1976 urago
| frame: | 1976 urago (53cm) |
| brakes: | campagnolo gran sport |
| brake levers: | mafac (black half-hoods) |
| bottom bracket: | stronglight/ta cup & cone (113mm) |
| cables & housing: | shimano xtr housing, dura-ace cables |
| cranks: | campagnolo record (170mm; 9/16" x 20 tpi) |
| chainrings: | campagnolo 52/42 |
| chain: | shimano HG-91 (7/8-speed) |
| cyclocomputer: | cateye strada (white) |
| derailleur (front): | simplex super lj (28.6) |
| derailleur (rear): | simplex sx-610 (french bolt) |
| freewheel: | suntour perfect 6 speed (13-24) |
| handlebar: | guidon philippe "professionel" handlebar (42cm) |
| handlebar stem: | philippe 11mm stem (22.0 quill; 25.4 clamp) |
| handlebar tape: | tressostar cloth (black) |
| headset: | campagnolo record (french treading) |
| hubs: | maillard 700 professional (28 spoke; 100mm/126mm) |
| lights: | cateye (front: hl-el530 /rear: tl-ld1100) |
| shift levers: | campagnolo nuovo record (clamp) |
| skewers: | simplex |
| pedals: | lyotard 45 (9/16" x 20 tpi) |
| toe clips: | christophe (l) |
| toe straps: | christophe (white) |
| tubes: | michelin airstop (700c X 18-23mm; 40mm presta) |
| rims: | wobler professional clinchers |
| rim tape: | velox fond de jante (17mm) |
| saddle: | Ideale mod. 80 (black) |
| seatpost: | Shimano 600 aero |
| tires: | michelin krylion carbon (700c X 25; black/gray) |
I liked the idea of a French-made bike since I already had three Japanese frames, Italian bikes seemed snooty and English bikes just seem plain boring. So I got this frame off of ebay based on Sheldon Brown's vague words "[Urago is] a high quality brand from the south of France." Building this bike up was a bit of a learning curve - I was forced to learn about the differences between short and long reach brakes, recessed and traditionally nutted brakes, etc. Once it was fully built up, it became my "backup bike" that I would ride around town whenever I wanted a change of pace - French bikes, as Thomas Kunich says, have "...a certain feeling that was attractive and hard to deny." I ended up crashing my Urago when I was biking in Rosslyn, VA when I didn't see a black-painted curb riding at night. I did a perfect gymnastic mid-air flip, did a ninja roll on the ground and got up without a scratch on me. My frame was all bent up, but it gave its life so that I could run the 2007 Marine Corp Marathon and to my Urago, I dedicate my results. The Urago does live on however, since most of its parts went into building up my Peugeot PX-10.
contact: jonathantakeuchi AT gmail DOT com