Re: [CR]Ebay Masi Special

(Example: History)

Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 10:18:47 +0100
From: "Sergio Servadio" <servadio@df.unipi.it>
To: CR Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Re: [CR]Ebay Masi Special
References: <040e01c6312a$cd4a1690$6401a8c0@HPLAPTOP>
In-Reply-To: <040e01c6312a$cd4a1690$6401a8c0@HPLAPTOP>
cc: Paolo Giannotti <pgiannot@agr.unipi.it>
cc: Paolo Giannotti

The Maaslands wrote:
>As Sergio and Matteo can attest, the bike comes from the 'collection' of a rather eccentric farmer. The fellow is sitting on about 200 bikes and frames. He has them divided between 3 or 4 houses and barns.
>
> Steven, it appears to me that you are right, about this attribution and story, except for one, indeed minor, detail. Ilio Tonelli is no farmer at all . Ilio Tonelli is illiterate even in our mothertongue: no possibility that he is reading me now

As 'eccentric' as he is, Ilio is not aware of the marketing possibilities through the internet. Some time ago I had publicized his name, talked openly about his collection, and recommended one should profitably come by, if interested, to take a look and possibly do fair business. I felt I have not been fully trusted, then, though my suggestion was loud, clear and not at all motivated by any hope of personal profit.

Though it is none of my regular business, I have recently been in the market to scout for old supply for a well established bike shop, a once in a lifetime endeavour, just for the kicks. I have witnessed that there are several people running throiugh the country, locating NOS supply, rusted framesets, used equipment and parts therof to bargain out, clean and ship. A few months ago I graciously accompanied a gentleman from Eugene to several such sources in the Lucca-Pisa sorroundings,. again for the kicks. At the end of the day this guy, while walking away with a whole stack of rusted framesets tied together with a generous amount of tape, forcefully handed over to me a 20Euro bill as a reimbursement 'for the gas'.

A couple of times I have been told: 'E' passato un americano e ha preso tutti i telai Colnago ancora nuovi, mai montati che avevamo.' Cicli Marocchi, at Marzocca (An), has sold Colnago parts for thousands of euros to somebody from the province of Perugia [Foligno is there, too] who has repeatedly gone back to do business. Nothing wrong with that, except that Mr.Marocchi was told that that was done by a student, just to pay for tuition, something hard to believe.

It was again a plain, stupid, lie that Ilio Tonelli told us while helping out those guys from Foligno who were just leaving with the Masi on the back seat of their car: 'They are borrowing the bike to take part in a race', he said to me. Business, at small scale indeed, done by little people fooling one another.

I have even picked up a few bikes/framesets for somebody who was apparently interested, only later to change his mind and bail out without even asking to see the pictures I had taken. Too bad. I'll get rid of them sometime soon. Promise!

Sergio Pisa

P.s. A personal note, now.
          I probably won't ever understand how someone might want to spend a
          sizable amount of money for just a few additional embellishments, be it
          pantowork or tags, to a bike
         A bike is something to be ridden and worth only to be ridden,
         not looked at.