I'm sending this at the behest of a former member who was banished a few years back. By the way he is remorseful and would like reinstatement at some point. I'd shared the story of the "Confente" Gran Criterium, and he asked if I would cut, paste, and send his own story. He's been my best friend since we were in high school, so I couldn't really decline his request.
"When I bought my Gran Crit on eBay a few years back (MC54 s/n B7819), it had been listed with what the seller had allegedly been told by Brian Baylis when the frame was repainted (it has the "Custom Paint by Brian Baylis" decal, so at least that part is provable). To summarize, the seller alleged that Brian said the frame was originally brazed in in the mid-1970s by Eisentraut (evidently this was apparent due to distinctive filing of some sort), but never finished. It languished until the last days of Carlsbad, until it was purchased by a woman, at which time the cable guides, shifter braze-ons, and a fork added, and the whole thing painted. The seller said that when he bought it, the bike had hardly been ridden, but that he'd had it repainted due to the "lousy Kirkbride decal job." I don't know if a word of this is what Brian really told the seller or if the seller was giving bidders the real reason for the repaint, however I have no real need to verify any of it! What ever the heritage, it's a lovely bicycle, great to ride, and the fact that it's the frameset that appears in one of their brochures (not noted by the seller - I didn't find out myself until at least a year after I'd bought it) makes it an interesting conversation piece. The only odd thing (and possibly lending some credibility to the story) is seeing MC54 on a bike with a San Marco serial number. I'm no expert, though, so maybe this kind of thing was common and means nothing at all. In the extremely unlikely event that I ever sell the frameset, I'll probably share the story that was in the original posting, word-for-word, BUT with a VERY healthy disclaimer that I cannot verify a word of it."
Thank you for letting me indulge my friend, Tom. Dale, for what it's worth, he told me to let you know that he appreciates all you have done and continue to do for vintage cycling fans.
IP Merkin Providence (still crappy outside, but slowly improving), RI