New member Steven Maasland recently posted the following intro to the iBOB list and I asked him if it would be okay to repost it here for our CR list, so here it is:
By the way, I suppose I should introduce myself to this list as I have only recently joined. I have just returned to the US after a 30+ year foreign residence. My first 'good' bike was a UE10 purchased in Paris back in the early 70's. I then moved on to a campagnolo-equipped Olympia and got hooked. To feed my habit, I then started working in a number of bike shops as I went through high school and college. I spent over 10 years working in the industry. I raced a few years in the 70's and 80's (without any great results) and toured extensively. As a teenager, I circumnavigated the US by bike (8500 miles in one tour). I have also ridden extensively through Europe (my favourite tour being a ride from Amsterdam to Yugoslavia and back in 22 days, 10 countries and 5 major cols). One of my initial mentors in cycling was Mike Barry of Mariposa fame (I worked for him for a couple years in Toronto.) I have built a few frames of my own that are still holding up well after 20+ years. I have a collection of perhaps 20 bikes total, ranging from an 1880's Rudge ordinary, a 1937 Bianchi roadster with rod brakes, a 40's Ciclo Piave with Campagnolo Corsa gear, a 1970's Bob Jackson road racing tandem with extra-short wheelbase... all the way up to my 2000 De Rosa Merak. The Merak was used by Roberto Conti in the pro peloton. Having lived and worked in Italy for over a decade, including 4 years in Vicenza, just up the road from Campagnolo, I have quite good connections there. While living in Germany, I also used to help a friend who was an offficial German importer of De Rosa, Olmo, Yeti, Ibis, Mountain Goat and other quality bikes with translations. While this was not linked in to my professional work, it did allow me to keep up my ties to the industry. If anybody needs help with translations from any of the major European languages (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and/or Dutch), I can usually help out.