Another wonderful trip to Greensboro.
THE JOURNEY
Anyone heading south along 78 should stop in Wytheville, Virginia. I recommend a visit to the old-fashion hardware store to purchase corks and small allen wrenches, then have a few old-fashioned "slaw dogs" and a bottle of pop at the E.N. Umberger store.
THE RIDE
Too wet for most people to ride old bikes Sunday morning... I was stuck riding the Legnano, since it was the only bike I had with me.
I finally got to shift the Vittoria while someone was watching... it worked about 80% of the time, especially during the all-important first few miles, when the pressure was on to look knowledgeable and skillful (LOL). Only unshipped the chain once, on top of a hill, in front of Russ Fitzgerald... luckily I was able to coast long enough to grab the chain and re-ship without loosing momentum or fingertips. My next project is obvious - a front chain keeper.
Enjoyed drafting the Larry Black/Jill DiMauro tandem... made these old dogs (me and the Legnano) feel fleet of foot for a few miles!
THE BIKES
Dales "Urago" was my pick for most desireable. Sure, the name sounds like a men's medical condition, but the bike was old, rare, interesting, original, well maintained... and even said "nice" right there on the head badge!
Yes, indeed, VERY Nice! ...I'd still like to know where they were made, though ;-)
THE SWAP MEET
Where do you people keep hiding all these Binda toe straps you've been buying? I looked around, and all the red and yellow were sold!
BUYING THINGS
After 3 years I made my first swap meet purchase - a 1960 (approx) Legnano "tipo Roma" frame and fork, repainted, but with good chrome. And, it's my size! (well... one of my sizes, anyway.) The more I look at it, the happier I am :-)
Now, then: who can correctly paint a green Legnano for me, stencils, box striping, and all??? Remember... I will be VERY picky.
Hey!!! I finally learned how to tell a Roma frameset from a Gran Premio.
SELLING THINGS
A new experience for me... very intense at times. "Please form an orderly line, starting at the Campy crate!" It was an honor to be entrusted with BC's table of goodies, and I will always remember him for his generosity and kind heart in donating $400 to the Sam Fitzsimmons fund.
Remember, BC's warehouse burned to the ground just 6 months ago, so that generosity means even more. I look forward to meeting BC in person, a hearty handshake for a great guy.
Who else would have sent all that stuff from Holland, to some grumpy recluse in Ohio, whom he only knows from occasional e-mail and raccoon-intensive web postings?
You can all well imiagine it was like 15 Christmas mornings at once when those three big boxes arrived, but I promised myself I'd only buy leftovers... the REG lever covers being the only exception ;-) They're en route to the framers for a nice shadow box.
THE PEOPLE
"Muchos Groceries" to Russ, Chris, Amanda, Mike, J.B., Gilbert, Jill, Larry, Dale, Brian, Chuck & Lenore, and many others I've missed, for making this such a fantastic event!
I didn't recognize Chuck Schmidt, even after he introduced himself... I'd expected an older man who didn't smile so much, like some college professor from a 1930s Hollywood college flick. (Hope he remembers I already paid for the Campy catalog and the "1953 Tour Faces" t-shirt)
I was very pleased to meet Brian Bayliss... when people asked about my "prison" haircut, I can point to Brian and tell them "I used to look like THAT!"... Too bad he contracted "urago" during the bike show... get well soon, Brian!
The world needs more Jill DiMauro. And apparently, Jill needs more well-worn-wool-jerseys. Thanks for buying my cast-offs.
Finally got to meet Mike Self, who lives in Cincinnati, less than 30 minutes away! Woo-Hoo!.. we can have a two-man vintage bike show and swap every month now!
There were so many new faces to go with familiar names, I was a bit overwhelmed. I apologize to everyone for my limited capacity for names and faces. The older I get, the more I rely on cue cards. I will remember to wear a name tag next year, I just hope someone reminds me to fill in my name.
Dale Brown deserves a great big hug. While we're at it, hug is family, friends, and co-workers for putting up with all this hassle.
FRAME BUILDING SERMONAR
I think most of us are now prepared to start building our own frame... I expect we'll see lots of main triangles at next year's event, anxiously awaiting part 2 of Brian's frame building series - "Adding Chainstays and Seatstays".
It might be best if each of us was responsible for bringing one (1) spare tool for Brian i.e. hacksaw, emery cloth, pedastal vise, block of wood, bit of string, Band-aid, etc...
NEXT YEAR
Whew! How can anyone talk about NEXT year already!? I hope someone got good pics of the bikes, as I was too usually busy attending the table.
TRIP HOME
Found an injured dog laying on a back road near Big Walker Mountain. Spent the next three days of visiting various Virginia veterinarians, buying dog bandages and dog medicine and dog food, and driving home in intervals (drive 30 minutes, stop to fix the dog bed, drive 30 minutes, stop to fix the dog's dressings, drive 30 minutes, stop to water the dog, etc...) I'm now the proud owner of a 1-year-old Bloodhound. I'll call her "Cirque".
Life is full of surprises.
Aldo Ross If it's not cottered, it's not a REAL crankset!