Pink Tesch 101

Fun.

Red Tesch 101

Red bikes are faster.

Why Talk About Bike Handling Without Considering Fit

Jesus, something about this shit is tiresome and tiring in 2016.  Is it more likely that fundamental handling characteristics of racing bikes have changed for some reason, or that the bikes that road pros ride today are different because of the lack of made-to-measure frames in the Chinese plastic era?  Gaulzetti mentioned handlebar shifters, as he's done before--and he's not wrong--but think about the subtle compromises of stock-geometry-for-all ladled on top of the higher, forward shifter position, and that tells you way more than the differences between a 2016 Speshy and a 1976 De Rosa.  Plus not all 70s and 80s Italian/Euro frames were De Rosas or Merckxs, with some builders like Basso being known for quicker handling, and blah, blah, blah...

Didn't we settle this shit in like 1990 or so when the fantastic Tesch bikes and Eisentraut Rainbows showed everyone what a bike that fit properly but was built with quicker handling in mind would be like while other high-zoot American custom builders favored the more sedate classic Euro model, atmo?

1 Oh 1

Allez Team from like 88/89 built by Tesch--supposedly handles like one, too.  Nice.

Tesch Mountain Bikes

How many of these were ever done?  They had to have been made to order.  LC-1s.  Very much like Bontrager frames from the early days.

Big Blue Tesch 101

Love this blue color.  Blue bikes are not my fave, but this color is really awesome.  And his seat lug has always seemed just perfect to me for a simple, elegant lugged production racing bike.

Tesch 101 Stealth Version

Apparently this frame was repainted in the original color by Keith Anderson.  Pretty sweet.

black tesch 101

wow.  this tesch 101 was the great quest, apparently.  it's fantastic.

tesch 101

i would love to have a road frame like a tesch 101.  no custom builders are doing this sort of thing now, the steeper, shorter concept for an everyday racing bike.  indeed there is more than one way to make a good-riding road bike, but i'd like to have the option of the steep front end and short wheelbase tesch in 2012, with some nice alloy 9 or 10 speed record/chorus.  it doesn't make sense to get that style of frame from someone who isn't a manic master true-believer.