Kyle,
Seems to me that 'Devotion' is more of a frustrated novelist than a cyclist/collector!!
I certainly empathize with Matthew, however. It reflects a dozen-fold my own experiences since rekindling an interest in 'classic' lightweights after a ten year lay-off. Components I had in duplicate or triplicate before my big 'sell-off' in the mid-90's, that fetched small time cash, now are stratospheric (if you can find them). Simple things like Pumps, mudguards (fenders for you guys who can't use proper English!), flick-bells, are fetching £30-120-50 respectively on eBay here in the UK. Ridiculous prices! it's all a question of supply and demand and more and more players on the field!
Trouble is, there is a tendancy for people to see what they fetch ($300), then they think, aah! there must be something in these items worth having. The next time some other joker says to himself...I'll pay $400...and so on, so forth. The next time they appear they will go for $600 or more you watch! Supply and demand!
Enthusiasts have to make a stand and resist, to bring down the prices to an acceptable level in my book. I shall not succumb!!
Happy buying!
Derek Athey Honiton, Devon UK
On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Kyle Brooks <brooks_kyle@att.net> wrote:
> Matthew,
>
> as an English teacher, I have to say that I really enjoyed reading this. I
> like the descriptions and the buildup of suspense.
>
> oh yeah - and I can totally relate. Con denti pedals are your white whale.
>
> Kyle Brooks
> Akron, OH
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Matthew 'Devotion' Bowne <devotion_finesse@hotmail.com>
> To: CR discussion list <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Fri, June 11, 2010 12:21:43 AM
> Subject: [CR] Con Denti? Con Ridiculousness!
>
>
> For as long as I can remember having an awareness of the existence of
> 1950's-60's Campagnolo "Con Denti" (with teeth) track pedals, I can recall a
> couple of constants. (1) I desperately want a pair and (2) While not
> incredibly rare, they fetch about $200.
> For what seems like years, that's about what they sold for on eBay...And
> they came up every couple of months or so. People had 'em. They'd show up
> at a T-Town swap. They'd hang on a number of bikes at the local shows.
> Your friend probably had a pair. They were around. And they were cool.
> I always knew I'd just HAVE to put a pair on the 60's Frejus pista I vowed
> to eventually own...so I started to look more often. And they were going
> for $250 all of a sudden. Gulp. And again, $250. Maybe $270. But another
> set might pop up for $225 from time to time as well. Or your bud would
> score a set for $60. It'd hurt, but if I didn't eventually find a pair,
> I'd have to bite the bullet and drop the cash. Especially since I had
> managed to piece together the rest of the other "dream bits" for my
> imaginary 60's track machine. A steel adjustable Cinelli track stem, a
> Campy inch pitch drivetrain and the like. So then the dream Frejus finally
> came along and I started *really* looking for a pair. But they were getting
> $300 now. Sheesh! Could I really drop that kinda coin on pedals??? Well I
> just might have to...Because I was building my dream bike and everything
> else was falling into place. No sense in getting a build 95%
> "right", is there? "Almost perfect"? Not a chance! Okay, okay. I won't
> ride the bike until I have Con Dentis, I told myself. The months ticked
> away. All of a sudden, Cirque was just 60 days away...I wanna wrap up the
> build and I'm quickly running out of runway! I'm asking everybody I know,
> watching eBay more carefully now, throwing out the occasional "WTB" post to
> The List. And nuthin' turned up for a while until a pricey, well worn pair
> from far away became available, at the precise moment when I had just
> splurged on something fun like a motor vehicle repair and had exactly two
> pennies to rub together...Maybe next time. There was a moment there when I
> thought I caught everyone sleeping on an eBay auction with no mention of
> that jagged little edge. "These are mine...I'm going for 'em and I'm going
> hard!" The auction even ended at some ungodly hour. A perfect storm! I set
> my alarm clock and woke in the dark to fulfill my
> destiny. I was even the high bidder for a minute there, until they
> skyrocketed in the final seconds to a whopping $400! You kidding me??? Is
> this what I woke up for? A freaking stomach ache! A lump in my throat! How
> was I ever going to finish this build?
> In a bind, I managed to convince a friend to loan me a pair to get the
> Frejus on the road this last weekend. Just the way she oughtta be. She was
> received like a princess, I rode the bike and it felt NICE to have
> everything in place. Even the orange toe strap buttons I had on loan from a
> brother of the wheel out in my native California. Perfection.
> But in the words of George Harrison, all things must pass. I returned the
> pedals Tuesday night and picked up in their stead that old familiar ache in
> my heart. Surely, I won't be able to ride the bike again until it's
> "right", can I?
> So in a moment of weakness, I again turned to eBay in the hope that I can
> somehow fill this void in my life. And there's a pair at $80 with a day to
> go. Could it be? Is a moment of serendipity upon me?
> Nope. A moment of "Holy f'n sh*t!" is upon me as I watch the price of a
> pair of Con Denti pedals surpasses the $500 mark for the first time to my
> knowledge. I accidentally spit beer all over my keyboard and everything.
>
>
> http://ebay.com/
>
> So I ask the community...
> What's more ridiculous? The fact that a pair of pedals which are not
> *that* uncommon (saw 4 sets at Cirque this weekend!) are suddenly fetching
> $500? Or that I have spent so many hours obsessing over the darn things
> that it's starting to not seem so far fetched..almost worth the $500...when
> I consider the hours I have spent (wasted?) thinking about them?
>
> Am I alone in this level obsessiveness over a single component are can any
> of you commiserate? Are you haunted by "the one that got away"? One part
> shy of completing a build? Do you lose sleep over anything on your wish
> list? Or am I finally losing it entirely?
>
> Matthew Bowne
> Senza Denti in
> Brooklyn, NYC
>
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your
> inbox.
>
> http://www.windowslive.com/