Harvey, you are talking about one of my very favorite books, which I am guessing is probably the case for a large number of the folks reading this. Thinking of Phaedrus always reminds me of my own shortcomings & of the kind of man I'd like to be. Alas, your symptom (sited below) simply serves to remind us of the problem of not enough time. Certainly we must all make the time for the important stuff. When it comes to bicycles the important stuff (for me, at this point in my life) is the riding. But, unlike Phaedrus riding companions on the BMW, I do in fact enjoy the intricacies of the machine and hope that perhaps someday I'll have the available time to work on the bikes as well as ride them. In the meantime I relish the time I get to spend with an object of true quality, made by a person equally interested in the pursuit of same. I ride with Phaedrus. Richard Rose (the other e-richie) (Toledo, Ohio)
> In the Zen of Motorcycle Maintenance, Pirsig's central metaphor was the
> contrast between the one who both rides and works on motorcycles, and
> the other, who sees the motorcycle as the means to the end of travel.
>
> Decades ago, at the beginning of the US tandem growth phase (late
> 1970s), every rally featured a "broken spoke" or equivalent award for
> the team that had the worst breakdowns. Tandems, whether factory
> (Schwinn) or custom (Taylor) were acknowledged to be do-it-yourself
> projects; it wasn't until both mountain bikes (sturdy parts) and Santana
> that one could expect a tandem to be pretty reliable. With that
> transition, a lot of new people came into the sport, which is great, but
> it is also noteworthy that they didn't see the tandem community as a
> band of brethren persecuted by mechanical failures. Many of us
> old-timers (pioneers) felt that the newcomers (farmers) weren't as eager
> to volunteer to lead rallies, etc. Probably not true, but a perception.
>
> What does all this have to do with Cirque?
>
> I got the general sense that sales of parts were not as brisk as in some
> years. Either high end or my "experienced" stuff. I just wonder if
> this represents the flip side of a transition: more interest in
> complete, high-end bikes, and relatively less in "projects."
>
> I don't know, and I don't mean either "farmer" or "pioneer" to be taken
> as a put-down term, but a personality type. But, I thought that some of
> you might have opinions in this area that the rest of us would benefit
> from hearing. Or enjoy....
>
> harvey sachs, feeling a glow of the great experience last week, but a
> litle introspective, too.
> mcLean va