> Marty Eison:
> I don't think we are as out of the mainstream, bohemian or outre as we
would
> like to believe. Its all very romantic to think we are the champions of
the
> past,
> of Reynolds 531 and Columbus Sl, keeping the memory of Fausto and Eddy
> alive but seriously there are a lot of people riding vintage steel,
> they just don't obsess over it like we do (or participate on this list).
> Take a look at other cycling related blogs, forums, lists etc. a good many
> of them have vintage sections, and a surprizingly large number of everyday
> cyclists are either discovering for the first time or rediscovering the
joy
> of
> riding vintage steel bikes.
And then there are jokers like me who have been living in a black box (where's B.F. Skinner when we need him?), and riding my whole life (started as an adult in '71) on "vintage" steel, primarily British and Japanese. Discover Rivendell in the mid-90's and decide I want a 26"wheeled road bike for loaded touring. Order an All Rounder (custom) in late '97. No thought/knowledge at all about other frame materials. Through Riv I discover the Classic Rendezvous list and subscribe. Lo and behold I discover I'm vintage and didn't even know it. All of a sudden I'm reading discussions about "our" stuff versus aluminum, titanium, and carbon. I didn't even know this stuff existed. Kind of knew about Cannondales and rode an early one once. Not really impressed. So here I am out of the mainstream and never knew I left it. Kind of sad I guess, like an old 5th century monk sitting in the abbey spending his life copying Aristotle, Plato, Cicero, the Plinies and totally oblivious to the barbarians at the gates.
Craig Old and In the Way Montgomery
Tucson