Thanks to the vigilance and kindness of a fellow listmember, I've already got my "grail" bike, a beautiful old Masi Special that fits me perfectly. With it and a later San Marcos Masi "everyday bike," I suppose I should be a happy camper.
But what kind of self-respecting listmember would I be if I didn't have my sights set on another bike or two (well, not two really... the wife's pressure valve is set to explode at anything over three bikes. This is why I felt it prudent that my preoccupation with vintage bikes should be satisfied with the Masi registry, history and photos rather than accumulating more bikes).
Yet those preoccupations left me unsatisfied... there was a gaping hole between the new Masi and the old Masi parked in the hallway. For some time I've been hoping to find a Carlsbad twin plate in my size (52-53 cm... only about 25 were made). This has been my 'grail' bike. And now, just in time for this thread, one pops up (again, thanks to the kindness of a listmember). I am most assuredly a happy camper.
Of course they say you should always be careful what you wish for. I never thought I would find myself saying this, but I believe I may now qualify for membership, at least partly, in the pink bike club. While the majority of the bike is painted an acceptable metallic gray, I must confess that the head tube (as well as the fill between the fork crown plates) is Pepto Bismol pink.
My joy at acquiring this bike is slightly dampened by the pink paint. Tom suggests that if I find it objectionable I should simply cut a small peephole in the carton when the bike arrives and spray a rattle-can of the color of my choice in the box before opening it.
This measure seems somewhat extreme... other owners of pink bikes seem to have suffered no ill effects that I can tell (though Mark Agree does appear to suffer from a peculiar nervous tic that I attribute to his ownership of multiple pink bikes... perhaps the safe limit is one?). Therefore, I shall presume that being in possession of this bike for the time it takes to get it repainted will do me no permanent harm.
Bob Hovey
Columbus, GA