Re: [CR] Can't Take Any More

(Example: Framebuilders:Alex Singer)

From: "Paul Williams" <castell5@sympatico.ca>
To: "Classic Rendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Re: [CR] Can't Take Any More
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2008 19:43:16 -0400


"But will that be an Italian revolver?" Heaven help us if it one associated with Enfield or BSA!!!

Great post John - thanks for summing up in words the seeming futility of

bicycle collecting - especially for those of us who enjoy riding such lowly brands as Raleigh or Peugeot. This past few days I have started to feel like the outcast member of an exclusive club - where one dare not utter the names of any brand other than Masi or Colnago. I am now left to wonder how long it will be before my Raleigh falls to pieces beneath me on the streets of Ottawa as a consequence of its apparent shoddy workmanship. Perhaps I should be riding my Bob Jackson instead - but I am not sure that that will make the grade either - or .... These are indeed anxious times. But, just wait until the Carpenter hits the road - then I might very well be lumped in with the "greater unwashed" of the messenger/fixed-gear club!

Paul Williams,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada


----- Original Message -----
From: cwstudio@aol.com
To: <>
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 7:09 PM
Subject: Re: [CR]Can't Take Any More



> John,
>
>
>
> That's sad, and I'm sure that we all commiserate.
>
>
>
>
> But will that be an Italian revolver? Please, don't use some crappy
> mass-produced thing. Make it a nice one, with really great engraving, and
> fresh rounds. Maybe even a vintage piece, with NOS walnut grips.
>
>
>
>
> I'll send your relatives my address. Maybe they'll feel sad enough to send
> me all your old bikes. After all, they're not really worth that much...
>
>
>
>
> Yours in pain,
>
> Chris Wimpey
>
> San Diego, CA USA
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Hurley <JHurley@jdabrams.com>
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Sent: Mon, 7 Apr 2008 3:48 pm
> Subject: [CR]Can't Take Any More
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> This is it. My illusions are shattered. I've known all along it would
> come to this. Even as a kid I vaguely sensed the first faint warning
> signs of Quality Fatigue Syndrome. What started with the simple joy of
> bicycling soon became a desire for a "better bike". How much money
> would I need? A visit to the local bike shops revealed the answer:
> "just a little bit more". After more washing dishes and bussing tables
> and saving money, I had enough to buy the Better-Quality Bicycle. I was
> thrilled to have a bike that was so light, so well-made, and so fun to
> ride.
>
> But as time passed, and I read more books and magazines on bicycling,
> Quality Fatigue Syndrome really set in. It seemed no matter how good
> your bike, no matter how well-suited to your purpose, there were always
> better bikes out there, and beyond those, even better ones, and so on.
> It is now abundantly clear that even the kindly souls on the CR list
> find little to love in the "production-run" bikes that were the
> high-water-mark classics of my youth. Really, it was a shame so many
> good sets of 531 tubing were wasted on such shoddy mass-produced
> consumer goods.
>
> Well, I can't take any more. Quality Fatigue Syndrome and the
> inevitable deep depression that accompanies it have finally driven me
> over the edge. Tonight I'm taking my PX-10 out in the driveway where I
> can run over it several times with the pickup truck. Then I'm going to
> end it all. I'm going to bid high on the most expensive Masi or Colnago
> I can find on eBay, having first made sure to leave a loaded revolver on
> my wife's nightstand. That ought to do it. Goodbye, cruel world.
>
> John Hurley
> Austin, Texas, USA