I asked them on the phone if the frame was a Confente built bike, and the answer I got was something to the effect of "Almost assuredly". I suppose I had made the assumption that it is accepted that saying "Confente built" is taken with a grain of salt. Also, my very limited knowledge of Masi history led me to believe that the Carlsbad operation was just getting going in 1972, so if it WAS an early frame, it certainly increases the chances that Confente built it. Again the comment about Campagnolo chainstays were incorrect and due to a complete lack of knowledge on my part. I am not a collector. I love bikes... I love old bikes... But I have never spent much time studying the intricacies. I can't for the life of me tell you you what year a NR deraileur was made...
This has all been a tremendous (and stressful) learning experience for me. I've never sold a bike before to be honest. I suppose I was thinking that details about the frame would come out as people started asking questions, as they have. In the future I will try and be a little more diligent about getting everything straight beforehand.
Thanks all,
-Mark
On Apr 24, 2006, at 7:41 AM, joebz@optonline.net wrote:
> The problems go on and on with a sales pitch that is overhyped and
> replaces speculation with certainty. The seller states that is
> "undoubtably" a Confente built bike. It may or may not be a
> Confente built bike but it is just plain untrue to say it is
> undoubtably a Confente built bike. Other things are garbled or
> wrong. The Columbus Record chainstays become "higher quality
> Campagnolo chainstays." Huh? The bike wasn't "rebuilt". It was more
> like salvaged. 1972? California Masi. So I guess this is the
> earliest known California Masi.
>
> Joe Bender-Zanoni
> Great Notch,NJ
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: hersefan@comcast.net
> Date: Monday, April 24, 2006 10:15 am
> Subject: Re: [CR]Missing more - Two Masi bikes for sale on iBOB
>
>> I think I missed something else here as well - dosen't the
>> original ebay post omit the info that the dowtube was replaced?
>> Only in the posted question responses does this info come out.
>> Did I miss something in the body of the original text on this? By
>> not providing this information for all to see, it seems that
>> travel at least started down that slippery slope of
>> misrepresentation. I sure has heck would want to know up front if
>> a frame I was buying had undergone major tube replacement.
>> Hopefully Mark simply did not realize that such a repair
>> constitutes much more than a typical extensive restoration.
>>
>> Mike Kone in Boulder CO
>> -------------- Original message --------------
>> From: "Steven L. Sheffield" <stevens@veloworks.com>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Some people might assume that "built for a friend of mario's"
>> means "built
>>> by Mario for a friend" ...
>>>
>>> Even so, it's still speculation, since no one really knows the
>> provenance of
>>> the frame.
>>>
>>> However, I think that Mark was being perhaps overly
>> enthusiastic, rather
>>> than intentionally misleading; seizing and believing the
>> possibility that
>>> the frame may have been built by Mario as a fait accompli.
>>>
>>> I think that everyone involved is over-reacting.
>>>
>>> The facts are that it's a beautifully Brian Baylis-restored, but
>> unusual
>>> Masi ... this fact alone should be enough to intrigue some
>> buyers.
>>>
>>> As to whether or not it was "undoubtedly built by Mario
>> Confente" ... well,
>>> only Mario knows for sure, and he's not around to clear things
>> up.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 04/24/2006 05:44 AM, "Angel Garcia" wrote:
>>>
>>>> Am I missing something? The ebay listing says, "Confente Built
>> Masi". I
>>>> don't anything in Brian's note (attached by Mark Flaming) that
>> quotes Brian
>>>> as saying it was a Confente built Masi.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> From Craig Fenstermaker to Mark Flaming:
>>>
>>>>> we have completed our initial inspection and have discovered;
>>>>> 1) this is an unusual bike, it does not follow any s/n system
>> that brian
>>>>> or i am familiar with.
>>>>> 2) it had columbus record chainstays instead of the standard
>> chainstays.
>>>>> 3) it has lead a hard life, lottsa rust and several dents /
>> dings /
>>>>> previous repairs
>>>>>
>>>>> 1 & 2 leads us to believe that this might have been a masi
>> employee's
>>>>> bike originally, or perhaps it was built for a friend of
>> mario's.
>>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Steven L. Sheffield
>>> stevens at veloworks dot com
>>> bellum pax est libertas servitus est ignoratio vis est
>>> ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee sea eye tee why you ti ay aitch
>>> aitch tee tea pea colon [for word] slash [four ward] slash
>> double-you
>>> double-yew double-ewe dot flahute dot com [foreword] slash
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
> _______________________________________________
Mark Flaming CFO Sutter Instrument Company
email: mark@sutter.com
phone: 415-883-0128
fax: 415-883-0572