cracking the head tube. I weighed about 120 lbs soaking wet at the time. Someone wanted to buy it from me after a friend of my father welded(!) the head tube. I sold it to him.
3. 1975 Bianchi Specialissima: Purchased in June 1976 and I still have the frameset and a couple of original parts on it after a complete restoration using period incorrect Campagnolo Super Record components circa 1984. It was originally all Campy Nuovo Record. This is probably the bike that I rode the most — more than 40K miles. Museum piece in my house.
4. 1980 Medici Pro Strada: Truly the one bike that I wish I never sold. It was essentially a Masi Gran Criterium as it was built by former Masi USA employees. I put a mix of Shimano and Sun Tour parts on it. It did have a Campy seat clamp bolt on it. This was my first racing-only bike. I sold the complete bike but I don’t remember how I advertised it or who bought it.
5. 1982(?) Benotto (model???) track bike: My first track bike was made-in-Mexico and had straight gauge, steel tubing. I got it so that I could train at the newly constructed, 7-Eleven Olympic Veldrome (built for the 1984 Summer Olympics). The fork had quick-release chrome plating and by the time I sold the frameset the fork had almost no chrome plating left on it. Overall, it was a nice track bike and served me well. Sold the frame and fork around 2006 at a swap meet and it’s probably a brakeless road fixie now.
6. 1984(?) Basso (something-or-other): This was a straight gauge Columbus frame that I bought during my bike shop employee sabbatical. I built it using most of the parts off of the 1975 Bianchi and used it as a training bike (as the Bianchi had seen better days by then). Eventually the sold the bike after getting the frame powder-coated when the quick release Italian paint job gave up the ghost. Also put a mid-1980s Shimano 600 group on it and I have no recollection of who bought it.
7. 1984 Cannondale SM-500 mountain bike: Got sucked into the mountain bike craze and this was another employee purchase. The bike was a dark metallic green and it interestingly had a 26″ front wheel (standard for that era) and a 24″(!) rear wheel. I could climb trails that would cause others to dab but it was scary descending on it. Sold it to an aerospace co-worker who, as I was told, rode it all the time all around the South Bay.
8. 1985 Vitus 979: Built it with a combination of Sun Tour and Galli parts as a race rig.  It was very light for the time and it was a noodle, but I weighed less than 130 lbs. back then so it was bearable for racing. This was also another employee purchase and I ended up selling the frame and fork to a friend.
9. 1985 Olmo (I-can’t-remember): Built it with the same combination of parts as the Vitus used it as a training bike. It was a Columbus SL frame and many will argue that it was a better bike than the Vitus. I won’t argue that point. I also got this with a bike shop employee discount. It replaced the Basso. It also had a wild, 3-color, fade paint job. I think I sold the frame and fork through the Pennysaver.
10. 1986 Shogun Kazé: TT funny bike that I eventually rebuilt using most of the parts off of the Vitus. This was my first TT-specific bike. Did a few sub 1hr 1 min TTs on it but I could never quite get under 1 hr. The partially assembled bike sat in our garage for over a decade. Finally sold it at our estate (moving) sale in 2018.
11. 1987 Fisher Procaliber mountain bike: Bought this as lightly used frame. It had one of those under-the-chainstays rear brake setups. It descended much better than the Cannondale but it didn’t climb as well. Given my inability to descend fast, it probably was a bad change for me. Eventually I converted the bike into a city bike and I towed my kids in a trailer behind this bike for untold miles. Finally sold it to a colleague’s daughter around 2007.
12. 1988 Serotta Colorado: This was the best steel frame that I have ever owned. Built it with a combination of Shimano Dura Ace and Shimano Santé components. This replaced the Vitus. It was my first bike with index shifting and I used the Santé derailleurs because my local wrench said that they would work well with the plethora of Sun Tour freewheels that I had at the time. He was right. I eventually rebuilt the bike with 2005 Campy Record-8 components–my first bike with ergo shifting and had it repainted by CycleArt. Cracked the down tube in 1999 and sent it to Serotta for a repair evaluation. Never got it back from them as the repair cost was too high.
