Some photo opportunities are just too good to pass up

[incorrigible]

Budwar yes, Budweiser no - it just doesn't taste of anything!

azaro,
You mean this? http://www.hoppsy.com/europe/budejovick ... budweiser/
I'll look into it. Thanks for the suggestion. It may well be that many of the beers that are enjoyed in the UK might not be readily available here, but I'll check around.

 

[tintin40]

Lovely bike & lovely mantis

 

[incorrigible]

Lovely bike & lovely mantis

Thanks tintin40.

Some more pics. You may recall seeing this bike for sale on eBay a few months back with a BIN price as well as a “Make Offer” price. Well, I made an offer, and seller and I haggled and came to an agreement on price, but when he said he would ship it, I offered to make the 6-hour drive to from San Diego to Phoenix to pick it up (I’ve had a string of bad luck with shippers lately, and I didn’t want to risk this one getting damaged if I could prevent it from happening). Although it was a grueling day of driving, the 6-hour return trip was pleasant knowing that I was able to get a Valkyrie.

Note how many of the parts were drilled out to save weight. It really didn’t occur to me what just a few grams of weight savings were going to yield until I put this bike on the scale a few minutes ago. Obviously it was originally so close to 26.00 lbs that somebody felt it was worth the effort to do all that drilling. Note the mechs are only drilled partway into the metal, and the levers were not only drilled, but the lever clamps were cleaved with a big cutter wheel.

 

[classen]

awesome bike and bug!

I like all the little drilled out bits to get it to 26lbs

 

[Retro_Roy]

hi
awesome score frank!!!!
is that an IRD brake on the rear?
brake brace sure looks like one.
but can't see enough of the brake itself to tell. love the fork too. it's all beautiful. :shock:
as for beer....you are in an incredible area for beers.
way too many excellent ones to choose from.
could have a different one every day and never drink the same thing twice.
roy
p.s. i'd trade a mystic for this one.

 

[Retro_Roy]

hi
looking closer at the first picture it looks like both front and rear brakes might be IRD's. :shock:
and the seat post!!!!! :shock: :shock:
this bike just get better and better the more i look at it.
lucky boy!!!!
roy

 

[Retro_Roy]

hi
if components are IRD how about some nice close up's posted to my IRD thread.
roy

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... hlight=ird

 

[incorrigible]

awesome bike and bug!

I like all the little drilled out bits to get it to 26lbs

Thanks classen. I'll post some more pics this weekend.

hi
awesome score frank!!!!
is that an IRD brake on the rear?
brake brace sure looks like one.
but can't see enough of the brake itself to tell. love the fork too. it's all beautiful. :shock:
as for beer....you are in an incredible area for beers.
way too many excellent ones to choose from.
could have a different one every day and never drink the same thing twice.
roy
p.s. i'd trade a mystic for this one.

Roy, I'll be sure to check the bike carefully this weekend for signs of IRD logos (bike is back in the "vault" for now).

Yeah, I know there are tons of different microbreweries in this area, so I'll have to just try something new once in awhile just to bring my tastebuds back from the dead after drinking Coors Light for so long. I mix it up once in awhile with Corona (with a wedge of lime, of course), and I should probably try Tecate since I live pretty much atop the Tecate Ridge.

As for those Nishiki Mystics of yours {a quick little algebra lesson here: x2 = }, I'll have to find another Valkyrie to trade with you 'cause this one's a keeper. It would be a lot easier for me to trade a Valkyrie if I had 2 of them. In about 3 years of searching the internet, I've seen 3 e-stay Valkyries for sale, although the only Mystics I've ever seen are the 2 you have, and I think that small one is just too small for you!

 

[incorrigible]

OK, some more pics.

First up, the mountain bike in its element: the mountains. I took a bunch of pics at sunset and these are my favorite.

If you look carefully, you can see the drilllouts in the rear U-brake in the first pic.

Note the windmills in the background of the 2nd pic. I think these 2 instances of green technology (mtb & windmill) look good together.

 

[incorrigible]

I overlooked these drillouts in my earlier pics; in the ends of the brake levers and along the length of the rear mech pulley cage. The more I look at all of these drill-out mods, the more I think they were well thought out and tastefully done. There are plenty of places I wouldn't dare drill, but I think all of these were well-placed.