Re: [CR]Masi on iBOB, now on eBay

Thanks for the info Brian. Quite a journey this bike has had, eh?

This sale has moved from iBob to eBay and in the process the description morphed a bit more... the bike with the rare and unusual serial number was at first described as having no serial number at all. I wrote to him to let him know about the many inaccuracies (the stated year, the description of the stays and dropouts, etc., as well as asking him what the deal was with the serial number). He has since rolled back the serial number bit to match what he posted on iBob, but he has left all the other misinformation intact.

_http://ebay.com/<blah> =STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1_ (http://ebay.com/<blah>

The bike does indeed have a serial number and I don't believe it is in any way unusual. If you look very closely at the bb photo, you can see a "6" above the oval window, to the right of center. Odds are, the complete number is 06, 016, or 026 (in other words, production numbers 1006, 1016 or 1026). If you''ll check the Masi registry, you'll find that the bikes from this group were all on the large side, 60-65cm. (this bike's a 63).

The seller has lowered the asking price from the $2500 on Ibob to $2000, but it is hard to imagine him getting it, given what the frame's been thru and the many non-original components (derailleurs and brake calipers look like post-CPSC and everything else except perhaps the crank is just wrong).

At the bottom of the page, he responded to a questioner (who sent him an archive link to Brian's message below) saying that "I stand by my statement that it is a '72 Confente built frame with an odd serial number. I have an email FROM Vintage Cycle Studios which states this fact, and that it was most likely built for a friend or employee."

It is hard to imagine, after the research he said he did on Greg Fletcher's site and the email discussions he and I have had, that he can still honestly believe that this bike is a 1972, or a Confente. He sent me a copy of this email (from Brian's then-assistant, Craig) and NOWHERE does it say the bike is a 1972 or that it was built by Confente ("perhaps it was built for a friend of mario's." is the actual text).

One could say that these are just great leaps of imagination on the seller's part rather than an actual intent to deceive. In either case, I would suggest that this is a bike to approach with a care.

Bob Hovey Columbus, GA

In a message dated 4/23/2006 7:21:35 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, Brian writes:

Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 02:46:44 GMT From: "brianbaylis@juno.com" <brianbaylis@juno.com> To: youngc@ptd.net Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR]Two Masi bikes for sale on iBOB Message-ID: <20060422.194702.11666.1014018@webmail33.lax.untd.com> Content-Type: text/plain MIME-Version: 1.0 Precedence: list Message: 7

Charlie,

Thanks for pointing the Masis out. I do have something to say about the GC for sale that the seller is using my name to make some claims about. To those who know a lot about Masis, it should be obvious that the selle r is claiming things that are not true about the bike. I said no such th ing about Confente special build or anything else. There was some questi on as to what the serial number of the bike was. That often times sugges ts a down tube replacement. Don't know if one had been done before, but I put in a new down tube because when I removed the improper shifter lev er brazeons from the frame the tubes was cracked on both sides; caused b y poor braze on work. Furthermore, the bike had been completely chrome p lated and then stripped of the aftermarket chrome, which is how it arriv ed at my place. This bike was one step away from death. I saved it's lif e and made it look like new only with a ton of work. My understanding wa s the owner intended to keep the bike, not try to pass ot off on eBay fo r reduculous money by making claims about what it isn't, when what it is is quite different. This annoys me tremendously. I dopn't rescue the ba sket cases so that people can off them. I was told there was sentimental value in this bike and that the supreme effort to save it was worth it, etc.

I'm really sorry I have to do this from time to time, but I simply can n ot allow people to make such claims using my name to give credibility to obvious fabrications.

Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA