It's late Monday afternoon, and I'm finally starting to feel well enough to attempt normal activities again. I had been feeling a bit under the weather on Friday night, and didn't sleep very well, but couldn't keep from making the trip to the Lehigh Valley Velodrome for the famous T-Town swap. I had made arrangements with Chris Beyer to share vendor space with him, Martin and Joe B-Z, mostly for the 7:30 access. I had intended on a Friday night pick up of a couple frames and some parts from another friend, but that rendezvous never happened. Consequently, all I brought along was two frames and a fork which, unfortunately, I also brought home. No matter. T-Town is always lots of fun, and one of those can't-miss events on my cycling calendar!
T-Town always has a little bit of everything. I think of it as the something-for-everyone swap which, as Tom mentioned, makes just looking at the people interesting. T-Town is definitely the only place to buy contemporary clothing and shoes. If you like team apparel, there's plenty for cheap. If, like me, you want and use (and use-up) no-logo pro level jerseys, where else can you have lots to choose from and get them for $15 to $25?
Those who didn't find anything "classic" must not have been looking hard enough. In fact, they only had to look as far as the stuff Chris and Joe had laid out (but shouldn't stop there). Indeed, I had to keep coming back to look at "our" table, because Joe kept going out and buying things and then bringing them back, having a change of heart, and putting them on the table. That's how I got a brand new Lepper Voyager saddle for $25 and a NIP gold Sedis chain for $5 (thanks Joe). Marty, as usual, kept buying stuff he didn't really want or need and then selling it to the rest of us, who don't have better sense than to not buy stuff they don't need (26.8 Zeus seatpost - $3). Another couple of interesting finds included a set of Shimano Sante brake calipers, new in the box, but instead of the Sante levers there was a pair of NOS Suntour Superbe levers (with nice, soft hood covers) in their place - all for $15. Also found a weird set of little shorty, aluminum fenders that will go nicely on my Raleigh St "coffee-bar" bike - $1.
The big pile of new-in the-box Daccordi frames for $100/$150 were a big hit. Tom, Marty and my friend Ed all bought them. If they had had one in my size, I'd have bought one too. $100 for new, Columbus, lugged steel frames? How can you go wrong? You'd have the classiest "beater" bike around!
All in all, T-Town was, as usual, well worth the trip. It's a great, fun event, and it's also nice to see so many CR members there now. Hey, just watching Larry B run around in a bargaining frenzy in the closing moments was well worth the price of admission. How many bikes did you end up with Lar? Let's see, there was the day-glow Basso, the Roberts, the really pretty little Colnago.......
Unfortunately, in my fatigued, impending-sickness fog, I neglected to take a single picture. Oh well. There's always next year.
Wayne Bingham
FC VA