After participating in the sport of cycling in one role or another for over fifty-five years it is often a pleasant exercise to try to focus on those aspects, and in this case I am thinking of bikes rather than biking, that still give me a natural buzz and to compare them with those that once upon a time did give that pleasant frisson of excitement. Scouring through the long columns of Ebay this evening I have managed to confront my relatively recent past with my early days of cycling, and I would just like to take this opportunity of indulging myself a little and maybe just point some members of the List to purchasing a real collectors bike of the future..and one from the past.
Ebay Items 723128770, a 1940s fully equipped tandem with no doubt some excellent workmanship and a galaxy of collectable parts, just got me buzzing again, while item 7229748839, a unique Pesenti time trial bike reminds me of what sent a shiver down my spine in the late 80s.
Looking at the latter it amazes me that when I saw it at the very front of Pesenti's stand at the 89 or 90 Milan Show, i was just overwhelmed with some form of emotion, I thought it almost as beautiful as Pesenti's daughter who was selling it, so much so that I bought the frame..for about 39,000 lira, about £1700 as I recall. I then built the bike up as it is now, to the spec. of the young man..perhaps not so young man now, who is selling it ( You can just see a "Bespoke" go-faster-sticker on one of the batons of the front wheel.) Well..it was so avant-garde... and black was so beautiful..
I often wondered just what had happened to all that carbon fibre..and its comforting to see it all still sticking together..but that 1989 emotion ..well that has well and truly evaporated..Did I really see beauty in that beast...? Now that 1940s tandem..well there's a machine to feast your eyes on.
Slightly off-topic, I think, Dale, but the intention was well meant..And now..where on Ebay was that elegant La Perle road bike...that will get the frissons rippling up my spine again.
Norris Lockley...Settle Uk