Stan:
Methinks thou doest protest too much!
Name-dropping whilst spitting out sour grapes perhaps?
You don't see the connection between Ferrari and Campagnolo? Hello! Ferraris used Campy wheels fer cryin' out loud!
I sure didn't interpret Chuck's post the way you seem to have interpreted it!
Hate to burst your bubble, but I've got: A) a licensed, street-driven red vintage Ferrari sitting in stall #3, and B) several vintage lightweight racing bicycles from many nations hanging in the basement shop to choose from for this weekend's Mother's Day ride. (No, I'm not a millionaire, and I didn't inherit any money) My waist is 32", I weigh 160 lbs., and I play both indoor and outdoor coed over-30 (sometimes over-40 when there's a team) soccer just for "kicks."
Sorry dude.
Please refrain from putting others down and using stereotypes on this list. See also my previous post re: inclusionary vs. exclusionary behavior.
Good day.
Greg Parker A2 MI USA
Stan S. wrote:
> Date: Thu, 09 May 2002 20:00:51 -0400
> From: Stan <531guy@comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: [CR]using classic bicycles, well?
> To: chuckschmidt@earthlink.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>
> I also see road racing bikes as a seperate entity.
>
> I don't see the comparison between road racing bikes and road racing cars.
> The theory, "if my Cinelli/Masi/etc. was a car, it would be a Ferrari" is
> ponderous at least. Maybe a small cc racing motorcycle is about the
> farthest stretch I might imagine, and not even then. My albeit limited
> experience with exotic foreign cars of the 50's-early 70's (non racing cars)
> has shown me that they are very heavy to handle, especially at low speed,
> and much more like a heavy paper bike with a big motor, than a light and
> responsive (human powered) road racing bike.
>
> If you would give up the possibility of ever riding a bike again to have
> your dream Ferrari and drive it instead, I'd say you made a very bad choice.
>
> What is this fascination with Ferrari's anyway? Granted there are some nice
> Ferrari's but they are far from being the ultimate car in the opinion of
> many of those knowledgeable about cars. I have a friend who knew Luigi
> Chinetti (winning race car driver and North American importer for Ferrari)
> in the early 60's. When Chinetti had visitors, he would take them to see
> the great car collection of Dr. Sam Scher in N.Y., these were not Ferrari's!
> At this time, (my friend relates) Mr. Chinetti was driving a Ford station
> wagon, and it wasn't even new.
>
> I had dinner with Andrea Pininfarina, (Sergio's son), about 20 years ago and
> although he was interested in F1 racing, he was far and away most interested
> in riding his BMW motorcycle.
>
> As far as Ferrari owners having racing bikes... I've seen a number of car
> collections over the years, many which included Ferrari's and have met a few
> enthusiasts who have been "high-end model" new Ferrari consumers. I don't
> remember seeing bicycles (save those belonging to their children) in their
> garages, and not motorcycles either. Most (not all) of these original and
> second hand "high-end model" Ferrari owners I've seen, have had larger
> waistlines, which matched their pocketbooks.
>
> I only know one person that has an ex-competition Ferrari, that also has
> racing bikes, and that rides and enjoys them. He is in the extreme minority
> I believe.
>
> There is also a group of folks having come into some money, that have to
> have the best of everything, cars, bikes, motorcycles, etc. often knowing
> very little about them, or because they are the "prestige" items to own.
> This is a modern phenomenon, and I'm not sure that they fit into the
> equation.
>
> I like to think of the original owners of high-end Italian/other bikes as
> having the nice bikes and a bike rack on their Fiat/economy car. The nice
> bike was very much appreciated. This I think is much closer to reality.
>
> When I was in Northern Italy up around Cortina in 1997 there was a local
> bike race going on. I watched an older gentleman, I would guess in his
> early 70's, make a steep climb at the already high altitude, and in about 80
> degree weather. This was very impressive!!! If Gilles Villeneuve had come
> out of the grave and driven by me in an F1 Ferrari it would not have
> impressed me nearly as much. I doubt that old cyclist ever sat in a
> Ferrari, all the better for him.
>
> Stan Staniszewski
> Clinton Twp., MI
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 2:06 PM
> Subject: Re: [CR]using classic bicycles, well?
>
>
> > I came from a _total_ obsession with cars from the time I got a driver's
> > license at 16 to a _total_ obsession with racing bicycles when I started
> > riding at 32 in 1976 (you do the math). I was particularly fascinated
> > with Formula 1 race cars.
> >
> > The first thing that struck me then was that all racing bikes were
> > streetable, while Formula 1 cars were not. I was really tickled that I
> > could ride and afford these totally cost is no object state of the art
> > racing bikes, and do daily errands with them if I liked.
> >
> > Of course, the by product of leaving the car culture behind was that the
> > engine sitting on the bike improved over the ensuing years with daily
> > use. Something that can't be said for car use.
> >
> > And I love to kid my motorcycle friends that their reduced to bare
> > essentials machines have an extra motor that is going to waste sitting
> > on the saddle.
> >
> > Chuck Schmidt
> > South Pasadena, Southern California