Eddie,
Your luck and skill at acquiring the second bike is how the bike Gods repay your good karma in the hobby. These things happen when your intentions are pure and your principals are sound.
Really looking forward to seeing the track bike.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
USA
I am not sure how to tell this story but I will try to make it to the point. As many of you know I just purchased from France a Caminade Caminargent dating from around 1936. The bike had a the serial # 274. It was fairly complete except for Wheels and a few bits and pieces. Many of you thought I paid too much. But that is as it is. In the last few days I was put onto a local bike by the redoubtable list member Jamie Swan. He told me to call a guy named Bob Powers ( who you will meet this year at Cirque if you are going) about a bike he was shown by a local man who really did not know what he had, but wanted to sell. Bob gave me the man's number and I called him ASAP. He said he had this bike, was I interested. We hemmed and hawed a bit about how to meet (we live about 50 miles apart) and he said he would try to bring the bike up to me. I heard nothing the next day and called him again Friday night. He asked if could I come down to his area. I said, when? I arrived at his house Saturday afternoon. I left no time for some other pickers to get this bike from me as I knew at least one who was already on the trail. What was this bike that Jamie had put me onto. An absolutely original (except saddle) Caminade Caminarget track bike serial #573, Stronglight inch pitch track cranks, Caminade bars and stem, and.....Caminade wheels (although the rear is in rough shape with several spokes pulled out through the rim). Rims have Caminade decals in tact and............the downtube has two perfect (although dirty) Caminargent decals. I never thought they even existed in the flesh. Additionally, contrary to what some have said, the lugs were filled in with Red (oxidized) paint and the cranks had pointed flutes -- the bike is pre-war the parts original. I would say that the idea that rounded flutes mean pre-war and pointed post is not, in fact, the case. We discussed price. He had all the info from Joel Metz' site and he even knew about what the bike I had bought went for, although I did not tell him I was the buyer. In the end I, of course bought the bike. Cost averaging brings my two CC's down to about a reasonable sum I would say (conservatively). He was quite pleased with his windfall and I was over the top with a bike that essentially is a pair for the first. Size and all. This one, I believe, will be at Cirque. BTW Tony Colegrave, I just bought a Camiande saddle frame and will be contacting you for your much valued services.
Edward Albert -- a bit long winded but quite self-satisfied today in Chappaqua, New York, U.S.A.