By Christopher Cudworth

When Lance Armstrong was at the peak of his success winning the Tour de France seven times, he reportedly hung out with all sorts of A-List types including Robin Williams. An avid cyclist, Williams owned 50 or more bikes including some sweet Treks funneled through the tier-one connections he held with Lance Armstrong.

Like Jay Leno with his car collection or any other star able to afford symbols of their passion, Robin Williams’ penchant for bikes was nothing but a fantasy for the rest of us. It’s easy to envy such largesse because it’s easy to flip through a Bicycling magazine bike review edition and pine for the new bikes. My personal wish is for a bamboo frame Calfee someday. They just seem so fascinating. What would it be like to ride?

Because that’s the weird part about cycling. It’s not just about the bike, as Lance once wrote. Ultimately…