This is the story behind my purchase of a 2009 Bianchi Vigorelli. I have always had an interest in bicycles since childhood, from my first two-wheeler at the age of four, progressing into BMX bikes through my teen years. At about the age of sixteen I gave up cycling and spent my time borrowing Mom’s car and working to eventually achieve car ownership. Like all the other teens in Southern California, car ownership was the peak of life in my mind. I never stopped thinking bikes were fun, I just thought cars would be more fun.
Despite being a car-commuter student at UC Irvine from 2000-2005, I actually found myself back on a bike due to parking! With an annual parking pass running around three hundred dollars, I went to the Local Bike Shop (LBS) and purchased a dirt jump specific BMX bike and commuted with that in the back of my car. I’d park a couple miles off-campus and ride in. Eventually that bike would be stolen and again, I was bike-less.
Shortly after graduation and finding my first “real� job, I discovered something new! Disposable income! Thanks to Lance Armstrong and the road cycling wave sweeping the U.S., I purchased a clearance Specialized Roubaix Elite compact road bike, along with a friend who purchased a Giant OCR2 at the same time. I took to cycling and really enjoyed the first couple months, however my enthusiasm waned as my friend lost interest. I commuted a few times to and from work, but eventually hung that up when I moved from La Mirada to Fullerton and away from the Los Coyotes Creek bike path. I sold the bike in 2007, thinking I’m not going to find myself riding road again.
Los Coyotes Creek Bike Trail, Northbound @ 91 Freeway
Around 2006 I also found mountain biking, first on a Specialized Hardrock, progressing to a 2006 Fsr XC Pro. Living close to the Fullerton Loop, this became my new hobby. My riding buddies were going strong and riding regularly. As life slowly filtered them out between work, marriage and children, I soon found myself riding the Loop alone. A year later, fed up with riding the loop alone, I found the website MtnBikeRiders.com. Looking through the pictures of RL and crew, I realized they had to be Fullerton locals. I sent an email to RL asking if I could join them for a ride. Suddenly, I had a group to ride with again and my passion for biking began to grow again. My fitness level improved dramatically and I’ve even entered a few mountain bike races, the thought of road biking, maybe for training began to enter my mind. alone again.
The final piece of the puzzle came at my friend’s wedding. There I ran into an old college friend who is now an avid cyclist. He told me about the Cool Breeze Century in Ventura CA. I was sold, I’ve always thought a century ride would be a lot of fun and something on my list of things to do before I die, now was the chance to reconnect with an old friend, increase my training and have some more fun in my life!
2004 Cannondale Road Warrior 600
I scoured craigslist and eventually came away with a 04 Cannondale Road Warrior 600. A 700c hybrid, I thought it would be a perfect city bike and capable for the Cool Breeze century. As it turns out, the Warrior is perfect for those things, but as I monitored my average speed, compared to my speeds in 2006 on the Roubaix, along with my new found fitness, I knew I could do better.
Back to Craigslist and EBay I searched for a good deal on a great used bike. Armed with the geometry specs of the 2005 Roubaix I searched for my “deal�. Committed to finding a plush road bike, I spent a month without luck. Finally perusing through the inventory at one of the local shops I found a Vigorelli on sale. For one of the first times in my life, I did not make the impulse buy. I continued to search the used bikes in the area until finally three weeks later I returned to the Vigorelli. She (sorry for the politically incorrect terminology) was beautiful. Her thin classic tubes and the promise of a sweet ride, attested to by the Reynolds 631 tubing sticker she wore.
Reynolds 631 Tubing
A modern carbon fork supporting a vintage-looking head tube clad with the Edoardo Bianchi badge. I finally spoke up and asked for a test ride. I swung a leg over the bike and coolly pedaled down the alley way. I circled up and down the street twice, and then broke into a sprint; she felt beautiful, clearly overweight by anorexic road bike means — she’s not the supermodel, and she’s not sexy, just good-looking. She wasn’t fast, rather she offered comfort, and she felt like home.
2009 Bianchi Vigorelli
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