Your not insulting me Fred although I did grow up in Great Neck (on
Long Island for those of you who are unfamiliar with the area) and left
as soon as I was old enough to get out. Certainly, Stuyvesant became
was the largest store in the metropolitan NY area. I remember when I
was 14 (1963) my father taking me to a place in Brooklyn called
Continental Diesel on Atlantic Ave....(an importer if you can believe
the name) to buy a Fiorelli. But, in those years, it seemed that the
most popular racing steed was a Frejus from Tom Avenia on the upper east
side of Manhattan. One guy I rode with in those years was on a
Driesdale that were relatively uncommon. that I think he got from a
great guy named Adolph (?) Juner who had a shop in his house on City
Island. He also carried the absolutely exotic Hetchins which, to a 15
or 16 year old were simply impossible to contemplate (both because of
cost and intricacy) . After the Fiorelli, I graduated to a Peugeot
PX10. Sal Corso carried them when he was located on 1st Ave on the
lower east side in what was then Stuyvesant Bicycle and Toy. The front
of the store was, essentially, a toy store, and the bikes were in the
back with the baby strollers, etc. Even in Great Neck though Cinelli
was certainly not a common mark to be found. Sal was a pretty good guy
as I remember in later years, and when I returned to NY in my 30's and
joined what what was (and still is) the biggest NY racing club (the CRCA
headed at the time by the legendary Lou Maltese) Sal and Stuyvesant were
sponsors giving discounts to members or the club at his store. By that
time, the 1980's, they'd moved to 14th street. It had expanded to a
huge space (by bike store standards). Probably over expanded and,
eventually, as I understand it, went bust.
Edward Albert
Chappaqua, NY