Re: [CR] Saavedra

<Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 9:30 PM Subject: Re: [CR] Saavedra

> Here's a little more southern exposure on Argentina:
> There were two Saavedra brothers that raced starting before WW2.
> The elder Cosme was very well known and won many races, possibly also in
> Europe
> The younger Remigio was almost as good but kept riding and turned pro,
> riding many 6-Day races.
> Cosme stopped racing and opened up a shop on Plaza Italia in Buenos Aires.
> His son is Cosme Jr, believe he also had a daughter.
> Cosme Jr didn't ride much and then later went into the business and built
> up the parts and components end that we know so well.
> Cosme Jr.'s childen are the ones living in the LA area I believe, but
> their involvement in the bike game is not that strong if any.
> Mike Fraysee knows them well, and when I next speak to him I'll get some
> more info on the component business and availability.
> When our family was in Argentina '47/8 for about 16 months, I was racing
> Junior and worked for a while at Cosme Sr's shop where I met Cosme Jr. and
> got to know him fairly well at the store .
> We went to different schools and didn't socialize too much, we lived about
> 10 miles out of town in a suburb and with me riding and Cosme Jr. not, our
> paths didn't cross.
> Cosme Sr. was very enterprising and was already making small parts and
> accessories for bikes at that time, which then later grew to the extent
> that it was a dominant South American marque. It closely copied Campagnolo
> but just enough different so as not to get into serious argument with
> Campy.
> It wasn't quite the same finish and much less expensive, so did well but
> never had the Campy cachet and as a result wasn't pushed that hard here.
> The rims were very lite and quite nice in their small aero cross section.
> Remigio I believe had a coffee distribution business, and did very well as
> he wound his riding career down in that post war time.
> I have a foto of him in1947 at the Platense Soccer and Sport Velodrome in
> Buenos Aires, where I also raced at the meets as a Junior in that season.
> Euro-Asia distributors brought in some of the Saavedra items, but were big
> Campag and Shimano sellers so didn't push it too hard.
> Paris Sport/Fraysee brought in a lot of it but sold mostly to the Eastern
> states so Saavedra never got the play out West
> This is going back 60 years now, so the memories of live gauchos riding
> hores thru the burbs, seeing Juan and Evita Peron, midget car races on the
> same course we road criteriums on, people standing and applauding the US
> flag in the movie houses, seeing the upper masts of the Graf Spee at low
> tide in the La Plata estuary, among other scenes, are still vivid.
> Ted Ernst
> Palos Verdes Estates
> CA USA
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "kevin mccaul" <trackstand@verizon.net>
> To: <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 5:03 AM
> Subject: [CR] Saavedra
>
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I recently bought an early 70s Saavedra track frame from Mike Fraysse.
>> Apparently it was hanging in the shop only primed so he had it painted
>> and
>> ended up with me.
>>
>> It's sweet, but I'm curious to know what kind of set up would be period
>> correct for this bike. Saavedra wheels? Good luck there I guess.
>>
>> The only thing I had close was my early 70s Campy 26.4 seatpost. Other
>> than
>> that I put what I had available on so I can ride it for now.
>>
>> Any ideas?
>>
>> Kevin McCaul
>>
>> Silver Spring MD USA