[CR]Cirque Ramblings

(Example: Production Builders)

Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 17:30:38 -0400
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: Tom Hayes <hayesbikes@nls.net>
Subject: [CR]Cirque Ramblings

After missing last year's Cirque and attending this year's, I have wondered or asked myself why I missed the 02 one; whatever reason now seems to pale considering the fun I had at this year's.

The talks were informative, distinctive, and varied. That helps, I think, especially as I have learned now that my accumulation is a collection, though I accumulate instead of collect.

Having taught English literature in a university for over thirty years (please don't correct my grammar or spelling: I am of the era when one did not take typing in high school, and still have only rudimentary skills in it), I recognize that talking to someone not "into" something rarely works, rarely sets some light bulb off in a person's head; one generally only gets benevolent, pitiful smiles and polite head nods of agreement. The masses of humans in the world haven't read Shakespeare and couldn't care less if they ever read "To be or not to be" (the majority on this list, for example, and besides that, I don't teach Shakespeare.) and that's okay with me. I generally keep my mouth shut about it, recognize we all have our interests. That's why for me, going to the Cirque is worthwhile; you're among the already baptized, everyone is a bike goof, and one can talk bikes, bells, handlebars, lugs, spokes, bottom brackets: the minutia of a filing. And at this year's Cirque we had America's premier builders and advocates of the art, giving freely of their knowledge, expertise, and wit.

What amazes me, especially considering how young the organization is (I'm not referring to the age of the participants, certainly not my own, but rather the organization itself) how quickly this event, the CR list, and now the West Coast similar event have become the focal points for vintage and classic bike collecting (still accumulating in Chagrin Falls, however) in the United States. Perhaps with a bit of time, and if some of us older folks live long enough, we'll see our side of the pond equal Europe's interest. For all this, we have Dale Brown, whose graciousness and self-effacement, belie the energy, hard work (and now wounds), and hours put into such a event and maintaining the list. And I would also like to thank those who put forth such an effort travel much longer distances than I did; those from the West Coast, New England, places in-between, and for those who crossed the pond to visit Dale's event.

Thanks, Dale, and others.

Cheers.

Tom Hayes
Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023