Seems like every time I go to Matt Assenmacher's shop I turn up some treasures and today was no exception.
Some of the Detroit Bicycle Mafia was to meet me there between 10 and 10:30 this morning, and knowing full well that they would be fashionably late I craftily scheduled my arrival for 10AM on the dot... before they would get there. Matt was at a funeral, but his most excellent right hand man Steve was in the shop. I told him that two different folks had asked me to check on the availability of vintage Assenmachers for them. I guess they are all vintage, as Matt has quit building. I needed a very tall one and one about 55cm for a famous southern collector. Steve took me into the back room and apologetically informed me that the only complete bike he had was a 54cm one on consignment. I went after him to look. There through heavenly mists accompanied by the sound of Angels singing excerpts from Mozart masses was the most ornate Assenmacher I had ever seen! The skies parted and a radiant beam of sunlight shone right down through the roof and highlighted this heavenly bicycle. Two tone blue with unheard of chrome fork tips and stays, and gold lined nervex lugs... just made me weak in the knees. "How much?", I managed to gasp. He named a figure and I said "I'll take it!"
I took it outside and snapped a few photos of it and got it back inside before the DBM arrived, Looking like film noir characters from the Triplets of Belleville, carrying an assortment of frames, wheels, fancy Phil hubs and even a pair of wooden rims.
Jimmy Cue's eyes lit on my new treasure. I knew he had been bummed last year when Mike Self beat him to that green Assenmacher.
"How do you like my new bike?", I asked. Jimmy gulped and several times that morning asked if I was really going to buy it. I told him it was done deal.
We specked out some wheels to be built, struggled to free a stuck seat post in a Masi frame, and "oohed" and "aahed" Over Jimmy's New Phil hubs and Mark Agree's wooden rims, and poked around the back room for a couple of hours. Back there on Matt's bench we saw this huge Campy oaken case for a tool kit...the largest I had ever seen. Steve let us look inside and handle some of the tools, some of which we had never seen before. Treat time in Schwartz Creek!
We ended up the morning with a Masi changing hands in the parking lot and with huge cheeseburgers in an excellent little cafe across the street. What a time was had by all. After all, we do have to practice up for Cirque, you know.
Tom Sanders
Lansing, Mi