Re: [CR] Alex Singer on Ebay

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Cinelli)

Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:30:46 -0800
From: "Rachel Valiensi" <valiensi@mac.com>
To: Mike Schmidt <mdschmidt56@verizon.net>
In-Reply-To: <4D8AC688-5447-4701-88D0-BA19FFA540D4@verizon.net>
References: <380-220091422143821440@earthlink.net> <a0623098cc59e6dbf7048@[192.168.1.33]>
Cc: Jan Heine <heine94@earthlink.net>, "<ridingrabbit@earthlink.net>" <ridingrabbit@earthlink.net>, classicrendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Re: [CR] Alex Singer on Ebay


Hullo, I remember Bruce Grodon writing about how it be nice if folks would pay for his time for him to did through his records to find info about a frame they bought from ebay. I think it is kinda rude to expect a frame builder to find records for free, especially is you do not intend to buy a frame from them. Order a custom frame from a builder to help simulate the economy! James Valiensi Northridge, CA, USA On Thursday, January 22, 2009, at 11:03AM, "Mike Schmidt" <mdschmidt56@verizon.net> wrote:
>If the serial number can be obtained, the shop is usually gracious
>enough to look up their records and tell you when it was built.
>
>Marie, I have another suggestion. Contact Cycles Alex Singer directly
>and inquire about used AS bicycles. They do sell them and might have
>something in your size.
>
>Mike Schmidt
>Millington, New Jersey
>Sent from my iPhone
>
>On Jan 22, 2009, at 1:48 PM, Jan Heine <heine94@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> At 9:38 AM -0500 1/22/09, marie autrey wrote:
>>
>>> Anyway, what I'm asking is this: is it going to mess up that
>>> highly-vaunted SInger handling to substitute a longer seatpost on
>>> this bike? Is the shorter top tube going to leave me bunched up,
>>> or is this a classic randonneur geometry?
>>
>> That Singer on e-bay is the second-ugliest Singer I have seen in my
>> life. I doubt it was made in 1970 - the geometry looks more like
>> 1980 to me, and so do the fork blades. The 1980s were a slow period,
>> and they accepted almost any order. (In 1970, the shop was busy
>> during the bike boom, and probably would not have built such an odd
>> bike.)
>>
>> For a few years in the early 1980s, Singer slackened the head tube
>> angle for unknown reasons - Ernest Csuka claims not to remember
>> doing so at all! - which made the bikes handle less well with front
>> loads. So I doubt this bike has the "highly-vaunted" Singer
>> handling, no matter the seat tube extension.
>>
>> I think the bike has potential, but I'd want to remodel it a bit to
>> make it more like a true Singer (move those shift levers!), rather
>> than a reflection of the "interesting" tastes of the original owner.
>>
>> Jan Heine
>> Editor
>> Bicycle Quarterly
>> 140 Lakeside Ave #C
>> Seattle WA 98122
>> http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com