Don't know how I missed this last time. It is indeed a fascinating tale. And overall I think a happier one. True, Witcomb USA did not survive, while Masi did, but it sounds like there was not the personal conflict and betrayal that features in the Masi story, not to mention Mario's untimely passing. The Masi story reads a bit more like a Greek tradegy, or at least a Shakespeare tragedy. Maybe that's why it seems to draw so much interest.
So is there a sure way to tell a CT Witcomb from a Welsh Witcomb from a London Witcomb? I mean for instance an eBay bike, where one can't examine the quality of the work closely.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Houston, TX
"richardsachs@juno.com" <richardsachs@juno.com> wrote:
snipped: OROBOYZ@aol.com wrote: "Richard Sachs can tell us about these. He is racing today at the cross nats BTW..." ==========
here's another wusa chestnut from my blogsite, http://richardsachs.blogspot.com/
here: peter and i met in london while working/learning at witcomb. witcomb was concurrently working with some 'mericans to represent their goods here. the head yank had the witcomb name registered in the states only - this to protect his investment. the entire deal's success was predicated upon the brits having their brand on some factory-in-wales-made bicycles. i.e. the custom frames were just goin' to be icing on the cake; the welsh bicycles were the price point winners.
peter and i arrived in connecticut and worked at witcomb usa for almost a year before our nascent skills were called into use. the call came because the brits couldn't supply the goods the boss needed to survive. he ultimately severed his ties and had peter/me make witcomb usa frames.
it was the two of us. about a year later we hired gary sinkus, and he was there only until bikecentennial in late 76. around 75 we hired this young guy - chris chance - and showed him paint prep, braze-ons, and general entry level stuff. chris was a tough hire because the boss wanted local folks to do after school work and not be like the bike geeks that he was already paying!!!
i remember chris as being a painfully slow learner but incred- ibly fastidious and eager. he had the right amount of zeal and yankee ingenuity. we nicknamed him "risky" for reasons that now escape me.
he left in 78, i think. his frame shop spawned merlin, one-off, seven, IF, an maybe others.
peter and i often joke that it was fortuitous that the apple fell far, very far, from the tree.
e-RICHIE