1976 Bruce Gordon Criterium

Purchased on eBay 15 June 2013 for $886 as a frameset, back on the road 1 September

One of the remarkable cluster of framebuilders centered on the Pacific North West who spearheaded the birth of the modern American custom made bicycle industry, Bruce Gordon learned framebuilding from the pioneer Albert Eisentraut in 1973 and joined his firm a year later. In June 1976 he branched out on his own with Bruce Gordon Cycles in Eugene, Oregon, further establishing the state as the nexus of American bespoke framebuilders with Jim Merz, Mark DiNucci and Andy Newlands also based there.

The initial Bruce Gordon range comprised racing, time trial, criterium, track, heavy and light touring frames all custom built to order. One of the hallmarks of Gordon frames was the intuitive combination of tubing (usually Columbus but also Reynolds) gauges to suit the rider and use. Gordon quickly established a reputation for the finest craftsmanship and innovative and distinctive design like his unique fastback stays with hidden seat binder bolt, asymmetrically drilled and beautifully thinned and profiled lugs and bold finishes (pink being a default color!) and decals. As such, these were often the stars of the annual New York Bike Show but the real appreciation of the marque, as it should and always be, was in the ride, handling and build quality that set Bruice Gordon bikes apart even among other bespoke brands.

Among the first hundred or so Bruce Gordon Cycles frames, this was ordered on 9 November 1976 by The Spoke Bike Shop, Austin, TX, to individual customer specification, and shipped on 23 December.

Designed to BG's Criterium model specs (tight angles, high bb, short wheelbase and sloping fork crown with additional external stiffening tangs), this is built of double butted Reynolds 531 in heavier 19/22 gauge for added stiffness for a larger frame and rider (the order sheet quotes 6 ft. tall and 162 lbs). This Criterium option doesn't appear in the 1981 BG catalogue so it is a somewhat rare model although one assumes it could still be special ordered.

This is an exceptional machine, one of the best in my collection in build quality, design and ride/handling. The frame details and craftsmanship are superb: the custom thinned, shaped and profiled lugs with their striking asymmetrical drillings, pronounced oversized “fishmouth” stay ends, the distinctive fastback stays with hidden seat binder bolt, short beefy chain stays and rear stays and the chunky externally stiffened Cinelli style fork. And, of course, the shocking “Pepto Pink” finish that was a default color for BG frames and the house racing livery, guaranteed to get machine and rider noticed in the peloton. This bicycle was built up along the lines of BG’s New York Bike Show models with contrasting electric blue saddle, cabling and tape and the early black-anodised Super Champion rims.

Gratifyingly, the frame details and design go beyond aesthetics to produce a machine frame perfectly designed and built for its specialty: short distance, hard charging and cornering criterium racing. The responsiveness is exhilarating with an amazing pick-up thanks to the short stays, feather-touch steering with very tight front angles and short fork, high bb encouraging high-speed cornering and there isn’t one concession to road dampening… this is your classic stiff as a railroad spike, hard charging machine you want to ride fast and get off it! And then can’t wait to be back on it the next day. This is definitely not a comfy weekend mount for punters!

The intuitive use of heavier Reynolds 531 gauge tubing provides the unique stiffness (only my Masi 3v equals it) in such a large frame yet adds only about three-quarters of a pound in weight (frame without fork is 5 lbs) but using the lightest components of the day (Campag Super Record titanium group, 3ttt Superleggero ‘bars, OMAS titanium bb, SR Extra Light seatpost etc) the built-up weight is an astonishingly light 20.8 lbs.

Frame
Material: Reynolds 531 19/22 gauge double butted frame and forks
Finish: (original) Pepto Pink Imron with blue head lugs and fork crown drilling pick-outs
Size: seat tube 60 cm (c to c ), 62 cm (c to t) top tube 58.5 cm (c to c)
Chainstay length: 41.5 cm/16" (c to c)
Wheelbase: 39 3/8th inches (c to c)
Bottom bracket height: 11"
Angles: 75˚ (head) 74˚ (seat)
Fork offset: 1 1/2"
Rear spacing: 120 mm
Lugs: Prugnat custom profiled,thinned and drilled
Fork Crown: Cinelli sloping with external drilled stiffening tangs
Dropouts: Campagnolo short
Braze-ons: gear lever bosses, chainstay gear cable stop, bb cable guides, top tube brake cable clips and pair of bottle cage bolt bosses on downtube
Frame features: external fork stiffening tangs with drilling, asymmetrically drilled head and seat tube lugs, fastback rear stays, “fishmouth” stay and fork ends, ovalised chainstays

Components
Rear derailleur: Campagnolo 1st Generation Super Record, pat. 77
Front deralleur: Campagnolo Nouvo Record
Gear levers: Campagnolo Record braze-on
Chainset: Campagnolo Super Record 172.5 mm cranks, 42t x 53t chainrings
Bottom bracket: OMAS titanium English threading, 68-112 spindle, alloy cups
Headset: Campagnolo Super Record English threading
Stem: 3ttt Record 120 mm with Cobra alloy allen fixing bolt and stem binder bolt/wedge
Handlebars: 3ttt Superleggero Gimondi bend, 42 cm, Benotto blue cello tape and plugs
Brakes: Campagnolo Super Record short reach 47mm
Brake levers: Campagnolo Super Record
Brake/gear cable housing: generic lined blue
Seat pillar: Sakae SR Extra Light with titanium cradle 27.0mm
Seat binder bolt: Bruce Gordon "hidden" allen bolt
Saddle: Selle San Marco Concor Super Corsa Chamois Blue
Pedals: Campagnolo Super Record Strada with titanium spindles
Toeclips and straps: Christophe Competition alloy with generic white leather straps
Rims: Super Champion Record du Monde 36-hole, 700x20, 310g., black anodised alloy sew-ups
Hubs: Campagnolo Record low-flange 36-hole with flat Campagnolo quick release skewers
Spokes: DT Revolution 2.0-1.5-2.0mm double-butted stainless
Tyres: Tufo Jet Pro 700x19 sew-ups
Freewheel: Regina Oro five-speed 13-19t
Chain: Reina Oro
Accessories: REG black anodized cage and Cool Gear Mariplast bottle
Weights:
frame: 5.0 lbs
fork: 1.7 lbs
complete machine: 20.8 lbs