So I'm walking to work today and in Times Square I see a Fiorelli Track bike circa 1957on a mount in a pickup bed with a HEAVY steel cable securing it.
Of course I stop. What a nice bike. Tubular fork crown with "F" caps. Chrome lugs. Campy Record 1"pitch cranks, FB hubs (rebuilt with clinchers). Brooks Swallow with the narrow cradle Campy post.
Owner comes up, a construction guy and bike nut. Had two Le Jeunes, now has a De Rosa too. This one- $10 at a yard sale!
Talked about a repaint but I suggested a real good touchup was in order as the decals were too good.
Then his buddy pipes up with how he pulled a Pierce Arrow track bike from the trash. I start talking about this and the Fiorelli guy jokingly (sort of ) wants to hush me up as he wants to buy the Pierce from his buddy! Geez it's probably Kramer's bike or something.
Anyway this ties in to Monkeyman and track bikes on the road. The metro NY area has had a continuous thing with track bikes for over 100 years. Even when fixed gear roadracing ended in the 50s, plenty of bikes and interest remained.
I road my fixed gear Frejus all over Manhattan 25 years ago and I still see neat bikes on the street, about 2 or 3 a week. Saw some crazy messenger (I've done that too Joel) on a Cannondale track last week. I own one of those and every road mile is misery! Oops, I wander, but it does have that 3 Rensho steel fork.
Joe Bender-Zanoni 13 miles northwest of where Frank Kramer became the first American to win a World Professional Sprint Championship in 1912