Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel Special Edition custom build

From one of the elite custom steel frame builders a custom build for Mavic. This bicycle was constructed for use on the Mavic neutral race support team serving professional bicycling in the United States in the year 2002. There were five bicycles built by IF for Mavic, one for each of the sizes 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 cm top tube. These bicycles rode on the back of the Mavic yellow race support car at all of the events of that year's US races. Mavic sold the bicycles in various venues after the end of the season. I got the 56 on eBay. The last person to ride this bicycle before I became the owner was almost certainly a professional race rider.

This is an absolute one of a kind bicycle, a jewel of a Crown Jewel. It is light as a feather and a joy to ride and behold.I acquired the bicycle at the end of 2002 and rode it in 2003 and 2004. It has been hanging in my basement for the past seven years but today it came out to play. Here is what an absolutely clean drive train looks like after hanging in the basement for seven years.Record crank, Record front derailer, Chorus rear derailer and shifters, Mavic brakes, Mavic wheels. One really, really sweet ride.

But as I recently discovered when putting the Wireless junior high bicycle back on the road, you cannot really hang a bicycle up for several years and expect no issues. The issues with the Jewel are related to that absolutely pristine drive train.

When I stopped riding that bicycle I installed a new chain. Seven years later with no lubrication the chain has at least one stiff link which produces an only occasional but still quite disconcerting chain skip. I am working on it but I fear I may end up having to replace the chain. If I do it would be a lesson and not a cheap lesson but a lesson. For example, I won't be putting a new chain on newLOOK as it drops out of the daily rotation. That bicycle WILL be back and the new chain can wait until just before that return.

I rode over to a former co-worker's establishment and got a picture of my yellow bicycle with his yellow truck and yellow trailer.I went ahead and put the necessary new tires on newLOOK (that bicycle will be back). It occurs to me that this leaves at least one important maintenance item that NEEDS to be done and which I will probably deal with tomorrow.

It is time to get out the silver polishing cloth and shine up the sterling silver head badge on that really sweet steel bicycle out in my garage.