Douglas wrote:
> Two weeks back I once again visited Bicycle Specialties in Toronto, Mike
> Barry's truly wondrous shop. I picked up the refurbished Rene Herse
> Federal complete with a new as-good-as-Herse-himself front carrier
> (directly taken from the design of these bikes, Mike has several) and all
> put together constructeur-style, perfect, just perfect. This frame had
> been salvaged from a curb in Arizona, brought to SF, sold eventually to me
> in truly horrid condition but no dents or damage, just truly beyond
> leaving well enough alone. It was refurbish and repaint or watch her die a
> painful, rusty death. Mike Barry has forgotten more about these bikes
> than I could ever learn and he did a magnificent job with the restoration.
> It is "Herse bleu" once again with a box gold stripe and proper Herse
> markings. The mudguards are Honjo hammered but the rest is more or less
> period correct and NOS where possible. I could not be happier. If you
> care to peak, I've posted some pictures here:
> http://www.serotta.com/
>
> I may be mistaken but if it true that our esteemed Mr Baylis is going to
> rename his concern something like 'Vintage Bicycle Specialties' then I
> would find that most unfortunate. There is, after all, already one
> 'Bicycle Specialties' producing modern classics and doing restorations and
> the like in North America---and it's been around now more than 30 years.
> I think another name might be more fitting, but that's just my opinion and
> it is said with all proper deference to and admiration for Mr Baylis.
Bicycle Specialties has not truly been around for over 30 years, as it was only founded in 1990. Mike Barry on the other hand has indeed been building frames in the Toronto area under the Mariposa name for 32 years. When I used to work for Mike and his then partner Mike Brown, back in the early 80's, the shop was still called Bicyclesport. Bicyclesport, as all of the CR oldtimers from Toronto and area can attest, was one magical place. Bicycle Specialties, on the web at http://www.bikespecialties.com is a natural extension of the original Bicyclesport. While Mike Brown has returned to Britain, Mike Barry, the Mariposa bikes, the incomparable information and eclectic selection of components are all still there. If there was a Michelin guide of bike shops, Bicycle Specialties would definite be described not only as "worth a detour" but would actually be one of the few to merit the description "worth a trip."
During my years at Bicyclesport, it was common to see bikes of the caliber of Douglas' René Herse pass through. It was also a place to be immersed in bicycle culture and where you could find straightforward information, without all the hype, marketing and idol-worshipping found in most shops. Jerry Moos would have been especially happy as all the best of French components: Maxi-car, Pélissier, Stronglight, TA, Idéale etc... were all available and frequently used. You could also obviously find Campagnolo, Shimano, Suntour etc... Bicycle culture and riding were central to the lives of all those working there. It therefore came as no surprise at all to see Mike's son Michael develop into a top-notch racer on the USPS pro team alongside Lance and company (he was the top-placing North American rider at the 2003 world championships in Hamilton!)
When I last spoke to Mike, he intimated that he was hoping to come down to le Cirque this year. If this does in fact come to occur, all attendees will find a treasure trove of information and knowledge. I can furthermore only guess what kind of 'goodies' he might bring along: part of his fantastic collection that are frequently used in period movies filmed in Toronto, his wonderful 'holder of the flame' new Mariposa bikes, his eclectic selection of lesser-known components... the choice will be difficult.
As far as the name of the new Brian/Craig venture goes, I too feel that it would be unfortunate to risk any possible clash/confusion between the Socal and Toronto operations. It should however be noted that, beyond Toronto, it is actually a group of shops in Ohio, North Carolina and Kansas called Bike Source that have 'claimed' the url http://www.bicyclespecialties.com so an alternate name is probably worthwhile from a business standpoint. (I have never understood why anybody would block availability of a URL if they themselves are not even using the URL themselves, nor are apparently threatened by anybody else's use thereof)
--
Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