[CR]NOW: My beloved file marks. WAS: Your CR Post

(Example: Framebuilders:Mario Confente)

From: <"richardsachs@juno.com">
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2005 04:52:34 GMT
To: raydobbins2003@yahoo.com
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]NOW: My beloved file marks. WAS: Your CR Post

snipped: "I remember noticing file marks (I believe on the fork crown, maybe also in other spots), when I saw the photos of e-richie's Nagasawa. Does that detract from e-ritchie's appreciation of his frame? I didn't get that impression. But did he expect or anticipate them?"

anyone who was at my speech at the NAHMBS will attest to this: i was asked about the frame as well as my motivation to place an order for it. i have followed the frames of mr nagasawa since the late 70s and was given the opportunity to own one by way of the importer. as i noted in houston, i "made" mr nagasawa my muse -- (at least one of my muses, the other being paris hilton), since the 80s. it is true that the frame is over-the-top stunning and there are also aspects of it that, in contrast, seem to evoke a bit of indifference. it's quite alot to absorb, as i have personally seen fewer than 5 of these frames before mine arrived. to wit, do the frame's file marks detract from any thing/my expectations? not at all? why? well, in some respects it's because "who the hell am i to offer up judgement on this?". this preoccupation with file marks and other visible "defects" as though they indicate a level of attention or lack of complete quality has less merit with me than it might with others. i was buying a piece of the man's history and i appreciate the fact that i could take advantage of a few days of his time and receive the fruits of his labor. he apprenticed at poglighi and derosa as far back as the 60s and early 70s. he's brought style and austerity to the framebuilding world. his frames are iconic, and i don't even know if that's the correct use of the word! i have looked at this frame from all angles and know it fully; the aspects that i see on the outside hardly stack up to what i know to be on the inside: over 40 years of fine framebuilding by a man who practices with the same methods that were once employed by the list of names that populate the collections of those reading this note. e-RICHIE in chester, ct in the winter and in paris come spring


-- Raymond Dobbins wrote:


Hi Bruce,

Why don't you just say what you really feel? C'mon man, don't hold back!

All joking aside, I agree with you only partially, and that's probably true for most of the rest of the people on the list. For example, I look at a Cinelli Laser, with flawless execution of a bold design (revolutionary aero design in its day, coupled with nary a file mark visible through thin paint), and I think it is "beautiful." Then I look at a Colnago Oval CX, with plenty of file marks visible through the brushed-chrome finish on a rather idiosyncratic aero frame design (imo, not as effective nor elegant as the laser's, but still very cool), and I thnk it is "cool." In other words, the file marks on that particular Oval CX, which are unique to it (you wont't find the same file marks on another Oval CX), together with other aspects of its design and componentry, give it a unique personality and "charm." File marks work for some bikes, but only in the eyes of the beholder - they wouldn't do anything for me on the Laser. File marks may even be a "signature" of some frame builders, who knows? Kinda like thick hand-brushed paint between the twin plates was the way Masi chose to finish their forks - goopy paint with with visible brushstrokes - a decision based on cool counterpoint design detail, or just cheaper/easier than spraying it? who knows?.

I remember noticing file marks (I believe on the fork crown, maybe also in other spots), when I saw the photos of e-richie's Nagasawa. Does that detract from e-ritchie's appreciation of his frame? I didn't get that impression. But did he expect or anticipate them? That would be interesting to know (I expect no less than a one-liner contribution from the maestro on this, hopefully).

Lastly, I have to say that I have not seen any instances of framebuilders or painters using this forum as a means of self-promotion. Joe Starck has every right to express his opinion and defend his workmanship, every bit as much as you do of coming close to launching a personal attack against him - that is, unless the listmeister says somebody crossed the line.

Thanks for the excitement,

Ray Dobbins Miami, Florida

P.S. Some people like to call a spade a spade, others like to call it a f*****g shovel.