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The history of the bicycle has been a gradual evolution from the original “safety” two-wheeler of 1885 to today’s high-tech lightweight competition marvels, developed in wind tunnels and selling for as much as good used cars. GCN+ returns to the world of bicycle collectors following “The Super Collectors,” reviewed here to look at some more, well, super collections of racing bicycles. This time the GCN+ presenters focus on the unique and choose favourites.
Alex Paton surveying Thai Do’s collection
What constitutes rarity? It usually indicates a small number built, or surviving, but for these passionate collectors there is more involved. Was it ridden by a celebrated athlete? Is it box-fresh or bear the scars of battle? Exotic components and a breakthrough in technology? There clearly has to be a story behind the collector as well as the collection.
Roman Arnold and the Cinelli Laser
Patrick Lange Canyon Speedmax
All three collections are in Germany and come to be in different ways but all are owned by players in the bicycle industry. First examined are the bikes of Roman Arnold, founder of the Canyon bicycle company, who has 200 bicycles, covering a wide variety. Arnold’s love of bicycles comes from the family bike shop and as he expanded the business he was able to acquire the bicycles that had meaning to him. Presenter Simon Richardson looks at three of his bicycles, which represent advances in technology. The Koga-Miyata Team Aero was an early foray into aerodynamics and while it failed in the market, its componentry launched Shimano as a high-end producer of componentry with what became the Dura-Ace line. The next bike is a Kestrel 4000, the first monocoque aerodynamic carbon fibre bicycle to be commercially available when it came on the market in 1987. However, the third bicycle, a Cinelli Laser, introduced in 1981, is the pick of the litter. A revolutionary design, it remains one of the most collectible bikes made. Made from Columbus steel tubing, it was brazed with gussets to improve aerodynamics and achieved considerable success on the track.
Koga-Miyata Team Aero
Kestrel 4000
Thai Do, Sales Manager of Continental Tires, escaped as a child with his family from Vietnam and settled in Germany. Someone who always loved bicycles, he was able to indulge himself to an impressive degree after winning the lottery and his collection, numbering 220 bicycles and cycling paraphernalia, is pretty breathtaking. This is a real enthusiast: his son’s middle name is Ernesto, perhaps the ultimate homage by a cycling fan to Colnago!
Thai Do and his Colnago Mexico Oro
He estimates the value of the collection as over 1.5 million Euros and his focus appears to be on the aesthetics, given the sample we see. First is a 1983 Colnago Mexico Oro, a disturbingly blingy gold-anodized bicycle that is a replica of the one given to Pope John Paul II, noted for his athletic activities, by Ernesto Colnago, which the pontiff used to ride around his summer residence and which Colnago bought back after the pope’s death and is now in the Colnago museum. Then there is a special Colnago C35, the first carbon fibre Colnago, which was produced in 1989 with material from Ferrari. Thai Do’s example has a special paint job that is an homage to the Ferrari GTO of the 1960s and the 288 GTO of 1988.
Fit for a Pope Colnago Mexico-Oro
Colnago Mexico Oro with special edition Continental tires
The final bicycle shown is a beautiful Officina Battaglin steel bicycle from 2019 (which the GCN+ presenter incorrectly identifies as being from 1981), which commemorated Giovanni Battaglin’s victory at the Giro d’Italia 38 years before. The bicycle was built in a limited numbered run of 38 and Thai Do’s bicycle is the final one in the series.
Officina Battaglin Arena 1981
Is the final subject, Uli Schoberer, really a collector? His collection is “only” 30 bicycles but he came to them in a different way. The inventor the SRM power meter, the bicycles he has were given to him by appreciative athletes in recognition of his work with them and include bicycles from Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich. Featured in the video are two bikes that are not especially rare in number produced and a third that definitely is.
Uli Schoberer and FES time trial bike
Erik Zabel won the Tour de France’s Green Jersey an unmatched nine times, with six consecutive, and his Team Telekom Pinarello is, unusually, steel as Zabel was, according to Schoberer, not a big fan of carbon fibre frames. What makes the bike rare is who rode it and to what success, and the second bike, a Canyon Speedmax time trial bike, is similar. Pretty much a stock bike, it was ridden by Patrick Lange of Germany to his second consecutive Ironman World Championship in Kona in 2018, an event in which he was the first to break the 8 hour record for the race, with his bike time of 4:16 for 180 kms being something on the order of a 42 km/h average. Nice!
Erik Zabel’s Pinarello
The final bicycle in the video is an FES time trial bike, used to win a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic games team time trial. Built before there were UCI rules in place governing design, the bicycle,with its high-low appearance and curved tubes, looks like something from the future. FES, the full name of which is Institut für Forschung und Entwicklung von Sportgeräten was an East German organization researching and producing very high-tech sports equipment in a range of disciplines in endurance sports. Following the reunification of Germany in 1990 it was exclusively used by the German Federation to produce advanced products such as this time trial bike, built in tiny numbers. FES is an agency of the German Federal Government and has commercial interests, so they will sell you a frame today, if you ask nicely.
Roman Arnold’s collection
“The World’s Rarest Bikes” is an entertaining look at some pretty spectacular collections, with owners happily sharing the stories behind the bikes as well as their own passion. The only regret is that the video is just over 30 minutes when, with 430 bikes on offer, it could become a whole series!
“The World’s Rarest Bikes,” hosted by Dr. Oliver Bridgewood, featuring presenters Jon Cannings, Alex Paton and Simon Bridgewood
Directed by Tom Grundy and Tito Capovilla
33 minutes, colour
GCN+, 2022
Colnago C35
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