The Masi Speciale Randonneur, up against the Wall of Science.
There’s a new bike in the house: a Masi Speciale Randonneur.
It’s one of them there newfangled “sport touring all-road bikes,” but you don’t gotta plug it in at night. 650b x 47 rubber. Columbus Cromor tubes. Three sets of bottle bosses and the usual rack and fender mounts, plus fenders to go with ’em.
If I can beat back these allergies its maiden voyage will be tomorrow. Yesterday I felt like I’d been tear-gassed. Today I squeezed about eight hours out of a Claritin-D 12 Hour, which if my math is correct falls about four hours short of getting ’er done.
Tags: Masi Speciale Randonneur
Mad Blog Media 
May 24, 2019 at 6:03 pm |
Gah! My eyes! It burns!
I know none of us are as young (or flexible) as we used to be, and thus the need to raise the bars for comfort … but that photo hurts.
Looks like the stem is a +/- 6˚ stem in the -6˚ position.
Have you thought about flipping it to bring the bars up and closer, and then rotating the bars back into something resembling normality?
May 24, 2019 at 7:28 pm |
Really want to hurt your eyes?
Check out:
https://riderungu.com/
MDM: E-bikes are a solution looking for a problem.
Rungu: Hold me beer.
May 24, 2019 at 7:54 pm |
Ooof. Coming to a sidewalk near you.
May 25, 2019 at 7:25 am |
And coming to a runway near you (if you happen to live near NY, London, Paris, or Milan), for a mere $3,200:
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/dior-bogarde-bmx
May 25, 2019 at 11:02 am
In AZ, the “crisp summer look” is gone about 50 yards from the garage door. What absolute marketing bullshit. These 1% types will throw their money at anything it seems. I need to figure out some silly shit to sell them.
May 24, 2019 at 8:47 pm |
It ain’t a bike. Not even close.
May 25, 2019 at 9:08 pm |
POB I hacked O’Grady’s credit card and ordered you one of the Dior bikes.. Start looking for the perfect socks to wear with it. I don’t think the orange ones will do. I think you should also look for a jewel encrusted riding crop too.
May 26, 2019 at 6:35 am
Thanks Herb! I’m stylin’ now.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1419/1722/products/product-image-370609870_large.jpg?v=1527264741
May 26, 2019 at 8:07 am
Pat as Van Morrison says that outfit is Real, Real Gone! You’ll look stunning.
May 24, 2019 at 7:33 pm |
I always shoot ’em as they show up. Consider it a public service announcement.
Have stems started getting longer again, or is it just my imagination? I’ve seen some 57cm and 58cm bikes with 110s lately, when 100 or even 90 used to be standard, especially with a wide-ass handlebar.
May 24, 2019 at 8:49 pm |
I figured this pic was before your testing set up process. You’ve seen my stems. Shorter than the dumpster’s span of attention.
May 25, 2019 at 6:38 am |
Careful that first sentence, in case the Feds are machine reading your blog.
Not sure stems are getting longer or my back is getting shorter.
May 25, 2019 at 9:01 am |
Both. In fact, a few years ago I changed from a 56 to a 54CM frame to get a better fit. Sometimes I think top tubes are also getting longer.
May 25, 2019 at 7:45 am |
Re the Masi “sport touring all-road” bike: Yeah……ALL ROAD being key because those fenders look like mud-clogging machines par excellence if you tried to go off road in the wet.
Randonneur has a nice ring to it too. Elegant, yet provincial….with subtle nuances of paperboy, BMX, Tour de France, moto, and Brooksian saddle nostalgia.
That said……I kinda like the looks of it!! 🙂
May 25, 2019 at 9:48 am |
I’m sorry, I just can’t look at something like this with the venerable MASI name stuck on it anymore than I can the GIOS branded Chinese-made bikes Alfredo Gios sells worldwide, while the real GIOS-Torino 100% Made-in-Italy Aldo and Marco Gios bikes can only be sold in Italia.
Faliero Masi’s gotta be doing 360’s in his grave. Same with Tolmino Gios.
May 25, 2019 at 8:59 pm |
Both the Masi and Rungu look like they could plow my back 40. The brake lever setup on the Masi looks like an erection I had back in 1978
May 26, 2019 at 11:25 am |
We used to have balloon tire bikes like that when I was a kid. Back to the future, eh?