Mt bikes! As the kidds got older, they were a step up from a BMX bike! It was like moving from grade school to middle school!.................How many 24'' racers were out there?...............For sure not as many as BMX bikes! If I was a kid at the time I sure as hell could not see myself graduating from a BMX type bike to a road bike! It's like drinking a beer all day long and then doing a whiskey!...........It dosen't work! Don't get me wrong but MT bikes kept the kidds interested!.....................Anyway, how many times have you heard of a kid getting hit and killed by a car while on the road!............And how many times do you hear about some kid getting killed while on the dirt?
As for biggest Campagnolo dealer in the world, I think Simmons of Belgium was up there.......At the time they would have no less than 3 '40s in the back filled with Campagnolo!...........I've seen this in person!..........Seen an old man digg some stuff out of one of these trailers and a crankset would hit the ground, he looked at it and just walked away!...........I was told by others there was as many as 5 to 6 '40s sitting in the back of this place.........The warehouse was stuffed to the gills with Campagnolo, full Campagnolo tool kits stood 2 deep 15 to 20 high and the partial kits looked the same as well. In the basement there was 10 to 12 bays the size of a '40 stuff with all kinds of goodies, Campagnolo and the sweet smell of rubber................There was only 4 people working here and this was in '84. At one time I wondered how in the world could these guys move so much Campagnolo, it wasn't moving buy the group-set but it was being moved by the ''PALLETS!" and ''TRUCK LOADs!"................I think this was one of the dealers feeding the grey market within the U.S. They also provided a lot of goods for private lable bikes which was not seen much in the U.S. Most race shops here in Europe offered and still do their own labled race bike which at the time were pumped out of Italy or Belgium. I know of thousands of these old framesets hanging around! When Renaissance went on line I sure you guys remember the NR caliper sets selling for I think $ 45.-, a set of NR chainwheels going for $ 25.- and so on! NR and SR brake levers with fresh hoods $ 36.- pp! Those were the days!....................All this stuff came from Simmons!.....And a lot more! Sorry to say most of this stuff went up in the fire. Of course they got cought off guard by Shimano as well!......................That's one of the reasons why all this stuff was available to us!
BC Baron Corpuz...................And the gang, Eindhoven Holland!..................had a great road trip!
> I just cannot agree that mountain bikes are an atrocity or are somehow
> responsible for a decline in cycling. In fact, I would argue the exact
> opposite! I sold a lot of Schwinn Varsities and Raleigh Records and cheap
> Peugeots to kids who would have been much better off with more rugged,
wider
> geared mountain bikes. If these kids had a better experience with bikes
> suited to the type of use they were going to give them, they would have
had
> more fun, would have ridden more, and might have come in for better bikes
> instead of leaving them in the back of the garage as soon as they could
get
> their licenses. I have heard it said that it's the fault of spoiled,
> overweight, stupid American youth that can't treat a piece of equipment
> properly, but this argument is about as effective and useful as spitting
> into the wind.
>
> Steve Barner, who still works with kids in Bolton, Vermont
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> >It was the US market that allowed the attrocity which are mountain bikes
> >become accepted as standard fare for beginning cyclists. This has done
more
> >to keep people away from cycling than anything else in my opinion.