Already a steel bike, the high-end Specialized S-Works, I lusted for something else, something different. Being an avid follower of several vintage bike forums and blogs I came across the amazing aluminium bikes made by a guy called Charlie Cunningham. These bikes made in the eighties and beginning of the nineties where ahead of their time and are a complete statement of the builders philosophy and skill. I would suggest a visit to the site: www.cunninghambikes.com for all the info about Charlie and his bikes.
Owning a Cunningham is a different story all together! Besides being very rare and extremely collectable, read expensive, the bikes do not give the owner the possibility of tinkering with it. The philosophy behind it is so strong every change will be an insult to it. Being a tinkerer these bikes are like art, great to look at but no obsession to own it!
Another important feature of the new bike is the possibility to mount my IRD Switchback and Rotary brake on it. This means that the frame needs rear u-brake mounts!
Walking to the station with Noah after our meeting in Amsterdam I told him what i was looking for in a bike and that I was thinking about owning a Klein Pinnacle. He advised me to go get one and that there was one for sale on ebay in a big size. Being the only one bidding on it I am now the proud owner of a Klein Pinnacle build up with components from IRD, Shimano Deore XT, Specialized, Scott/Pederson and Dia Compe. The paint is non original by Cyclart so perfect for me to tinker with and customize!
Already the thinking has started to decide which way to take it!
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