Doesn't this all suggest that there would be a market for (more) reproductions of Herse parts. I know that I'd buy a couple of reproduction Herse look-alike cranks for non-Herse projects--who was it who showed a Herse-like crank at a bike show in the last couple of years? Maybe there is not enough market for a crank that would be a close enough reproduction to supply the bi-coastal Toi/Jitensha market but also be updated enough as to BCD etc. to attract a more general market.
Sorry for the hi-jack, Mitch Harris Little Rock Canyon, Utah
On 7/16/07, Fred Rednor <fred_rednor@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > > That Herse on the other hand... whole different deal.
> > > That bike, once parted out, is probably destined never
> > > to be anything near correct again.
> > > Someone will buy the frame/fork (maybe) and the buyer
> > > will surely realize at some point that it will be
> > > uneconomic or impossible to properly refit it as
> > > it was. Will the buyer at that point abandon the project
> > > entirely or simply complete it with the wrong pieces?
> > > Those look to me like the only realistic alternatives.
> > > That Herse in its original conception and iteration is
> > > probably irretrievably gone forever either way once the
> > > boxes are sent out.
> >
> > The problem here is the demand for parts to hang on modern
> > 'Toei et al.' bikes, which make the parts worth much more
> > than the whole. If the whole, complete bike was worth as
> > much as the sum of the parts plus some, then it would make
> > sense for Grant Handley to sell the
> > complete bike, or at least a "kit" with all the hard-to-find
> > bits that belong together in one auction.
> >
> > But as they say, the market has spoken, and "it" has
> > decided that a new Toei is worth much more than an old
> > Herse with original parts.
>
> In some ways, Jan's final point - while true - makes me
> somewhat sad. Then again, if one is an admirer of this type of
> bicycle, you might have to wait a lifetime to find one in your
> frame size. And considering that these bikes had bespoke
> frames, built for a specific person's physique, an example that
> truly fits a prospective second-hand buyer might never appear.
>
> Next, there are the shipping costs, which have become
> exorbitant for a frame. Finally, you have to consider the cost
> of restoration. Many of these old Herse and Singer bikes seem
> not to have been treated, over the years, with the level of
> care they deserve. In any event, if you were in Japan, where
> would you bring the frame for restoration? To Toei? In that
> case, from an economic standpoint, it might be better to have
> Toei build a frame to your measurements and use the old French
> derailleurs, stem, brakes, mud guards, lights, etc.
> Cheers,
> Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________________________
> Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join Yahoo!'s user
> panel and lay it on us.
> http://surveylink.yahoo.com/