John Zung inquired about a Masi he was interested in:
"I found a Masi GC for sale, supposedly a 1973 with the serial markings MC57 336. Tubing is Reynolds 531. Asking price is $625 and it looks to be in very good condition. I would appreciate any other interesting info and opinions if the price is reasonable."
John- That soun ds like a good deal to me. I assume you've read the Masi dating/numbering scheme which would place the bike among the first 4 or 500 built in CA. I bought my 74/75 GC (MC59 0275) in Sept. 2000 and felt like I really lucked out, getting it for $700. It was in excellent original condition, ridden but with only a few very, very minor paint chips - and still with the complete NR parts, plus Masi labeled Silca pump, Masi water bottle, and extra new tubular rims.
I ride it regularly, eschewing any thoughts of keeping it pristine to enhance its value. I like it a lot and always wanted one since my brother in law has had a Masi he bought new when Masi first opened in CA.
Mine has no tubing decals, but all original Masi graphics are perfect. Does your potential Masi have Reynolds sticker on it?
Dale refers to his Masi ser # 0157 as being the 157th Masi CA bike. I read Jim Cunninghams Masi info on the CR Masi page and think that would possible make Dales the 1357th bike built. According to Jim there were 200 built with no serial number, then the next thousand with no preceeding zero (like MC55 157) followed by the series with the leading Zero. So my MC59 0275 I assumed is the 1475th Masi.
Who knows how many Masi's were actually built and how the timeline and serial numbers actually ran?
Good luck with the bike.
Bill Mattinson
Sonoma County, CA