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From: <Gdglenn201@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:43:30 EDT
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]New Member

Since I've been making some comments, I should introduce myself.

Started working in a bike shop (Raleigh) and racing as a jr. in 1971. First good bike was a lilac Raleigh Competition. Actually a great bike for the money. Got a subscription to International Cycle Sport and Mirior de Cyclisme and studied the pics and learned to read french. Moved up to a Paramount. One of the ones with the hand pinstriped chrome lugs. It was too big for me but I still wish I had that frame.

Went to Europe , mainly England, to race in the summer of '74. I had a custom built Mercian waiting for me when I arrived. It was designed primarily for crits and time trials. There weren't many road races for juniors then. It was a very short wheelbase. The chain stays were so short you couldn't get an inflated tire in and out. My rational was: if I flat I'm out of the race, so why need to be able to make a wheel change. Jr. races were so short and fast (pre gear restrictions as I recall) that if you flatted there was no way you were going to get back in. The ABLofA became the USCF some time around then. Moved up to a Colnago in '76 and another in '79. The '79 didn't fit me well so in '80 I got a De Rosa. That one I still have that one. It was painted Kas team colors and I've never seen another that scheme. Anybody else seen one?

By the early '80s I had the desire to build my own frame. I had already built my own guitars and cars so I thought I would try a frame. By this time we (wife and I) were post grad school (chiropractor) living in Texas. I started out to build a frame for myself and my wife and the next thing I know I've got "orders" for a dozen from local guys. So this was fun and my hobby for several years. In 1986 took the 753 test with Reynolds and was certified a 753 Master Frame Builder. I don't know about the Master part but it was fun.

In 1990 I had a very bad crash and wasn't comfortable sitting in the pack anymore, so I gave up riding and slowly moved away from the cycling community. I started playing golf. A chiropractor with a broken arm is unemployed so this made good sense to me. We moved to Europe in 1994 and so I sold or gave away all my frame building stuff. While in Europe we would go watch races and so forth but I never rode. The bikes and stuff was all packed away. We returned to the US in 03 and settled in SC.

Back in early February while having band practice (I play guitar in a blues band) the bass, who rides and knew nothing of my "previous life" followed me into the basement to get an extra amp and there in the corner are my old bikes, wheels etc. After some persuasion he and several other guys talked me into doing a 300 mile charity ride in June. So I get out the bikes and stuff and have started riding again. In addition there is the Internet and so I find this huge "underground" vintage bike thing. This is great. The really great thing for me is that I was out of cycling before everything became space age. I can tell you one thing for sure this new stuff just doesn't look right. Where is the art?

Now that I've gotten all my stuff out, my kids who are 21 and 18, are asking me to build them frames and bikes and the dentist across the parking lot is wanting one as well if I start back. Tomorrow I'm going to see some one about the jig they're no longer using. Man I forgot how much fun this stuff is. I'll try to post up some photos of the stuff I've built soon.

Gary (Garland actually) Glenn Seneca, SC

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