Okay, I admit it: I'm cursed. Three CR rides I've organized this year, and three times the day of the ride featured crashing barometers, cold temps and threatening rain. Sigh. Someone else needs to take a stab at getting the Southern New England ride scene organized.
Anyway, Trexlertown was it's usual busy time when I'm selling, up at 0 dark 30 to get there in time to set up. I started running into CR guys at the Trexlertown Burger King at Breakfast that morning, and we discussed the likelyhood of rain. I got to the swap and was directed to the south parking lot, which meant I got to load and unload through the only one person gate in the outer fence, featuring numerous traffic jams as vendors all tried to get inside at once. Marty Walsh and Mike Schmidt from the list helped me get my stuff inside, with Mike scoring the extra vendor's wrist band I had.
After setting up and snuggling into my Cinelli training sweater due to the chilly air (thanks Jan Johnson, and BTW I had at least half a dozen people offer to buy the sweater; might want to make another batch), it was a long parade all day of CR folks. I would say we had at least 20 CR guys in attendance. To the names already listed by Jamie and Tom, I'll add Duncan Granger and his brother who stopped by my booth, and Duncan exhibited excellent taste in buying my Tom Teesdale built Cirrus 7 touring frame. I understand from Duncan he's having Tom Kellogg build a replacement fork to displace the Surly Cyclocross unit I had on her. Duncan spent the rest of the swap looking for that Tom Adams guy to apologize for not staying for the ride, but never did find him. And I, with my Cinelli trainer over my CR jersey, never recognized him, either. Paul Lee stopped by and picked up the Italvega frame I had for him.
There was lots of lookers, but few buyers today. I guess I had my stuff priced too high. For example, a Trek 510 with full Ishwata DB tubing, built with Gyromaster wheels, Suntour Mighty tour crank, Superbe brakes and Nitto bar + stem didn't even draw a counter offer priced at $400. The Torpado with almost full Galli group got even less attention at $500. And nobody went for the user but nice drilled Stronglight 99 triple cranks at $75 or the Stronglight 93 175mm arms in excellent shape for $100. I would definitely say that the persons at my booth were only interested in bargains today. Oh well, I moved some stuff, sold two frames, and had a nice day.
Towards the end of the swap, Dan Artly came by to make sure at least he and I would ride. There were several other folks who had mentioned they might ride, but at 2:30 as Dan and I got ready, there were nary a classic rider to be seen. Of course the weather was still gray and threatening, with the temps on the mid 60's I lent Dan a long sleeve jersey, and we made one last circuit around the parking lot before going. Eureka! There's Dave Neuhaus suiting up. And with him is Ray Hominski. So four of us went riding into the gloom, expecting a monsoon momentarily. Dan was up on his Cinelli approved Centurion with a full Mavic Starfish group (pretty nice rain bike, Dan). Ray and Dave disdained wusses who don't ride their good bikes in bad weather, with Ray on a lovely Moustach barred Atlantis and Dave on his KOF fillet brazed Land Shark, in a tastful orange and yellow finish. Since it didn't sell, I rode my Trek, which was the only bike with fenders.
The ride itself was absolutely perfect, of course, except for usual niggling details. For instance, not to complain, but there was the superhighway construction project that totally obliterated the intersection for the third turn, forcing us to sprint for our lives along Route 222 for half a mile until we cut through a restaurant parking lot back onto to route. And then there was the farmer who was swilling out his cow barn and putting a lovely giant water slide onto the pavement at the 5 mile mark. Fortunately, the water was pretty clean. The rain really started to threaten at Bowers Park, the half way point, but I can only assume that the presence of the fenders on the Trek kept the heavy stuff away (the "if you leave the umbrella home" theory). The route itself is lovely rolling farmland. Ray and Dave were beating Dan and me up pretty good, and I blame this fact entirely on their 20 to 30 year newer bikes. But finally near the end they missed a turn, taking themselves out of the running for the top of the podium. I would have warned them, but I was too out of breath trying to hold their wheel. Dan and I took the "correct" route, sprinted back over the Rte 222 corridor of death and won the day. To celebrate, we took a victory lap around the Velodrome, with Dan nipping me at the line, mainly due to the fact that I couldn't make myself ride up the banking, sure that I would slide to my doom. So DeMayer pips Moser at the line, with DeVlaimeck and Kuiper straggling in later. Old age and treachery win out over strength and the latest equipment.
So all in all, it was a great day, with a lovely 25 mile ride at the end. Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Oh, and let me know if anyone is suffering from a drought or is threatened by wildfires. I'll come organize a vintage ride at your house, and precipitation is guaranteed.
Tom Adams, Shrewsbury NJ
>From: "Tom Hayes" <hayesbikes@nls.net>
>To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Subject: [CR]Trexlertown Swap report
>Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 14:34:44 -0500
>
>Attended yesterday's Trexlertown Swap meet. The weather held pleasant but overcast, and it became to rain toward the end of my stay. Compared to last year's, however, yesterday's weather was outright balmy.
>
>This year I introduced new CR member, Dan Polito, to his first swap meet. He stated that he thought it was fun and interesting, which probably means he is toward the darker depths of bike goofdom. He also learned not to trust my opinion on prices: there was a neat Benetto track bike that Steve Maasland had there which Dan wanted. I advised him it would be too expensive, without checking with Steve first. It sold for what Dan wanted to pay for it. Apologies to both Dan and Steve.
>
>Perhaps it was my imagination, or senility--I did afterall come up and greet someone whom I thought was Harvey Sachs (Harvey, you have quit sending doubles of yourself to meets, and not showing up yourself)--but I thought there was far more vintage stuff at this swap than last year's. Curtis Anthony had plenty (and he scored a neat Bianchi city bike from Jamie Swann who also had plenty of vintage stuff), and there were a number of others who had vintage stuff. A couple of track Paramounts, a neat Celo Europe track bike, someone was wheeling around a nifty Holdsworth he had just purchased, lots of vintage Campagnolo, Stronglight, Huret, and that kind.
>
>I snared some small things, but was happy to pick up late sixties (maybe seventies) Frejus track bike that I had purchased sometime in July, which Roy Drinkwater had been holding for me and brought. (Thank you, Roy.) I had it out today for afternoon spin and it is a fun ride, though, as Roy advised, I must do something about the gearing.
>
>The trip, especially this time of year when Pennsylvania is beginning to show its fall colors in splendor, for me was well worth it. Had fun, saw folks I hadn't send since Cirque, and I think based on this experience, I will certainly more seriously consider attending the spring swap as opposed to last year's fall experience.
>
>Cheers.
>
>Tom Hayes
>Chagrin Falls, Ohio
>
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