Italian Dreams-Benotto & Atala
These two beauties make a cameo appearance in the previous post, but they’re both worthy of special mention. We all have some appreciation for the beauty and flow of the Romance languages, and bicycle makers in those nations have indeed capitalized on the American desire for something a little bit more-how shall we put this-well, maybe just a little prettier. Think Bianchi, De Rosa, Colnago or even (dare I say it) Peugeot. But the Italians seem to have maintained the most cachet, so let’s just focus on them for a minute. It’s also tempting to try and spin a fictional love story for Benotto and Atala; I am sure they do love each other very much, and enjoyed every minute they spent together riding along the cobblestone roads of the Italian countryside…of course now they have both found themselves in San Francisco, are a little lost, and need loving homes!
For Benotto, San Francisco streets should pose no problem. You might find him easily powering up the rolling hills, thanks to a good low-range gear and a comfortable handlebar with some moderate sweep.
Atala is looking pretty in her adopted country, proud of her freshly shellaced cork grips and matching saddle.
Braided gold cable housing nicely complements the flowy font and color scheme.
Benotto’s got a couple of scars on his head tube, but hey, who ever said packing up your life and sailing across the Atlantic to the New World would be easy?
Though they’re set up with different grips and brake levers, Benotto and Atala share the same Soma Sutro Stem and Velo Orange Milan handlebar.
Unlike Atala, Benotto does have a shifter-albeit a simple, original, and pretty classy one mounted on the downtube. Atala sometimes gets a little envious of this here in hilly San Francisco, but she tries not to let it hurt their relationship…
Atala is justifiably very proud of her wheelset. What other recent emigre has the good fortune of having Mavic Open Sport rims laced to Surly sealed bearing hubs? She knows these will stand up to the tough streets of America’s most European city. Who knows, she’s thinking, maybe they’ll outlast even my love for Benotto…
Atala, at 53 cm, would be a good fit for a human about 5’5″ to 5’9″. Benotto’s a little smaller, at 50 cm, and is seeking a rider in the 5’0″ to 5’4″ neighborhood. While both would like to think they’re priceless, the brutality of capitalism and the global marketplace have assigned each of them values of $550.
SFBC Winterfest Auction Bike - Custom built by Pedal Revolution
SFBC Winterfest Auction Bike - Custom built by Pedal Revolution
This bike was assembled from the frame up by Pedal Revolution and given to The San Francisco Bike Coalition for their Annual fundraising party - Winterfest!
Lead Mechanic Todd B. with assistance from two our Youth interns Daniel and Josh spearheaded the assembly utilizing many donated components from Soma Fabrications. This is a signature example of a custom refurbished Pedal Revolution bike; a classic steel frame completely rebuilt with great quality new parts into a totally reconfigured city bike. Our focus is versatility, function, reliability, and fun! Early mountain bike frames like this one had a very high level of craftsmanship from Japan and had more of a touring bike geometry compared to contemporary mountain bikes. We love transforming these classic bikes into unique and utilitarian commuter style bikes, capable of carrying significant loads and accommodating racks, baskets, and fenders. Many of our customers rely on their bikes as their primary mode of transportation, grocery getting, commuting, and recreation. They want a bike that can reliably get them to work and back home and then be outfitted for a weekend bike camping trip or out of town adventure.
Pedal Revolution is a non-profit bike shop that has been in business since 1992 and hosts a paid work internship program for at-risk bay area youth. We employ 20 young people every year as interns in our shop working side by side with our professional staff. Our interns learn a combination of basic work-readiness skills and participate in a bicycle service based training curriculum experiencing bicycle repair, assembly, and sales in our own business. Interns assist our professional staff in the building of our new and custom refurbished used bicycles like the one you see here. Our refurbished used bicycles arrive from donations from individuals like you who want to support our program. The bikes are stripped, assessed, and then rebuilt with new components to assure a long and reliable life. These bikes are unique, one of a kind creations with distinct style and a character all their own. Please consider donating your old bicycles, frames, or bike parts to our program to support our social mission. Next time you are in the market for a fantastic new or refurbished used bike come visit us!
Here are some photos of the before and after bike build process:
Pictured below are two of our current youth interns Josh and Daniel holding the vintage Miyata “Terra Runner” frameset that provided the foundation for this build:
80’s Japan built, triple butted, lugged steel goodness.
The paint was a little rough so we sent it off to our friends at Champion Powdercoating for a super sweet repaint.
We’ve come to referring to this textured blue finish as ” Pining for the Fjords Blue”.
Service Manager Joel had the bright idea to have the stem painted to match.
Came out quite nice!
Here are Josh and Daniel again with painted frame, fork, and stem with the new wheels and Soma Fabrications New Xpress tires which they set up and installed.
Below Daniel carefully shellacks the cork grips designated for the bike. We love the classic look of cork grips.
Shellacking weatherproofs them and keeps them looking good for a long time.
Brand new drivetrain with Sugino touring cranks, Shimano and IRD mechanicals, and stylish MKS touring pedals.
Shop bottle/shop sticker steeze.
Sprung leather touring saddle.
