[CR]1954 Masi Burying a dead horse.

1954 Yellow and Black MASI PISTA STORY

I had intended to write this a few months after finding all of the 1950s parts to complete the bike. But, it seems that some clarification is overdue.

************************************************ Here are the facts with a time line: Early 2002: I bought several bikes from a seller in Italy, whom I’ll call Guiseppe. He had about 250 bikes and was thinning his herd. I first saw the plain black/yellow track bike last spring and Giuseppe said it was a 1950s Masi. It had no decals and no holes for a badge. He displayed it next to his classic Bianchi/Cinelli/Umberto Dei collection and I didn’t realize that it was for sale.

September 2002: Giuseppe offered the bike for sale at a reasonable price. He said that Alberto Masi had seen the bike and told him it was a genuine Masi. He did NOT mention that Faliero built it. The price was right so I agreed to buy it and pick it up 2 weeks later. As he was an acquaintance of Alberto, I asked Giuseppe if he could get a letter of authenticity from Masi.

October 2002: I returned for the Masi. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Alberto wrote a letter saying that it was constructed by his father in 1954-- “...Construito Nell’ Anno 1954 Da Faliero Masi..” I was a bit shocked, however, to see that Masi had taken the initiative to apply “Masi Special” decals and a genuine (not reproduction) “Special” head badge. I guess that’s what he had available from the “old days.” Although, NOT PC (period correct), the graphics look sharp and the fact that Alberto applied them makes for an interesting/ironic story. As far as identifying the frame, Giuseppe said that Alberto recognized the black and yellow paint scheme as the colors of a local Milano Squadra– and that his father had built all of the bikes for this team. I’m not sure as to how he determined the date. Maybe he had only built for them in 1954? ************************************************ I was quite stunned at the response from some list members on this bike and the accompanying letter. In that regard, I have 3 specific rhetorical questions: 1st how does anyone “write off,” a letter as a fake before seeing it? 2nd how can anyone question Alberto Masi’s assessment that it was built by his father? 3rd, how can anyone question the credibility of one of the country’s premiere frame builder’s opinion on this frame before seeing the frame?

More generally speaking, am I wrong to say that a “shoot first and ask questions later” mentality has led to many misunderstandings on the list?

Finally, regarding the subject of division of labor, it seems as if the object of debate centers around the term “constructed-construito.” What does “constructed by” mean? Try substituting “Construito” for “Is,” and you have a Clintonian scandal, ala what does IS mean? I can’t answer what “constructed by” means to Alberto Masi. But I’ll try to get an answer on my next trip to Italia.

That “IS” my story--Scott Davis in globally warming St. Paul, MN

PS On the subject of seeing it, I’ll be posting a link to yahoo fotos, soon. Be forewarned that Yahoo foto service is easily overwhelmed when it receives too many hits. So you might have to try linking to it at a later time.

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