Pedal Room: What's your name, where are you located, and what do you do?
Fabian Falconett. Exist in San Franciso during the day, Millbrae at night and weekends. I'm a User Experience Designer at a design shop called Method.
Pedal Room: How long have you been riding? How often are you on a bike?
Fabian: Like most(?) cyclist, I road bikes as a kid, BMX. Had a huge hiatus, and got back on about 6-7 years ago with a road bike and an old Raleigh fixed gear conversion. It was my first fixed project bike. Fell in love with bikes all over again.
I'm on a bike just about everyday during the week. I commute from Millbrae to SF via Caltrain. So have a short ride to the train and from the train to work. Trying to get on more actual rides than just commuting these days though.
Pedal Room: What's your favorite thing about riding?
Fabian: I love just having the ability to get somewhere, fast, completely under your own power, rain or shine. That plus the wind in my hair.
Pedal Room: Your Colnago is gorgeous...How long have you had the bike?
Fabian: Thanks. Picked it up on ebay, summer of 2005 (I think). The build took a few months. Had to find the right parts.
3TTT Moser 51.151 bullhornsPedal Room: Any cool/interesting stories about the Colnago?
Fabian: Hmm. nothing major. Lets see... (I think...) the 3TTT Moser 51.151 bullhorns I have on it are probably one of the coolest things about it. Just the history on the bars (Moser beat the Hour record a second time at 51.151km, 3TTT made these bars to commemorate it,) the shape and feel. I was sooo stoked to find them online one night. They completed the build perfectly.
Pedal Room: You've also had a NJS Samson...how does that compare to the Colnago?
Fabian: In the end, the Colnago is actually a nicer ride. I don't know why exactly. It's just a smoother feel. When I get on a nice flat straight away, it feels so solid and tight. Maybe it's the straight bladed fork. It just keeps things locked!
Both are fun though, and to me serve slightly different purposes. The Samson can be more of a 'beater', smash around the city bike, and the Colnago more of a Sunday ride.
Pedal Room: I see you have a Colnago road frame as well...how's that build coming along?
Fabian: It's actually been done for some time! I just never took a lot of pics of it. I really need to do a shoot with both bikes. They're such a nice match. The roadie is mostly Campy Record 9 Speed ti, Cinelli, 3TTT. Again, such a nice ride! Wish I rode it more often.
Pedal Room: What do you like about your current bike setup? Any new additions planned or anything you've sold/crashed and now miss?
Fabian's old Celo Europa track bikeFabian: A lot of what I love about my bikes have been the builds (It's all about the journey, right?) Digging for the perfect parts, hard to find, NOS, for a decent price. It's like scavenger hunting. And some of the pieces are just as rare/expensive as some jewels out there! Cinelli NJS isn't cheap! I've bought parts from all around the world for some of these builds. In the end the best part, after the build, is riding them though!
I've sold a few bikes in my time. I'm about to sell a 3Rensho road frame that I'm not to happy about. I never got to build it up or ride it. It's just not in the books for me to have it right now, so it has to go. I do miss my old Celo Europa track bike. (Celo frames were made by Colnago for Marcel Calborn in the 80's) It was my first real track frame. so solid!
Pedal Room: Anything else you'd like to say?
Fabian: Thanks for the questions! Great site...good to see the enthusiasm is still alive! Thanks for having me.