Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am new to this group and am pleased at the interest and even passion displayed in the writings reviewed. My reason for coming is a reinvigorated sense of longing for the quality of the bikes admired by your group, as well as a longing for the days when they were the norm. Certainly not the norm for all riders, but the norm for riders wanting the better end of the spectrum. The days you ask? Trying to return to yesteryear? Hardly, although lately.....well....
I worked in a small bike store between 1966 and 1975. I was certainly part of the bike boom during that era. I rode and I enjoyed fine machines; I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride when I was able to sway a buyer from the standard bike to the handmade artwork of a Masi or a Mercian. I realize the various levels of effort, design and labor that went into them. As I went on to the big city to find fortune, I took along a 1973 LeJeune that spent considerable time hidden in storage. No time to ride.
A few weeks ago, I decided (in a moment of weakness) to sell the LeJeune. On to E-bay it went and no bids showed. I relisted the bike a few times and still no takers, until minutes before the end of the auction. Someone waited to end and simply bought the bike. I felt pain. I honored the sale but knew I had to find a way to replace the bike I had kept for 29 years. My first stop was the local bike shop.
The bikes were nice, but fairly plain. Through discussions with the salesman/mechanic, I came to realize that the manufacture had design, creativity but not the soul I wanted. Within hours, due to the magic of the Internet I found another LeJeune closer to my size (the frame I had was too large, always had been, but that's another story) and negotiated the purchase.
Renaissance? In my case I guess it is. Why not? Certainly I feel a bit of comfort from the familiarity I have with the bikes of that era. I also appreciate the work that went into some of those frames. I hope that the current and next generation of cyclists can appreciate what I do.
Les Himel