Re: [CR]Mario Masi ??????

Chuck, et al,

Let me toss in what I know. I will admit this straight up, there are A LOT of things I don't know about Masi in Italy. But I have been exposed to a considerable number of them and did have direct contact with Faliero Masi and Mario Confente. There is a certain amount of information one gets just being around these people. Had I know what to ask back then I could has asked Faliero himself questions directly. Obviously I had no idea then what to ask. Questions were frowned upon and there was the language barrier also. In addition, Italians don't always tell the straight facts; especially if the inquirery comes from a young American who knows nothing of framebuilding. And yet, we did accumulate a certain amount of information. This was 30 years ago, mind you. The winter of 1973, and about this time those of us who worked at Masi Carlsbad sat down to the one and only Christmas dinner held at the factory, seated on the shop floor near the bike assembly area. Mario, Roberto (Italian #2 and apparently Marios' helper in Verona), and Faliero were going back to Italy for the holidays, and their visas were up. Roberto would not return, Masi was not allowed back for at least 60 months; Mario came back after New Years and took over as shop foreman in Falieros' absence. Everything changed over night when Mario got back. Mario and Masi had some differences of opinion as to how various things should be done.

During my time there I deffinitely got the thing about what the "MC" represented. I don't remember who it came from, Mario or Faliero, but it was explained that the MC stood for "Masi Carlsbad" and/or "Masi California". I think they prefered Masi California because the whole world knows where CA is, but Carlsbad was a very small town then. Still is by most standards. From here my beliefs are an assumption that the Italian letters are the same thing and the Carlsbad system was an extention of it. I have no reason at this time to change this belief.

As one who can often recognize Marios' style of shaping and finish filing of lugs, in particular the seat lug, I see Verona Masis that show both of Marios' distinct traits on the seat lug. I haven't seen anything that doesn't fit this pattern so far. Furthermore I know Marios' shop was in Verona and he himself told us that his frames were stamped with "V" for Verona. Mario also claimed that he was the one who came up with the holes in the lug point and fork tangs. The "M" is the Milano mark, I believe there may have been more than one sup-contractor in Milano. Yes this was 30 years ago, but I still consider my memories of these prescious few details intact. Mario didn't have a problem telling us about things that were his innovations or contributions to the Masi history. Ask him about frame dimensions or details about brazing and you get the cold shoulder. If I remember correctly, he also told us that he was the one who initiated the concave seat stay cap. BTW, so far I haven't seen a Masi GC with the holes in the seat lug point earlier than 1972. There are however, a considerable number of variations in Italian Masis of this period from my experience.

That's all I got.

Brian Baylis La Mesa, CA I was there and did get a few things directly from the horses' mouth.