Robert Millar's KOM bike and Peugeot jerseys
Just came across this by accident and am well chuffed!
I apologise if this has already been publicised here..
Millar is the main reason I got into cycling...along with all the city centre criteriums on TV...watching the Channel 4 coverage in '84...30 years ago, yikes!!... and the subsequent 'Kellogg's Start' TV adverts he did the following year.
I've been quite upset about how the great man has been treated in the media in recent years as I always found him so exciting to watch...if at times incredibly frustrating, but always found him 'real'...he is who he is, and was an incredible talent and for me, drastically underappreciated.
Anyway here's a pic...check the size of that inner ring :-)
and here's a link to Billy Bilsland's cycle shop where it's on display...
https://www.facebook.com/billy.bilslandcycles
I apologise if this has already been publicised here..
Millar is the main reason I got into cycling...along with all the city centre criteriums on TV...watching the Channel 4 coverage in '84...30 years ago, yikes!!... and the subsequent 'Kellogg's Start' TV adverts he did the following year.
I've been quite upset about how the great man has been treated in the media in recent years as I always found him so exciting to watch...if at times incredibly frustrating, but always found him 'real'...he is who he is, and was an incredible talent and for me, drastically underappreciated.
Anyway here's a pic...check the size of that inner ring :-)
and here's a link to Billy Bilsland's cycle shop where it's on display...
https://www.facebook.com/billy.bilslandcycles
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Billy Bislands shop in Glasgow has a KOM jersey from the man himself, I think the owners dad (original shop owner) trained him for a while, and he was a good family friend.
The thing that sticks to me is the stories the owner tells about riding with Milar when he was young, and one impressive one about beating him in a town sign sprint.0 -
The first thing that hits you is how huge the bike is...he would be on one half the size nowadays.Contador is the Greatest0
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^ Strivers vs drivers
Even their cheeks were stretched....a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.0 -
frenchfighter wrote:The first thing that hits you is how huge the bike is...he would be on one half the size nowadays.
Yup! I started out on a 22.5" in 1962. I was measured and had two frames built for me of 21.5" when I was in my 30's. Now, in my 60's, I am on (according to the Giant website) on a 46.5cm Defy. I have been 5'7" all my adult life.
I have a photo of Hinault stretched along the top tube on what today looks like too big a frame (not much seat pin) and another of DAVID Millar with what looks like about 2 foot of seat pin.I don't do Cold, Wet, Uphill or into the wind!!0 -
Haha that is pretty interesting!Contador is the Greatest0
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Mountaindancer wrote:frenchfighter wrote:The first thing that hits you is how huge the bike is...he would be on one half the size nowadays.
Yup! I started out on a 22.5" in 1962. I was measured and had two frames built for me of 21.5" when I was in my 30's. Now, in my 60's, I am on (according to the Giant website) on a 46.5cm Defy. I have been 5'7" all my adult life.
I have a photo of Hinault stretched along the top tube on what today looks like too big a frame (not much seat pin) and another of DAVID Millar with what looks like about 2 foot of seat pin.
Amazing....I used to have the Hinault book where he showed how to set the bike up for yourself...saddle height etc. I wonder how it would stand up to today's ideals? I still have my bike set up in the same way and consequently find modern bikes too different :shock:0 -
There's an interesting snippet about this bike, with some comments from the man himself, at:
http://thewashingmachinepost.net/bob/index.html0 -
And set up as he rode it.....
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shazzz wrote:There's an interesting snippet about this bike, with some comments from the man himself, at:
http://thewashingmachinepost.net/bob/index.html
Superb, thank you for that...so great to be able to talk about stuff like this. Millar was such a great, exciting rider....I'll never forget his exploits....maybe one day he'll be recognised more widely, but then again, I reckon he is in the cycling community, which is maybe all that matters to him.
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http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Burrows
This is the guy who is responsible for the way road bikes look now, the Giant TCR was the first "compact" road bike. He also designed some Lotus bike thing...0 -
Billy Bilsland was a decent racer himself back in the day - stage victories as an amateur in the Tour de l'Avenir and Peace Race and as a pro he had a top 10 in Giro Lombardia and a couple of other races too.0
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Bilslands is my favourite bike shop in the world. Neil and the guys are the classic LBS types who'll do anything for you and look for a solution that works rather than one that costs."In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
Paul 8v wrote:...the Giant TCR was the first "compact" road bike.
Dave Lloyd was making them before Giant. Here is mine...
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greasedscotsman wrote:Paul 8v wrote:...the Giant TCR was the first "compact" road bike.
Dave Lloyd was making them before Giant. He's mine...
I thought compacts had sloping top tubes Greased? That looks horizontal0 -
Yellow Peril wrote:I thought compacts had sloping top tubes Greased? That looks horizontal
It is sloping, look at the top tube against the brick courses. It's not as aggressive a slope as something like a Giant, but if it was horizontal, you wouldn't see the extended seat tube.0 -
disgruntledgoat wrote:Bilslands is my favourite bike shop in the world. Neil and the guys are the classic LBS types who'll do anything for you and look for a solution that works rather than one that costs.
By far and away the best bike shop I have ever been in, I was going to buy a Cervelo r3 from him before my situation changed. I took it for a test ride, said great I'll have it but I will want to buy a shorter stem, he went and found one, changed it, let me test ride it again and then said he would swap the stem for a same value one, if I needed. Also said If I was to race and needed some wheels, I could borrow his any time I needed.
Hopefully one day I will be able to buy something of true worth out of the shop to repay him for all his help in the last few years.0 -
Ace...sjmclean wrote:disgruntledgoat wrote:Bilslands is my favourite bike shop in the world. Neil and the guys are the classic LBS types who'll do anything for you and look for a solution that works rather than one that costs.
By far and away the best bike shop I have ever been in, I was going to buy a Cervelo r3 from him before my situation changed. I took it for a test ride, said great I'll have it but I will want to buy a shorter stem, he went and found one, changed it, let me test ride it again and then said he would swap the stem for a same value one, if I needed. Also said If I was to race and needed some wheels, I could borrow his any time I needed.
Hopefully one day I will be able to buy something of true worth out of the shop to repay him for all his help in the last few years.
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Love this photo....1984, tearing into Fignon, Lemond, Delgado and possibly Pedro Munoz on the bike in question, with a strapped on bottle cage...is he on the 'big ring' ?! :-)
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