Well Mr. Ives.... I only lived in Italy and Switzerland for about six years in total, working for/and with Europeans, living in the local economy. I'm not fluent in Italian, but I was good enough with my language skills to make minor presentations, discuss our business and read bicisport and bicicletta.
I browsed the Guerciotti store (owned by the family Anderson I believe) , toured the DeRosa factory w/Ugo (very clean, very well organized), the Masio, F.lli Masciaghi (Coppi), Stelbel, the Vittoria Shoe factory, and a few small bike stores between Brescia and Cuneo. I attended IFMA along with a few other fairs... but my search was for one off parts and bikes that interested me, not wholesale parts. The fact that someone advertised in the monthly bicycle mags each month for classic bikes/parts seems to indicate that they were not readily available in the market place.
If anyone ever goes to Helsinki, visit the store Suomen Urheiluaitta, phone 09-643 064. He has the oldest Masi I've ever scene, ridden in the '52 Helsinki Olympics.
I think this list is all about sharing knowledge and experience's. If you disagree with my experience, I'm ok with that, it just seems a little odd to me.
Brian van Baush Evergreen, CO USA
Brandon wrote: "Maybe that's the case in Italy, but I doubt it. When M and I lived in Gent '03-'04 you could find classic parts and bikes everywhere .... You need to get outside of the urban centers and know the local language you get the real deals."
On Nov 29, 2006, at 9:45 PM, Brian Van Baush wrote:
>
> I was fortunate enough to live in Italy in the mid
> 80's and again in the mid 90's. During the 90's I
saw
> monthly adverts in the major bike mags searching
for
> classic bikes - DeRosa, Colnago, Masi etc.....
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