Re: [CR] Universal 68s - The Box!

(Example: Production Builders:Frejus)

References: <4A0CE138.8060203@pacbell.net> <8CBA33EBE2EC380-13B8-359B@FWM-M45.sysops.aol.com> <8CBA382093EB42C-157C-430F@webmail-de08.sysops.aol.com>
To: <oroboyz@aol.com>, <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Sat, 16 May 2009 13:27:12 -0400
In-Reply-To: <8CBA382093EB42C-157C-430F@webmail-de08.sysops.aol.com>
From: <verktyg@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] Universal 68s - The Box!


Dale,

What I liked most about my Universal 68s was the picture on the top of the box they came in. I kept that box for years.

Someone is selling T-shirts on eBay with the Universal brake box picture on them. Somehow it doesn't look as good blown up though.

http://tinyurl.com/o44m6c

In our area Universal 68 brakes were not very common. We sold quite a few mid range Italian bikes with centerpull Universal 61 brakes, Legnano/Frejus, Botteccia and others, but not sidepull 68s.

Chas. Colerich Oakland, CA USA

< Chas wrote:

<< My first "pro" bike was a NOS 1971 Gitane Super Corsa that I bought new in 1973. It had a Reynolds 531 frame with all Campy NR components except for Mafac Competition brakes. I got it new for a whopping $150! I wanted something more sexy than Mafacs. Campy brakes were both hard to find and cost almost more than I paid for the whole bike! I purchased a set of Universal 68s for about $18. >>

I may have written this here before years ago but I will risk repeating myself.

The first bike shop shop I managed was in 1972, and I had an affluent customer who wanted to buy a set of the "new" Campy brakes. This was an exciting and expensive development in our region, I knew of no one who actually had a set at that time.

Even though these brakes had been introduced a few years earlier, they were extremely rare and hard to find. I called all the Campagnolo distributors around the country, and no one had them except Mel Pinto Imports in the Wash DC area. The asking wholesale price was $125.00!

I think they had been advertised via mail order for close to that price ($129.99 at Bikeology I think?), and my customer would not pay the $150 retail (with a whopping $25 total markup to cover shipping, COD fee and minimal profit.)

So it would be a year longer before I actually had a set in my hands.

Dale

Dale Brown

< Greensboro, North Carolina USA