[CR]Pope Bikes, Colnagos, Masis,

(Example: Events)

Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:31:57 +0200 (CEST)
From: "Nick March" <nicbordeaux@yahoo.fr>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Pope Bikes, Colnagos, Masis,

Wel, only two posts a day, so one down, this is the last one I make the most of by killing two birds with one stone.

To Don: I do indeed have a sense of humour, even if it is a mite strange.

To George (original message cc follows at end of post): Thanks for the clarity of the question, and a good one it is. I do not regard bikes as "gaudy" as a rule whatever their colour scheme or brand. I think however that the best way to attract attention to a point is not through timid understatement, but by screaming blue murder, parody (not mockery) and a little provocative humour. I am trying to make a point and have been for some time (and will continue to until such time as I get kicked off the list). That point is that in my opinion there is so much idolatry and focus on a few "holy cow" brands/builders that most people are in total ignorance of the fact that there are many more brands/bikes out there just as good, more affordable, and definitely worth saving. I'd love to own a Masi. I've ridden more than one Colnago, and liked it. A good bike, but no better than others which are totally unknown. Even the build wasn't out of this world. And whilst the collecting world talks, dreams and lives Masi, Herse, Singer, Colnago, Bianchi and maybe one or two others, fabulous bikes are being trashed or parted out for ebay because there is nobody interested.

By "pimping" my bike with a leather saddle, yellow cable housing and a load of elbow grease, I was both trying out a lurid colour scheme and having good fun doing so/performing a long due maintenance, and attempting to make the bike draw the most "visual attention". The aim being, of course, to show that other great bikes are out there for the picking, but you'd better hurry, or they'll all be gone in ten years from now, parted out on ebay for the valuable parts, the reamins put under a crusher.

The message is: don't just look at the sticker/decal/signature, look at the BIKE. Rather than depreciating other bikes as an end in itself, I am attemting to draw attention to other brands/builders.

Regarding Campy/Campag whatever, I am not kidding. The stuff from the vintage period is fabulous engineering, beauty, but a whole load of it doesn't work well for me. I guess it did for high power racers ? Take a Huret Svelto: nobody wants one. Still, the Svelto is a good looker, and works really well. And you can't give them away.

On the not getting attention through good taste issue, I guess I'll go along with that. Since when did discreet good taste attract attention ?

Nick March, Agen, 47000, Lot-et-Garonne, France.

Subject: Re: [CR]Pope Bikes, Colnagos, Masis, other spiv bikes... and a real racer. Message-ID: <e496f5269ce7.47efa55d@optonline.net> In-Reply-To: <674621.66263.qm@web28002.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> References: <674621.66263.qm@web28002.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 MIME-Version: 1.0 Precedence: list Message: 6

Your Meral is a very beautiful bike indeed. But, since you seem to d eprecate other bikes which you regard as gaudy, why have you "pimped " yours with inappropriate parts? Or, since you can't seem to gain attention by good taste, are you attempting to get it by the very vulgarity you seem to decry? Please explain. George George Hollenberg MD Westprot, CT, USA

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