Well it's raining again here in the Garden State. Since I can't ride I can spin some tales I have told before but not on this forum. A few years ago I went to a bike shop here in NJ that had a tiny swap meet going. The owner carted out a beautiful older Schwinn Paramount cream colored with chrome lugs. It had the olympic rings on the seat tube and was set up as a track bike. What a beauty. When I asked the price he told me $700 which was a lot of money to me at that time so I just lusted for it and kept it in mind. It did not sell and I have been back several times and each time I went to look at the bike I asked the price. Now this has gone on for several years and usually a year apart each time I asked. The price kept going up to where he valued it at approx $2000 about 2 years ago. Have not been back there for a while but I can tell you that bike was a beauty. Now for the interesting part of the story. The last time I was there he had the bike inside the shop but I did not see it immediately. What the owner did was to use it for a clothing rack and wheel holder. Let me explain. Imagine a cherry paint job on a classic bike holding metal hangers on the top tube to display cheap jerseys. Now imagine that same bike with several cheap rims draped over each side of the handlebar. I practically fainted and a friend who was with me almost needed resuscitation. This gem has become a shop fixture for displaying bike shop trinkets and cheap junk. The owner does not warm up to conversations about bikes so I learned from experience not to confront him with this idiotic display. I just walked out and have not been back since. The owner did manage to spin his own tale about the bike several years earlier and if the rain continues that is an interesting story as well for another day.
Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