Bike of the Month – December 2021
The last Bike of the Month for 2021 comes from Sauvie Island (north of Portland Oregon). Portland has been named the #1 bike-friendly city by Bicycling magazine for many years running so its owner Michael Rubenstein not only has a beautiful bike but also a beautiful place to ride it!
Bicycle Make: VINER
Bicycle model: Special Professional
Date of Manufacture: 1982
Equipment:
Columbus SL frame
Complete original Nuovo Record Gruppo (including SL pedals and Super Record brake levers) NOS period Concor saddle and color matching Silca pump
Wheels: original Campagnolo Record hubs laced to period Araya CTL-370 clincher rims and Vittoria Corsa tires ( a ridiculous spurge with these tires costing more than several quality vintage bikes I have purchased . One of these days, I will replace to the pair of more European appropriate Mavic G40 rims now hanging in my basement – MR).
Free wheel: Regina 6 speed
Here is what Michael has to say about his cycling history and how he ended up buying the Viner:
‘As with many other club members, this was a bike I could never afford when I was younger. In the early 1970s my first ’10 speed racer’ was a typical bike boom Peugeot UO 8. Then onto my first 531 (plain gauge) framed bike, a FALCON Olympic. Followed in 1982 by my first ‘expensive’ bike, a 1982 TREK 710 frame built up up with quality Italian and Japanese components and of course, a B17 Narrow saddle. The FALCON and TREK are still ridden regularly (wish I still had that old UO 8).
Five years ago I decided it was time to spurge on a true vintage Giro D’Italia quality bike. The VINER only comes out to play on sunny summer days!
At 5’4″ (and shrinking every year) one challenge over the years has been finding quality vintage bikes in my ideal 48-50cm size. One of the things that I love about this 48cm VINER is that unlike most other small framed bikes, the top tube is proportionately shorter to match the seat tube sizing.‘