13. 1990 Stowe Triad: I originally built the bike with most of the parts that I had on the Serotta Colorado. This bike replaced the Olmo as my training bike. I have a funny story about Robert Stowe but I’ll save it for another time. I rebuilt the Stowe with circa 2005 Campagnolo Chorus-10 components in 2013 and then disassembled it a year later to build a road bike for my wife. Rode it a few times after rebuilding it and the mystique of steel road bikes was lost on me after riding carbon frames for over a decade. Steel may be real but it doesn’t ride better than carbon. Sold it at the end of 2015 to a clubmate who wanted to build up a classic steel road bike.
14. 1997 Bianchi Megatube Ti: This was the original Megatube Ti with the large, “aero” fabricated and welded down tube. It was my 40th birthday present from my wife. I built it with 1996 Campy Record-8 components. This bike became my “race” bike (I wasn’t racing much at the time) and my Serotta moved to the training bike role. It also had what felt like the world’s heaviest road fork. More history on this frame below.
15. 2000 Bianchi XL EV2 Al: I bought this frame when I cracked the down tube on the Serotta. I put most of the components from the Serotta on this frame and it became my race bike while the 1997 Bianchi Megatube Ti migrated to training bike status. This was when I started racing more seriously again as my kids were starting to get older. Sold the complete bike to a friend some time after I stopped riding it.
16. 2001 Bianchi XL Ti: I got this frame in 2002 as a warranty replacement for the 1997 Bianchi Megatube Ti (which developed crack on the seat tube right at the weld for the front derailleur hanger). Originally put the parts on it from the Megatuble and it was my training bike for a few years. I put Record-10 on it in 2003. Sold the frame on eBay after I bought the Look KG481SL.
17. 2002 Look KG381i: I got this on clearance in February 2003 and built it with 2003 Record-10. This and the subsequent Look KG481SL had the best stock geometry fit of any bike I’ve owned. It replaced the 2000 Bianchi XL EV2 Al as my race bike. After a few years, the frame suffered from corrosion between the carbon tubes and aluminum lugs and I ended with another warranty replacement frameset.
18. 2000 Quattro Assi Team 2000: I bought this in October 2004 as a cheap TT frame ( $500) to replace the Shogun. Built it piece by piece by looking for sales on Chorus-10 parts. This is the worst riding bike that I’ve ever owned, hands down. However, I did manage to set some PRs on it but did not crack the elusive 1-hour 40 Km TT. Sold the frame at a swap meet.
19. 2005 Look KG481SL: I did a double swap on components when I built this bike in August 2005. The low mileage parts on the Look KG381i went on this bike and the higher mileage parts from the Bianchi XL Ti went on the other KG381i. The KG381i became my training bike. I really liked KG481SL. Sold the complete bike to someone through an online cycling forum in 2008.
20. 2006 Bianchi Pista Concept track bike: Built this using most of the parts from my Benotto track bike in March 2006. Eventually replaced everything on it — not that there’s muck to replace on a track bike. Put over 7,000 miles on it. All of those miles were training and racing on an indoor, 250 meter, velodrome. Thought the frame was cracking in 2013. Turns out it wasn’t. Then it developed a real crack on the seat clamp. Re-built it with a variety of leftover track components and wheels and finally sold it via a WTB post on Facebook in 2015.
21. 2005 Bianchi Milano 120 (120th Anniversary Edition) town bike: Decided that I wanted a town bike and liked the one that my wife had. Purchased this one on closeout as a year-old model in July 2006. It’s a fun bike that is easy to ride. Changed out the bars, saddle, and seatpost but otherwise, it’s pretty much stock. Always get compliments about the bike (not me). Pained me to sell this bike but it became redundant with my single-speed commuter after I retired. Sold it to a friend in September 2019.
22. 2006 Look 565: I got this frame in 2007 as a warranty replacement for the KG381i (which developed corrosion issues at the tube to lug interface). I ended up with the wrong size but rode it about 2,500 miles in about six months as my training bike before I sold it to a friend in 2007. It rode pretty well but it really shined on descents.
