Knowing a few shops in Holland I can believe the throwaway Campy parts - the village where my son did some of his stage races in had an excellent bike shop. They had a throwaway bin from which I rescued some small flange Record hubs on one occasion - that bin was for the scrapman. Many riders who may may not race anymore there update their bikes on a regular basis and the parts are often simply junked then... And a friend bought a simply superb early Merckx comp[lete with Record kit for the equivalent of $250 and on another occasion I had a Gios with Nuovo Gran Sport for $60 equivalent - older bikes are often not valued highly.
Hilary Stone, Bristol, England
> From: "Ken Freeeman" <freesound@comcast.net>
> Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 07:11:13 -0400
> To: "'Chuck Schmidt'" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>, "'Classic Rendezvous Bike
> List'" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Subject: RE: [CR]throw-away Campagnolo parts
>
> I would be glad to get the hauling contract for those shops!
>
> Ken "not much new here!" Freeman, Ann Arbor, MI
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org
> [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Chuck Schmidt
> Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 10:45 PM
> To: Classic Rendezvous Bike List
> Subject: Re: [CR]throw-away Campagnolo parts
>
> Just a small reality check here... "Subject: throw-away Campagnolo parts"...
> you can bet if it was a shop in Holland with Campagnolo parts thrown into
> bins, they weren't "throw-away Campagnolo parts"
> okay? And I think you all know what I mean, right? No urban myths here.
> Parts is parts, and expensive Italian parts is expensive Italian parts
> whether it is the end of a racing season or no.
>
> Chuck Schmidt
> South Pasadena, Southern California
>
> Galen wrote:
>>
>> I'm sure that there were well-sponsored amateur racers who could
>> afford to throw away last season's equipment and replace everything
>> for the next year. But when I started racing in the mid 70s, most of
>> us bought our own gear, and with rare exception treated our bike
>> (usually singular) and components with respect. Not many of us had
>> neurosurgeons for fathers who could buy us the best and most expensive
>> stuff. We worked in bike shops for pocket change and a 10-20% discount
>> on tires and parts. I'll never forget the first time I ordered
>> something from Nashbar because I could get it for less than my
>> discounted price at the shop! It sure pissed off Dave, the owner,
>> because he was working hard to make a living in a very non-boutique
>> shop in Urbana, Illinois. No one I knew discarded perfectly good
>> equipment at the end of the season. We were just glad to be able to
>> get to the race, because gasoline was starting to hover around a
>> dollar per gallon!! Oh well,
>>
>> Galen Poole
>> Jackson, MS
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Williams"
>> <castell5@sympatico.ca>
>> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 3:00 PM
>> Subject: Re: [CR]Re: Unfortunate Victims of Boutique Bicycle Buying
>>
>>> A few years ago I remember talking to a chap from the Netherlands,
>>> who was working in a bike store in my home town (Kingston,
>>> Ontario), who remembers stripping NR and SR parts off bikes while
>>> he was a mechanic in Holland and simply throwing them into large
>>> bins in the back of the shop. This used to happen at the end of
>>> every race season as riders would upgrade to the new year's parts.
>>> He remembers that in most cases there was nothing wrong with them.
>>> Made me weep when he told me that - oh that I had a time machine!!!
>>>
>>> Paul Williams,
>>> Ottawa, ON, Canada