In a message dated 3/8/01 7:38:58 AM Eastern Standard Time, bob.reid@btconnect.com writes:
<< I'm saddened to see that yet again we are descending into the depths of the
"framebuilding is art rather than just light engineering" discussion group ?
>>
Hmmm.
Bob, as fond of you as I am , I fear you and I may have a very different viewpoint here...
In case there is any doubt amongst CR list members here, one of the founding principles of the Classic Rendezvous site AND e-mail list is to preserve, understand and discuss the craft and art of bicycle making. This, at its very core, makes understood that the form of the bicycles that I am interested in are the result of the handwork of craftsmen with an art muse on their shoulder.
I feel that any idiot can direct a welding robot or pop a frame out of a mold to make a rideable machine. We ARE talking about the increasingly rare circumstances where art marries form and function. That's what this site and list are all about!
Nostalgia and history become an important part of this whole scene only because technology has increasingly eliminated the human being and his aesthetic touch as part of the bicycle making process.
So those of you who think a bicycle is just a bunch of tubes stuck together are missing a huge part of what this is about. If I were still teaching art at Univ. of NC I would direct you to go to the gallery, open your books and learn about the wonderful process and form of the bikes and craftsmen we respect so much.
And I think Mario would still be making traditional frames that showcase his talent just like Richie, Brian, Bohemian, Erickson, others I forget right now & even me on very rare occasion!
Dale Brown cycles de ORO, Inc. 1406 West Northwood Street Greensboro, North Carolina USA 27408 336-274-5959 Fax 336-274-6360 <A HREF="http://www.cyclesdeoro.com">cyclesdeORO.com</A> <A HREF="http://www.cyclesdeoro.com/Classc_Home.htm">Classic Rendezvous Vintage Lightweight Bicycles</A>