Gilbert,
As proof as to wheather Coppi rode Masis, I offer this. One of the symposium speakers at the Velo Rendezvous this past month in Pasadena was Rex Gephart. He's kind of a Masi buff. He has established a relationship with Alberto Masi and has visited a few times already. At the symposium Rex displayed a handwritten letter by Fousto Coppi to Faliero Masi requesting 6 frames for the next racing season. The letter was posted from Rio de Jinero and dated 1952. The letter was the subject of an Italian newspaper article not too long ago, a copy of which Alberto sent to Rex along with the letter. The letter has been roughly translated but apparently is a little difficult to transpose on account of Coppi wrote in a "peasants dilalect" that many modern translators aren't familiar with. Charming, don't you think. Personally, I would consider this piece of evidence to be strongly in favor of Coppi having ridden Masis for some period of time.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
I don't give a rat's ass who rode them, I still like them.
>
> Hello again,
>
> In a message dated 11/6/01 10:22:08 PM, tech@worrall.co.nz writes:
>
> << CYCLESTORE@aol.com wrote:
>
> > Hi gang,
> >
> > On the Peugeot Masi's. These bikes would have been pointless to construct as
> > I have been told that Peugeot had a race shop to build team and custom bikes
> > to order for many years.
>
> The same could be said about Bianchi, yet Coppi had some frames built by Masi
> when
> he rode for Bianchi.
> DB
> >>
>
> I didn't say it couldn't have happened. Rumors even suggest that Masi's were
> built by Mario Confente. Rumors abound but did Masi actually build bikes for
> Coppi? How often though, was he his primary builder and did he ever work for
> Bianchi and who is Masi? Alberto, Falerino and some long lost Masi namesake
> cousin. While I would not dispute this I have missed out on any documentation
> that might support this over the last 30 years or so.
>
> The last time I spoke to Coppi shortly before his death in 1960 he said to
> me, "Bambino, I likea ta ride datta Masi tricyclette lika you but I'ma under
> da contrata witha olde Edwardo Bianchi don's cha know; si." I was three years
> old then and I don't remember what bike he really rode.
>
> Brian Bayliss or Jim Cunningham who both worked at Masi in America must have
> some rumor or real facts on this Masi Coppi connection and some
> sources-documentation to back this up if available.
>
> Sorry to sound so skeptical but I've been in the bike business for almost
> three full decades and I have not seen it all but I have seen similar
> unsupported claims (not that this is unsupported) on every rider, team and
> bike factory and small builder and I hate to see misinformation like this
> spread. Lots of locker room talk at bike school turns out to started by
> importers trying to increase the cache attached to their products or even
> users(riders) trying to build up the reputation of their personal ride. You
> can pay a lot for a name in this game.
>
> Today I have been told Lance Armstrong only rides Litespeeds painted like
> Trek's. While he certainly my own or ride a Litespeed and use it in some
> competitions unless Litespeed has secretly started making Carbon Fiber bikes
> then paints them like Trek's, this is a falsehood. Lance Armstrong owns and
> rides many brands of bikes from what I have seen, these are facts.
>
> Regards,
>
> Gilbert Anderson" A person who because of the smooth detached ride similar to
> gliding through the country side from your sofa; will like Brian Bayliss,
> only drive the well engineered Cadillac Esqilade, the biggest SUV on the
> planet, also driven exclusively by Eddy Merckx, Francisco Moser, Raymond
> Polidor and built by Cadillac in America, not the Ferrari factory in Mexico."
>
> In a message dated 11/6/01 10:22:08 PM, tech@worrall.co.nz writes:
>
> << CYCLESTORE@aol.com wrote:
>
> > Hi gang,
> >
> > On the Peugeot Masi's. These bikes would have been pointless to construct as
> > I have been told that Peugeot had a race shop to build team and custom bikes
> > to order for many years.
>
> The same could be said about Bianchi, yet Coppi had some frames built by Masi
> when
> he rode for Bianchi.
> DB
> >>