Harvey wrote:
> John P. had the gall to offer his "creek-dried-up-look-what-we-
> found" 50s Cinelli carcass with cranks. Its patina should never
> be touched, he said, clearly one-upping my full Patina, cast-lug,
> Magistroni-crank, FB hub, swap meet special Roma Sport tracker...
Harvey,
The Cinelli that I dug up in Italy that was being offered by John and me for a negotiable $700 at le cirque did indeed have unparalleled patina. It is however a very special bike for a number of reasons, not only the Patina. The bike had a first generation Campagnolo headset, a Campagnolo cottered BB, a Magistroni Senior crankset, the first version Cinelli & Co headbadge and the original seatlug bolt. These items would bring in a great deal of money on their own (heck, if you take the maximum prices received for just these items on ebay, you would already be well over the asking price with a bonus Cinelli frame!) To get a Cinelli with true use-induced wear makes it all the more special. Anybody with plenty of money can get themself a 100 point Cinelli restoration. The Cinelli that we offered was very well-worn, but it did not have any appreciable oxidation and all the places where the paint was worn through were solely due to use. None was abuse induced, nor were there any dents or other boo-boos. Were it not for the stress- riser cracks in the chainstays, I know for sure that it would have immediately made its way home with somebody at well over $1000. Like John, I too would be ashamed of ever covering up such a bike. The wear should be worn like a badge of honour.
Steven Maasland Moorestown, NJ
PS: If anybody wants any photos of the frame, let me know and I'll make sure you get to see them (the frame was also the only one to appear in the group photo taken by Ken)