23. 2007 Serotta Attack: I got this as my 50th birthday present to myself in August 2007. Built it with 2006 Record-10. I raced on it at the end of 2007 and for all of 2008. I love how this bike rides. It’s the best bike I’ve ever owned and my first custom geometry frame. Towards the end of 2008 I started getting paranoid about racing on this bike. I have never worried about crashing a bike before and I didn’t like racing with that thought in the back of my head so I sold the KG481SL (which had rotated to training bike status). In August 2015, I was racing on this bike, as usual, in a Tuesday evening race and I crashed on it. After the crash and because the frame has over 26K miles, I decided to temporarily retire it. Rebuilt the bike in early 2020 without repainting it — think of the chips a patina — using the best Campagnolo Record-10 components that I had available. This one is a keeper.
24. 2007 Bianchi D2 Crono Carbon: I got a deal on this TT frame from my LBS that I couldn’t refuse in November 2007. OK, I could have refused it but I was lusting after this frame from the first time that I saw it and I hated the Quattro Assi. I built it with almost all of the parts from the Quattro Assi. I only changed bars and wheels when I first built it. Who said you can’t buy a sub 1 hr, 40K TT? Currently the frame and fork are taking up space in my garage. Make me an offer.
25. 2009 Cervélo R3: In November 2008, I bought this frameset to be my race rig and bought a 2008 Campagnolo Record-10 group. I liked this bike well enough but its race speed handling didn’t inspire me — probably because it had a slightly funky front end geometry. Really didn’t do the weight weenie thing when I built it but it came in at 14.6 lbs with heavy Look delta pedals. Sold the frame and fork to a friend.
26. 2007 Bianchi Roger single-speed cyclocross bike: Only used complete bike I’ve ever bought to this point. Found it on craigslist in December 2009. It was my rain bike and single-speed training bike. Eventually replaced everything on it except the brakes and wheels and added fenders. (Not too many parts to change since it’s a single-speed.) My clubmates liked riding behind me when I rode it in the rain because it had full fenders. Unfortunately, it became redundant as a rain bike because I now ride and race on Zwift regularly; there is no need to train in the rain. Sold bike through Facebook Marketplace in October 2021.
27. 2010 Lapierre Xelius FDJ: After buying this frame on sale in March 2010, I put the components from Cervélo on this frame. Raced on it for a year. It was an OK race bike but it didn’t stir my soul. Sold the frame and fork in 2011 to a friend who bought it for his nephew.
28. 2010 Cannondale SuperSix Hi-Mod: This was pretty cheap in February 2011 as it was a leftover team bike for a local club. Found a NOS Campagnolo Record-10 group for this build. Liked it a lot and raced on it for two seasons. Ended up selling the frame and fork in 2013 to a friend who easily outsprints me while riding it.
29. 2011 Stop Proletariat commuter bike: The frame was billed as a single-speed mountain bike. I bought it December 2011 because I wanted to build a single-speed commuter bike with disc brakes and belt drive. Total custom build with low maintenance and ease of riding in mind. I like the bike a lot though much of how I use it now overlaps with the Bianchi Milano. Sold the frameset through Facebook Marketplace in 2019 after purchasing the Raleigh Cadent i8 frameset.
30. 2012 Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod: Got another end of season deal on this frame and fork. Built it for the 2013 season with the Record-10 parts off of the SuperSix Hi-Mod and I liked it even more than that bike. Eventually put an SRM power meter on it so now I could see my pitiful wattage during races. Raced on it for three full seasons and turned it into my training bike after retiring the Serotta Attack. Sold it to my sprinter friend in 2018 after buying the Bianchi Oltre XR4.
31. 2012 Specialized Shiv: After the 2012 USAC Masters National Road Championships in Bend, OR, I got an itch to get a Shiv. Found this bike on ebay in September 2012 as a built but never ridden deal (wrong size). Moved the derailleurs and saddle from the Bianchi D2 Crono Carbon to the Shiv “module.” Raced it for almost 8 seasons and after making little progress with it in 2019, I decided to try a new bike. Frameset is for sale.
