James Pickering

My pride and joy. This bike was built around 1974 in Tucson, Arizona by James Pickering. Pickering was a transplant from England and only built for about 4 or 5 years. I became obsessed with this English looking, Italian threaded frame when I picked it up because the internet yielded nothing hardly. I managed though, to find the '76 November issue of Bicycling! Magazine that featured Pickering among other small frame builders of the day. I then managed to find Pickering himself and rang him up. We talked for about an hour and that's when I learned that he'd only built for a short time and told me all about how difficult it was to acquire 531 tubing back then (shipping was slow as molasses) and how he'd always felt that those who ride for fun were his best customers. It was very cool to be able to talk to the builder of my bicycle, and Pickering was happy that something he'd done for only a short while so many years ago was still out there being used.

I initially built this bike up as a single speed with a Nuovo Pista crankset. I decided I wanted to go with gears, and then switched the drivetrain out for a mix of Super and Nuovo Record parts. I went with the Technomic stem because of the comfortable position it affords. I had a '74 Brooks Professional saddle (now on an Italvega) that I swapped out for the B72 that came off of a Schwinn Sports Tourer. That saddle is like a couch it's so comfortable. I'll be upgrading to a Campagnolo Nuovo Record triple crank and long cage derailleur, and will switch out the freewheel for a 32 tooth for maximum lazy riding comfort.

This bike is by far the most comfortable I've ever ridden amongst vintage bikes. It's smooth and responsive. It turns heads everywhere and has started many conversations when I'm out and about.