Excellent ! and I salute your choice of using what works for you. Mine has got dura ace brakes and groups couldn't resist adding a picture, I was on the Sa Colabra a few weeks ago on plastic bike, watch that descent its slippy in the dry...its the granite they use to surface ! take care and enjoy lovely stuff
Without hijacking Rusty Bodie's post, it has definitely grabbed my attention due to a couple of my favorite things.......Mallorca, and a stunning TVT build. And now Doulbledee has added to my excitement with another cracking TVT
I am currently in the process of negotiating the purchase of a ruby TVT which i plan to build up with 7400 Dura Ace transplanted from my old Vitus. I'd love to know what you guys think of the riding experience of the TVT compared to the modern stuff?
The TVT rides very smoothly, more like a modern bike, its much tighter than other carbon/composite bikes of the same era partly I think due the full carbon rear end from the seat cluster and the full carbon steerer and crown, its very firm but comfy. As for Dura Ace 7400 I run 8 speed indexed its super positive and accurate. Good luck with your purchase, I was extremely luck to get the matching painted carbon seatpost with mine
I was deliberating slightly over whether i should or shouldn't go for the frame, just back from holidays and the car is due a service, etc. etc. so isn't really top of the list and would need some of my very best explanations to the wife! Reading this post now has just definitely convinced me After all if i cant really afford another frame now, when will i ever really be in a position to afford one?
Unfortunately the frame doesn't have the seatpost, so i'll have to settle for a Dura Ace or similar as i doubt i will ever turn up (finance) a TVT one?
Do all you can to snare that red TVT you've seen!! I can't rate it highly enough but what gave me the biggest kick apart from actually owning and riding one, was the amount of folk that came out of the cycling crowd gushing over it and my old Oakleys!! I didn't see many retro bikes in Majorca - mostly non descript modern black coloured bikes with noisy freehub bodies and howling, ineffective brakes. :shock: The descent to Sa Calobra was a total GRIN-fest!! Completely MENTAL and the stuff of my teenage, somewhat reckless years on the bike wayyy back in the 80s!!
The TVT performed almost flawlessly - the only irritations were a snide but brand new Shimano 105 9 speed chain that developed two stiff links for no good reason and which I couldn't eliminate and the rear mech's hesitation to drop into the smallest sprocket in spite of the adjuster screw being wound right out. Any ideas why it won't engage nicely? It's a nine speed set up with all the matching parts. :?
Sprinting back in to the Viaduct feed stop after climbing back up Sa Calobra, two gazelle-like girls came out of the crowd and were beaming from ear to ear and giving me the thumbs up over the TVT! One chap back at Puerto Pollensa stopped me outside Bruce's bike shop and told me that he owned around 20 retro road bikes and that mine was as nice a bike as he'd ever seen!
I can't rate the whole experience highly enough. The only thing missing was doing it with other retrobikers, like you lot! I would have loved to have been riding in a group all showing the rest of the cycling world just how cool and fast our old steeds remain to this day. Who needs to spend thousands of pounds on a modern road bike when you could have something like ours' for around a grand??!
Here are a couple of photos taken by a shrewd photographer near the top of Sa Calobra - note the bottom gear - 30 x 25t and LUVVIN' it and a whole lot easier than the 39 x 26t I had to grovel up on my old Eddy Merckx a couple of years previous! :shock:
...possibly the whitest thing to ever grace these mountains??!
Do all you can to snare that red TVT you've seen!! I can't rate it highly enough but what gave me the biggest kick apart from actually owning and riding one, was the amount of folk that came out of the cycling crowd gushing over it and my old Oakleys!! I didn't see many retro bikes in Majorca - mostly non descript modern black coloured bikes with noisy freehub bodies and howling, ineffective brakes. :shock: The descent to Sa Calobra was a total GRIN-fest!! Completely MENTAL and the stuff of my teenage, somewhat reckless years on the bike wayyy back in the 80s!!
The TVT performed almost flawlessly - the only irritations were a snide but brand new Shimano 105 9 speed chain that developed two stiff links for no good reason and which I couldn't eliminate and the rear mech's hesitation to drop into the smallest sprocket in spite of the adjuster screw being wound right out. Any ideas why it won't engage nicely? It's a nine speed set up with all the matching parts. :?
Sprinting back in to the Viaduct feed stop after climbing back up Sa Calobra, two gazelle-like girls came out of the crowd and were beaming from ear to ear and giving me the thumbs up over the TVT! One chap back at Puerto Pollensa stopped me outside Bruce's bike shop and told me that he owned around 20 retro road bikes and that mine was as nice a bike as he'd ever seen!
I can't rate the whole experience highly enough. The only thing missing was doing it with other retrobikers, like you lot! I would have loved to have been riding in a group all showing the rest of the cycling world just how cool and fast our old steeds remain to this day. Who needs to spend thousands of pounds on a modern road bike when you could have something like ours' for around a grand??!
Here are a couple of photos taken by a shrewd photographer near the top of Sa Calobra - note the bottom gear - 30 x 25t and LUVVIN' it and a whole lot easier than the 39 x 26t I had to grovel up on my old Eddy Merckx a couple of years previous! :shock:
...possibly the whitest thing to ever grace these mountains??!
Lovely stuff there I've got the Time shoes as well they are still in pretty good condition, I took mine over the Cat & Fiddle last Sunday and really pushed it into the corners set a PR on Strava and that's saying something as I've come down there in a group before at speed! These TVTs ride super smooth, as for your gear issues I've got 8 speed but 9 speed didn't have any down tube shifters did they max 8?
Darren
Brilliant! Great photos, the bike looks fantastic in the sun, and i'm not surprised there was so much interest in it. Love the retro TDF combined jersey as well. Deal still not done on the TVT at my end, still frantically selling off stuff to help fund it, but you have definitely inspired me to go all out for it.
Maybe we could get a retro group together for Mallorca 2017? imagine the interest in a row of TVT's and steel bikes hanging up outside Tolos bar?
..............oh, and why do the modern bikes have such clicky clacky freewheels?
I would absolutely love to organise a retro trip to Majorca next year! My pal Mike, has also just bought a red TVT with full Delta Record on it and in incredible condition. I'm sure that he would be up for it too. Another friend, John has just bought a Peugeot Perthus Pro 753 and could be another likely participant!
They are both kinda daft about old cars too!
As for those downtube shifters, Shimano made Dura Ace downtube shifters right up to ten speed - I had no idea that they had gone beyond 8 speed either, especially with the creation of STIs. Whatever they are...
won't hold it against you, saying as you do have a lovely TVT 
