Hello Bill and everyone else that replyed,
Bill's info was extrodinarily helpful as I found the bike in the basement storage space rented out to the owner of a Greenwich CT bike shop called "Greenwich Cycle Shop" whose owner is Rob Koshar! I know he is away until Wednesday but will try and make contact with him. I would take a guess that Jerome Koshar is a brother or maybe his dad. It would seem that I should be able to trace the history from him. Anyhow, the gent in the shop that sold it to me said it had been in the storage space for years and "the shops owner would be glad to get rid of any of the old junk." Not junk to me, and maybe I can recreate how it was originally set-up for the 1987 PBP.
Thanks all for your help!
Eric Elman
Somers, CT
> Hi Eric--
> The Paris-Brest-Paris frame number was useful. In 1987 there were 2597
starters
> from around the globe, of whom 230 were Americans. The green ink on the
number
> indicates a 90-hour starter (red or blue numbers show the two other groups
> which have either 84 or 78 hours to do the ride.) BTW, although American
Scott
> Dickson was first to arrive back in Paris at 44 hours, compared to the
overall
> drop-out rate of 19%, the US contingent didn't do too well with a national
rate
> of 46%. :-(
>
> I thought that anyone keeping their frame number on the bike after the
event
> would do so out of pride of finishing, especially since the 1987 event was
> infamous for 4 days of continuously cold/wet weather to cycle hilly 1200
> kms--anyone who earned their medal that year was a REAL randonneur!
> So, I used the official finishing list and (eventually) found:
>
> #4215 Jerome Koshar, USA--individual (i.e., no local club)--successfully
> finished just under the 90-hour time limit.
>
> I looked also at the current membership of the Randonneurs USA and found
no
> Jerome Koshar listed, so his cycling interests have moved on from
> randonneuring. Anyway, if you can track him down, perhaps he could tell
you
> what kind of bike he rode in that epic event. Alas, without a club to use
as a
> starting point, that means a pretty tough search. It's a ~very~ long shot,
but
> maybe someone on the list might recognize his name. At any rate, those
> pencil-thin seat stays held up to some rugged bicycling!
> Good luck with your quest.
>
> Bill Bryant
> PBP 1983 & 1999
> Santa Cruz, California
>
>
>
> Eric Elman wrote:
>
> > Yesterday I stumbled onto a bike that I hope some of you can help ID.
It
> > would appear to be very un-original but the frame is what intestests the
> > most. The parts are a mish mash of vintage campagnolo NR, Cinelli old
logo
> > bars and stem, Laprede seatpost, Brooks pro saddle, Supermaxy triple
> > crankset, Shimano rear derailleur, modernish (1980's Campy front der),
etc.
> >
> > The frame has a plastic card with two attahing loops at its top to hang
it
> > from the TT and one attaching loop connecting it to the head tube. On
the
> > card is printed "1987 Audux Club Parisien, 4215 (big and centered), 11th
> > Paris Brest Paris." Card is off white, print is red and blue except the
> > (entry?) number 4215 which is a pastel green. The frame at first looks
very
> > much like an early PX10 with Nervex pro lugs and Nervex BB shell. But
it is
> > actually quite different with seat stays that are almost full wrap
around
> > (they don't meet by anout 1/8"), they are also very, very, very thin -
> > unlike anything I have ever seen. At the top they are narrow but only a
> > little bit compared to "normal" but at the bottom where the DO is
mounted
> > they are only about 1/4" diameter!
>
> <snip>
>
> >
> > What on earth was this? How could such thin rear stays possibly support
an
> > adult?