In a message dated 3/7/05 12:16:35 PM, brandon@ivycycles.com writes:
>
> Why is this depressing?
> I've got to say I think Faleiro would be happy now that his name hasn't
> died along with all the others from his time. Remember it was Faleiro
> himself who sold his name out before anyone else. Sure the U.S. Masi
> frames were fine bikes and a few of the builders we know today started
> with Masi. None of these builders where "professional" builders before
> building for Masi except for Mario from what I understand.
>
Do you mean during the Carlsbad era, or overall? Eisentraut would certainl y have been considered a professional builder of note before he worked for Masi. Joe Starck built a few thousand frames for Trek before he came to Ma si.
>
> It's not like Haro is building a full line-up with commuter bikes with
> suspension forks. From the article they are building a race specific
> bike only. Also Haro has been known to build some fine bicycles and
> have been dedicated to cycling for a long time. Maybe many folks on
> the list would have preferred that the Masi name died, but I'm sure
> Faleiro wouldn't have.
>
Well, Faliero's got his son to carry on his name and some would argue he's doing a better job of it than Haro.
But my "depression" is not caused specifically by either the US or Italian Masi but rather the bike industry in general. Faliero came to this country and saw to it that the bikes that were built here met his standards of craftsmanship and his basic design philosophy (one tenet of which was never to make a "B" model, or "price-point" frame). And when he subcontracted work out it was to folks like Confente in the next city, folks he always kept a close eye on , not a huge factory halfway around the world that makes bikes for them and a dozen other companies at the same time.
Everybody does it now (including Alberto) and the situation's probably never
going to change, but it still makes me sad. The bit of warm fuzzy I feel when I see something like Alberto's Nuovo Prestige with Sachs lugs, nice pai nt and a bit of chrome, or Pegoretti's beautiful lugged frame with the twin pla te crown is just not enough to counteract the blue funk I descend into every ti me I walk into a modern bike shop.
Which is why I am here.
Bob Hovey Columbus, GA