I have read all the posts about the cirque and there is one bike in particular that I had expected to be the basis of much discussion.
John Waner turned up with a few prime Masi bikes, including one bike that could not have been more appropriate for the drillium theme of the cirque.
I am speaking of the bike with the drilled chain stays and fork blades. For those of you that did not make it, I hope that somebody will post some photos as it was a very peculiar bike. I believe it was quite senseless, but still very interesting. I joked with John saying that the cut-outs must have been made to be able to fit your favorite baseball card clappers.
Can somebody please post some photos?
I would also like to relate a little story about one of the bikes that I
displayed: my 1947 Soncini. If you were not present, you can see quite a
few photos that Dale posted here:
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/
I bought this bike in Italy from the son of the builder; the son is now in his late 60's or 70's and his father, the builder, has passed away quite some time ago. When I purchased the bike, I believe the son thought that I was simply a bit off my rocker. He had asked me for the equivalent price of 2 Masi Special bikes, which I paid without complaint. To me, the bike is worth it because: a) it is unique, b) it is packed full with fantastic componentry, c) best of all because of the ties to the builder and his family. In fact, the son explained that the bike was one of the first frames built following WWII and was intended to be a combination of his dad's personal ride, as well as a showcase of what they could do. The bike is therefore full of components that were really the top of the top at the time. It has a Lucchini indexed shifter. Yes! Indexed 4-speed shifter in 1947! It has solid brass mudguards. Rear drop-outs that I just had to show to Sacha White. Shaped wire chainguard, quad-pivot brakes, special handlebars, SIAMT hubs with Campagnolo Q/R's... When I explained to the son that I believed that there would be a number of other fellow bike geeks in teh US that would appreciate the bike, I could see in his eyes that he had his doubts. It therefore made me exceedingly happy to give him a call and tell him the bike was awarded a price for best early Italian bike. When I then told him where to view the photos of the bike, with a clear photo of the head tube decal, he was blown away. He said that he hasn't felt that proud in a long time. That statement in itself makes the purchase of the bike worthwhile. Now if I could only find a replacement rim to allow me to ride the bike... Anybody have a 1940's vintage Fiamme, brev. Longhi marked, rim for a 590 tire?
Lastly, did anybody get a complete list of the bikes that won awards? Will photos be posted of the different bikes?
Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ
USA