Soma Fabrications Oxford Handlebar, IRD thumbshifters, Champs Elysees front rack, and Wald basket….gotta have a basket.
Those grips though!
This was a really fun project for the Pedal Rev crew. Hope you like!
Bike details:
-80’s era Lugged steel Miyata “Terra Runner” early MTB frame
-Made in Japan
-Size 21”
-Custom powder-coated “Pining for the Fjords Blue”
Parts:
-Shimano 26” wheelset
-Soma Fabrications New Xpress Touring Tires
-Sugino XD500 Touring Crankset
-Shimano Deore M591 Long cage rear Derailleur
-IRD Front derailleur
-MKS Sylvan Touring Pedals
-Velo Orange Leather Saddle
-Soma Fabrications Oxford handlebar
-IRD 9spd indexed thumbshifters
-Shellacked Cork Grips
-Soma Fabrications Champs Elysees stainless front rack
-Wald basket
Specialized Expedition Commuter Bike 17" @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
Another great deal to be had! A nice condition Specialized Expedition commuter bike rebuilt with new wheels, drivetrain, tires, saddle, pedals, and cables/housing.
17″ fits 5’5″ - 5’10”
$300. SOLD
Pedal Revolution Used Bike Update: Schwinn Sierra Drop Bar Mountain Tour Bike
Pedal Revolution Used Bike Update: Schwinn Sierra Drop Bar Mountain Tour Bike
It’s truly astounding the number of 80’s and 90’s vintage mountain bikes Pedal Revolution receives in donation (thank you generous benefactors). They are testament both to the number of these bikes sold during the original mountain bike boom and the quality of construction of these frames (FYI: their iron like strength, resilience, and durability is largely due to them being actually made of steel!).
By the standards of today, bikes like this Schwinn Sierra are terrible bikes for serious single-track mountain biking (ps. the flip side is also true that the super fun trail riding bikes of today are the absolute worst transportation bikes due to technological suspension overkill and lack of utilitarian features). However, with some parts changes and updates these original off road specialty machines can be transformed into excellent city and transportation steeds.
The rear mounts for both fenders and rack are not something you will find on a 21st Century MTB
Just to mix things up from the rote Pedal Revolution older mountain bike becomes city bike genesis (street slicks replace knobby tires, new drive train parts, etc), a drop bar was added to this bike to give it some long ride and bike tour potential.
The orange bar wrap gives the bike some seasonal fall flair. Front and rear fork eyelets add more easy fender and rack options.
Suntour Bar end shifters are just fantastic. They were on some very cheap back in the day bikes (the Schwinn Sierra was not originally cheap or equipped with these). Every micro friction shift with these units is an utter delight. They are what I (Joel) use on my own touring bike!
This is a great all-purpose bike for someone about 6′ tall. The large tires and strong frame with plenty of accessory mounts make a great bike for carrying large loads on bike trips around the city or across the country!
Schwinn Sierra 23″ : $550
Pedal Revolution Used Bicycle Update: Motobecane Step-Through 3-Speed
Pedal Revolution Used Bicycle Update: Motobecane Step-Through 3-Speed
Another Pedal Revolution original here. This bike was donated with long obsolete 27″ wheels, a conventional derailleur drivetrain, a low long deep drop handlebar (i.e. uncomfortable) and a bric a brac of low-endish 80s parts.
The bike was reconstituted with a more upright Velo Orange Milan bar and svelte Tektro neo-retro levers (they look like a lot of levers on older bikes but benefit from stiffer cold forge construction and return springs for smoothness and greater cable life).
New 700c wheels with a Sturmey Archer 3-Speed internal gear hub replace the clunky and complex original drivetrain. Soma Xpress terra cotta tires make another appearance here. These are essentially a slightly more beefed up version of the Panaracer Pasela tires that get are often spotlighted on this blog.
The gold housing just looks really great. It jives well with the painted on logo but neither enhances or undermines the brake function.
The cork grips were heavily layered with shellac for good looks but they also don’t feel too bad.
The demi-mixte frame construction is totally wild. Just prior to Pedal Revolution being donated this bike, I (Joel), had seen another one of these frames in the shop for the first time and it blew my mind. So strange to have another one given to us so soon after that. The unconventional frame construction and 3-Speed rebuild make this a super unique bike.
Burgundy (in New Orleans, they would call the color “Ber-gun-day”) Motobecane Step-Through 3-Speed:
$500 - A Good Ride for someone about 5’4″?
SOLD
Scott Sportster Step-Through Commuter Hybrid @ Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
Scott Sportster step-through hybrid bicycle. Upright and comfortable, this commuter bike is a great match for city streets.
17″ sized for 5’6″-5’10”
$489. SOLD
1970 Chicago Built Schwinn "Racer" 57cm Perfect condition @Pedal Revolution Refurbished Bike Update
1970 Chicago built Schwinn “Racer”. This bike is in pristine condition with newly replaced tires, brake pads, cables/housing, chain, and pedals. For Schwinn fans out there, this is a real gem.
57cm fits 5’8″ - 5’11”
SOLD!