Re: [CR]Singer background

(Example: Framebuilders:Alex Singer)

Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 21:03:44 -0600
To: "Mark Poore" <rauler47@hotmail.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Michael Kone" <bikevint@tiac.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Singer background


By Mark's definition (which I'm not sure I agree with but we'll go along with it anyway) Singer bikes are French.

(Thank goodness, what if Singer learned the craft in the UK - then I'd really be eating words about mixing a French and British discussion group!)

Alex Singer according to the experts learned his craft from a builder named Bianco. This all happened in France and not in Hungary and certainly not in Mexico. For those who missed the previous thread on Bianco, the story is kinda neat. Bianco was one of those unknown masters who was really a builder for the pros. As the story goes, Bianco would build bikes in the winter and then pro team riders would visit Bianco, pick out a frame, have it painted in their team colors, and off they would go. Bianco didn't even have decals or a hand painted graphics scheme!

Apparently Bianco was enlisted to build some of the first bikes to be labled as Alex Singer. Then they must have gone their seperate ways once Singer was up to speed. Kind of curious how that occured - did Singer have some background in brazing or metal working?

Bianco apparently built frames into the 1960's. I know someone on the group has one, and I know of a couple of others as well. Bianco did not typically build touring bikes, although of several I know of one was a city bike, one was a single chainring cyclo equipped "sport" bike, and the other is a ladies bike with really fun fenders and some Herse proprietary parts.

Mike Kone in windy Boulder CO.

At 10:26 PM 5/22/02 -0400, Mark Poore wrote:
>>So, are his bikes French or Hungarian? Is a Confente-made Masi Italian or
>>U.S.?
>
>This raises an interesting question to say the least. I for one would think
>of the two bikes as being Hungarian and Italian. If Richie went to
>Afghanistan or France and set up business would his bikes still be
>considered American? Now if Mr.. Singer learned his trade in France or Mr..
>Confente picked his skills up in the U.S. maybe we could classify their
>works as being French and American. I guess the question would be if Richie
>picked up and moved to England would his bikes at that point be considered
>English and more importantly would the builder even like to have their work

>classified by nation.

>

>Mark Poore

>

>W VA