At 6:48 PM -0400 6/28/09, Peter Weigle wrote:
>To me the real story is the owner's passion for buying and riding what he
>felt was the best in it's day.
>That he was aware these builder's existed, (pre internet/Google) is
>fascinating.
>
>That he tracked the builder's down, bought the bikes, and that they're still
>leaning against the same walls,
>as they were some 20 yrs. ago, is ever so cool.
That is very cool. There were a few cyclists in the U.S. who were
aware of the more obscure details of European bikes. In 1939, a
reader from Great Neck, NY, wrote to Le Cycliste that America now had
their own lightweight touring bikes, made by Paramount, but that they
still were a long way from the bikes of the Technical Trials. An
American couple ordered an Alex Singer tandem after Singer brought
the lightest tandem to the 1939 Technical Trials, but the war
prevented the tandem from ever being delivered... Numerous high-end
bikes came to this country long before there were official importers.
U.S. cyclists weren't living in as much of a backwater as many
believe.
>Sorry if I missed some details, but my heart was racing. I was invited back,
>so I'll look at that Sturmey Archer again, and see if there are any
>stampings on the alloy frame.
It's not a big deal, but with the list being archived, etc., I wanted to set the record straight. Even a Garin-made aluminum frame is a very cool bike, and superlight, too. (The frame can rival in weight with many modern carbon frames.)
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com