We all like different bikes for different reasons...
The ALAN (of the Vitus family) was a bonded alloy frame, state of the art for its time but due the nature of the adhesives used eventually many would come undone. I've never ridden one, but rumour was they were a bit of a noodle but this icon of cycling is just another example where function has little to do with it's popularity. Like the Campagnolo Delta brake - what it lacked in effectiveness it made up for in elegance.
I got an email requesting an Alan frame, and with a little digging pointed I found one and weeks later it arrived - fortunately with the 25.0 Campagnolo Super Record post.
After some banter, it turns out the owners father was quite obsessed with bicycles. Like a 1970s version of myself he'd scour the paper in search of classic bikes, and take his son along for the ride. One bike that stood out in his collection was an Alan with Super Record, and somehow it vanished into thin air. My brief was to recreate the jewel in the collectors crown for that son decades on.
For the real velospotters, the rear derailleur is the rare alloy bolt version, not titanium.
On the scales it's just over 8kg - which is pretty impressive for a bike of this era.
Perfect for L'Eroica!
