I don't even get excited about ones owned by famous racers. The older I get, the less I'm inclined to hero worship. I do admire a rider like Edd y Merckx, who was the best at his profession, but I've come to see that as no more important than being the best carpenter or plumber or machinist. Less important really, as pro athletes are really just entertainers who me et no real fundamental human need, unlike carpenters or plumbers or farmers who do. So while it would be kind of neat to have a bike once raced by Eddy, that doesn't make it a better bike than one of the same model and equ ipment that he never touched, and I'm certainly not going to pay the kind o f price that provenance would command. Maybe if I happened to get a bike that turned out later to have outstanding provenance, I might keep it rath er than sell for a profit, but I wouldn't pay big money for one with known provenance. So these phoney pro bike scams are no threat to me, as I would never go for one.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA
From: Angel Garcia <veronaman@gmail.com> Subject: [CR]Collecting ex-Pro bikes To: "CLASSIC RENDEZVOUS" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Date: Sunday, September 21, 2008, 4:03 PM
Norris mentioned ex-Pro bikes in the discussion of the (non) Colnago track bike. I wonder how people on the list feel about ex-pro bikes owned by the non-famous riders. I just don't get excited about those.
Angel Garcia
Long Valley, NJ
snip:
> There seems to be a rash of ex-Pro bikes coming on to the market in Europ
e
> these days...particularly from folks claiming they are mechanics..claimin
g
> good provenance.
Norris Lockley..Settle