Re: [CR]Mike Kone's rene Herse Announcement

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing)

Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:17:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Ron Gurth" <rononice@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]Mike Kone's rene Herse Announcement
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <MONKEYFOODO9HSLHJkZ00002b11@monkeyfood.nt.phred.org>


I am not a frame builder but have met some of the world's best at the Cirque, including Mark N this year. I have seen and ridden Rivendell frames, met Curt Goodrich and drooled on his fine frames with his name on the downtube. Like Jerry M. says, there is more to frame identification and differentiation than just who does the fabrication.

Riv lug design and frame geometry has been reviewed, praised and critisized here on the CR list, yet the posters of the debate do not, and rightly so, blame or praise Mark or Curt for the design elements that are inherent to a Rivendell. Grant takes the credit. A Riv is a Riv. A Goodrich is a Goodrich, a Nobilette is what it is. All stand on their own merits of design and style, though the build quality is of course excellent in all.

I love the beauty and function of the Rene Herse bicycles I have seen at Cirque, and from what I know there are lots of little details and fabrication items that make it a RH. This is what Mike K says he and Mark will be producing and I think it's bloody marvelous! If I had the disposable income, I'd be in line today. These machines will be different than frames that carry the Nobilette name. He'll wield the torch, but the frames will be unmistakeably Rene Herse.

No one says "This isn't a 'real' Masi, it was built by Brian Baylis in California!". And you can't compare what BB does now to his best Masi work. Different products.

Looking forward to seeing the nuevo-RH at CdC 2008!! Best Wishes, Mike and Mark!

Ron Gurth Carmel, IN

-----Original Message-----
>From: Norris Lockley
>Sent: Jun 18, 2007 5:55 PM
>To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: [CR]Mike Kone's rene Herse Announcement
>
> <SNIP>>
>Is this how the story is going to go when the production...hand-building
> of the new RH's ,starts? Mark starts to build a frame as he ha
>s always built them, to a very high standard I am told, with great attentio
>n to detail, and to the client's personal specification or at least his phy
>sical measurements; he selects the tubes, fettles the lugs, mitres the
> tubes and the stays etc etc..brazes the whole thing up..adds the braze-on
>bits..finishes the whole assembly..polishes and burnishes etc etc .sprays i
>t to a fine lustre and then.... he is going to either coach-paint on or add
> decals with the name "Rene Herse". ...when what he has built is an excelle
>nt Mark Nobillete.? What's the point.? If I did that in the UK m
>y clients would have me in front of the Trading Standards Board answering s
>ome pretty pointed questions. ..Even if you can point to the certificate en
>titling you to use the name, it still doesn't make the frame a Herse...just
> a Herse look-alike.
>

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