[CR]Vintage Locusts Converge on Solana Beach, CA

(Example: Production Builders:Peugeot)

Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 00:20:22 -0800
From: "Brian Baylis" <rocklube@adnc.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Vintage Locusts Converge on Solana Beach, CA

Hi Gang!

I just thought I'd file a report on the first ever convergance style meeting of vintage cyclists here in SoCal. The group from the north took a hilly and extended route from Orange County on their way south to Solana Beach, headed by listmember Paul Grant and his 1968 Peugeot PX-10. Most of the northerners though, were rideing stuff I was unfamiliar with. There were indeed quite a few of them once they arrived. The southern group left from our traditional Balboa Park location in San Diego and headed (briskly) north 25 miles to meet the other faction. I think there were about 8 of us, all on vintage stuff (except me technically, since I rode one of my bikes) including an unusual number of those damn Masis. We had a great time getting there.

Once we hooked up and overwhealmed the cooking staff by our unannounced appearance; we began to hop nob and talk bikes. JFC showed up on his early CA Masi shortly afterwards and the perportion grew. Jim and I had a delightful conversation about Masi serial numbers as I responded to his inquirey about his machine. I've seen quite a variations and odd sequences to Masi CA numbers which I shared with Jim. All and all we had a great time but had to hit the road after an hour of cramming pizza down the piehole and slosshing root beer in between our conversations. We'll have to to something like this again.

For us heading back south, the ride was brutial after ingesting the gut bombs at the "Pizza Port". Wake-up call for me to step up my monthly miliage to more than 25. Sterling Peters, Scott Smith, and myself rode back most of the way. I suspect I did the most whining on the two major climbs on the way home. Found something out about Scott Smith that Sterling and I both found interesting. Apparently Scott plays a role on the new TV series "Philly". He appears every other episode as an Asst. DA on the lawyer based series. Don't know off hand when or on what network it airs, but I'll bet Scott knows. I'll be checking it out for sure. Life as an actor is apparently a bit different from that of a framebuilder. Very interesting!

I know everyone is probably tired of hearing how much I enjoy these conversations (like with JFC and Scott) where we share and learn things as we bond with others who find that special charm of vintage bikes irresistable. The riding is fun as well, but I still find the looking at all kinds of interesting bikes and interacting with everyone "priceless", as they say. Especially enjoyed the company of Howard LaGrange on his Gios Torino on the way up and seeing my "Baylisized" Masi GC that belongs to Eddie Domonguez on the road; and the company of Sterling Peters and Scott Smith on the way back. The buzzards might have got me had I not been with them.

Cheers, everyone!

Brian Baylis
Barely alive in La Mesa, CA