32. 2013 Bianchi Super Pista track bike: Bought this track frameset when I thought my Bianchi Pista Concept had a crack in the frame. I didn’t build it until 2014 because I never had the time or inspiration to do so. I was thinking about selling it when I discovered a real crack in the Pista Concept. Interestingly, the geometry and build tolerances are so close to the old bike that I was able to swap parts without having to make any major adjustments. It rides about the same as the old bike. We’ll see if I can go any faster on it. Replace by Fuji Track Elite. Sold it through a Facebook WTB post in June 2020.
33. 2016 Fuji SL 1.1: My former race team sponsor, West River Cycles, arranged a deal for my club to get “team” bikes from Fuji for a great price. Since I wanted to retire the Serotta Attack, the timing for getting this frameset was perfect. Over the years, I was interested in Fuji’s top end road bikes but their geometry wasn’t right for me. Fortunately, the SL 1.1 fits me well. Built it with most of the parts off of the Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod except for the crankset (mated to a Power2Max power meter) which came off of the Specialized Shiv. Early 2019 I upgraded(?) the groupset to SRAM eTAP to match the Bianchi Oltre XR4.
34. 2019 Bianchi Oltre XR4 CV: A number of “firsts” with this bike: my first aero road bike; my first bike purchase (November 2018) since retiring in 2017; my first foray into electronic shifting (SRAM eTAP); my first non-Campagnolo road bike since jumping back on the Campagnolo bandwagon in 1997; and (finally) my first new-purchase bike build, specifically for training since buying the Stowe in 1990. Decided an aero road bike was my best bet for training since most of my training is on flat routes. Interestingly, it is just slightly heavier than the Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod in its last training configuration because the Canondale had fairly heavy wheels. I hope this Bianchi is reasonably good for training on long climbs. Heck it worked well enough for Primoz Roglic and Steven Kruijswijk during the mountain stages of the 2018 Tour de France. I’m still allowed to dream–right?
35. 2019 Cervélo P3: After a disappointing 8 season with the Specialized Shiv TT, I am trying a new TT bike. Not necessarily my first choice but may be my best choice because the frame, in conjunction with Felt Bayonet 3 aluminum aerobars, gives me tremendous latitude on bike setup — something that the Shiv didn’t provide. Purchased the frameset in May 2019 — just in time for the 2019 National Senior Games — and built it with the Campagnolo Record-10 drivetrain that was on the Shiv. I’m mostly faster on this bike than I was on the Shiv in the same races. Upgraded the drivetrain in May 2020 to SRAM eTAP.
36. 2017(?) Raleigh Cadent i8 town bike: Purchased this frameset in 2019. In theory it was a complete bike and then disassembled to sell as a frameset by the same shop where I purchased the Proletariat. Was able to move most of the parts from the Proletariat to the Cadent so instead of being an internally geared 8-speed (i8), belt-drive bicycle, it is a singled-speed belt-drive bicycle.
37. 2016 Fuji Track Elite track bike: Purchased complete bicycle used in February 2020. Swapped the crankset, handlebars, and saddle (not much else to a track bike) between this bike and the Bianchi Super Pista. Kept the wheels that came with the bike.
38. 2021 Priority Apollo 11 gravel bike: I succumbed to the gravel craze but I am not going to do gravel races. Purchased this bike in September 2021. I wanted the ability to do some easy offroad riding while riding from home and a gravel bike seemed like the ticket. What attracted me to this particular bike is that it is a 1X11 setup but with an internally-geared rear hub and belt-drive. I am sold on belt-drive from my town bikes and I thought that belt-drive was perfect for  offroad riding — much less mess and maintenance. N+1-1 means that this bicycle replaced the Bianchi Roger.

Current inventory: 9 complete bicycles, 1 frameset (1 complete bicycle and 1 framesets for sale)