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L'Eroica (Japan) 2015

Arcadiandream

Speeding Up
Aug 3, 2013
60
12
Does anybody know if this will be taking part again next year near Fuji? Just won myself a beautiful vintage Holdsworth on eBay and wondering if it is worth shipping it over here in time for the event in May....
 
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Check their facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/leroicainjapan

第3回 L'英雄
■日程
前夜祭:2015年5月16日(土)
サイクルミーティング:5月17日(日)
※過去2回の晴天にあやかって5月の第3週の土日にしました。
■Start/Finish
山梨県富士河口湖町西湖根場エリア
■コース
・ロングライド(約100km)
・ミドルライド(約50km)
・トレジャーライド in L'英雄(河口湖・西湖の周遊コース)

となっております。
今後詳細が決まり次第こちらでお知らせしていきます。
See translation
 
How picky are they about the bike? Bar-end shifters a no-no? 10 speed cogs?
I'd like to ride it on this:paramount.jpg
I don't mind changing out the pedals for clips, but definitely do not want to change out the shifters and buy a new set of wheels.
 
It sounds like they are less restrictive if you apply in the "New Vintage" category.
 
I don't mind changing out the pedals for clips, but definitely do not want to change out the shifters and buy a new set of wheels.

My weekend bike has new downtube shifters, branded Dura-Ace. I forget how much they cost, but they were cheap. A quick google says $90, but I think I paid (G S Astuto) a lot less than that.

Hurry up and buy the hideous beast and convert it to downtube shifters; thrill to the wincing of your fellow-eroi:

games.jpg
 
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I payed the hideous beast a visit last weekend when I had some business on that side of Tokyo. Amazingly the stem and seat-post turned out not to be frozen. The paint job is also a slightly more pleasant hue in person than it appears in the pictures. Unfortunately it looks like someone took a chisel to the seat stays and hammered away for a few minutes. That was the deal breaker. It's also way too heavy to be chromoly like Cycly claim. It feels like it's made out of cast iron. Too bad :(.

I went ahead and signed up for the "new vintage" category as per Joe's suggestion. It seems silly to me since bar-ends are thoroughly pre-1987 technology, but I don't want to deal with any objections.
 
If you have to change shifters, I have a set of almost new dura-ace downtube ones that I'd let go cheap:

P1000352.jpg


(no longer on that bike, and I'd have to check, but might also still have the cables)
 
Thanks for the offer. I actually have a set of Nuovo Record shifters that I could use, I just don't want to go through the trouble of removing the (thoroughly shellaced) bar tape to take off the bar-end shifters. I signed up for the fake vintage category, so it's not a problem anymore.
 
photo.PNG

This is what I have managed to get my hands on for the ride in May. Good old british steel! I think it meets all the requirements for the L'Eroica catagory?
 
Nice ride. I love the look of those short mudguards. They seem to only pop up on British bikes. I wonder if it would be a fashion crime to put some on my American made Schwinn? Looks like they would be nice for rinkoing here in Japan. Do they actually do anything in the way of keeping you dry?

As far as I can tell the only rules for L'Eroica category are pre-1987 steel frame, downtube shifters, no aero brake levers and no clipless pedals. Looks like you're good to go.
 
Do they actually do anything in the way of keeping you dry?

I would call that the mudguard equivalent of a Brazilian thong bikini:
Just enough material to claim you're not going naked ;)

Mudguards need to reach down far enough to keep your chain and shoes out of the spray zone of the front wheel. Something like this does a good job:




 
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This is what I have managed to get my hands on for the ride in May. Good old british steel! I think it meets all the requirements for the L'Eroica catagory?

I'd add a chainwheel while nobody was looking, but then I'm a wuss.

As for the vestigial mudguards, surely being covered in mud (or worse) thrown up by the tyres is an essential ingredient of 'eroism?

paris%2824%29.jpg


After completion of the course, the hygiene and well-being of both bike and rider can be attended to by maidens of the Orient.
 
Jersey.jpg
Kit arrived today! all set to go now. For those that have done the race before: do you recommend attending the party the night before? Seems like it'll be good fun. Also best to stay at their recommended ryokan? Thinking to book into the Nenba guesthouse.
 
Lovely riding, lovely people, lovely bikes, lovely weather. Definitely want to do it again next year. Cheers to @Arcadiandream for finishing fifth with two(!) broken spokes and a broken rear derailleur.

View attachment 11116

Oh wow! That white Peugeot jersey! That was the very first jersey that I bought. I was 9 years old and it went down to my knees (I knew I'd grow).
 
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