> Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2002 17:41:22 -0700
> To: The Maaslands <TheMaaslands@comcast.net>,
> Classic Rendezvous <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> From: Brandon Ives <monkeylad@mac.com>
> Subject: Re: I: [CR]When do you say no to riding a classic
>
> At 6:54 PM -0500 9/5/02, The Maaslands wrote:
> >All steel bicycles, on the other hand, do not suffer the same deterioration
> >and can actually benefit from use. Oxidation occurs much more readily on
> >inanimate objects, therefore all elements prone to oxidation can benefit
> >from use.
>
To which Brandon replied:
> Um. . . . . I don't think so. A well ridden or even not well ridden
> bike will deteriorate much faster than a bike displayed well in an
> environmentally controlled space or just a dry basement. There is no
> item on a bike that breaks down slower when ridden. You are right
> about bikes tossed in fields or the trash, but we're not talking
> about those bikes here. How many time have you asked yourself, "I
> wish I could see a. . . .?" Well you can't because people didn't
> think about the bikes a pieces of history, they thought about them as
> tools. . . or toys. I know I'm not going to change anyone's mind
> about riding or not riding, but that's my goal. My goal is to have
> people rethink what to do with the six-day bike that got passed to
> them from their grandfather. Or to think about why keeping the
> original patina of wear on a bike instead of restoring it. I want
> people to think more about their bikes than as tools and to think
> about displaying them for others to enjoy.
>
(Steven):
> >Lastly, regarding the display of bikes. In Europe I have seen quite a few
> >nice collections on public display. They are however almost always combined
> >with cars or motorcycles and are always the lesser of the two collections.
>
(Brandon):
> You're right and it's kind of a bummer, but we don't even have that
> here in the US. I remember going to a local history museum in
> Antwerp and they had a nice small wing with all kinds of bike stuff,
> including a well ridden bike of Merckx's. I'd love to see any local
> museum have anything about the local cycling history. Cycling is so
> important in a historical perspective on so many fronts that any
> displays would be welcome. It was seeing these collections in Europe
> that made me wonder why we don't have it in the US. What really got
> me asking the question why is the Mountain Cycles San Andreas full
> suspension bike that is in SFMOMA's permanent exhibit. In 50 years
> when people are looking at that bike thinking about bicycle design
> they're be thinking about how engineers in the 1990 did it. Not how
> Oscar Wastyn did it in the 1930 because nobody thought it was worth
> putting on display back then.
>
>
(Greg):
That reminds me, gotta make a coffee run on my unrestored chrome-plated 1937 Oscar Wastyn six-day racer. ;-)
Anyone have some appropriate tubulars for this bike? It's got some old Mondiales on it right now - functional, but too modern-looking and skinny. Dale mentined that 1980s Wolber Cyclocross tires are a possible option - anyone have something along those lines?
Regards,
Greg