Norris, My limited experience and current trouble with my wife tend to discount my advice, but in my view to really experience a bike requires riding it and riding it requires it be in your size. Otherwise it is no more than a museum piece. To view museum pieces, it does not even need to be yours, travel europe and fondle other peoples bikes if they are not your size and buy them only if they are in your size and add something significant to what you have. You can have room for these new bikes by unloading all the ones you can't ride. I happen to ride 23" bikes and my shipping address is 825 Chance Road, Marietta GA USA 30066!!!!!
Jon Crate With loading dock at said address Sent from my phone
-----Original Message----- From: Norris Lockley <nlockley73@gmail.com> Sender: "classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org" <classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org> Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2011 05:52:20 To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org<classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Subject: [CR] To buy ..or not to buy...That is the question
I'm faced with a dilemma...let me explain. I already have far too many bicycles and frames..and Yes! believe me.... it is possible to have too many . (Are you reading this, Nelson?) I am no longer a young man..and many of the frames and bikes I already own are too large for me in any case...and my wife can't stand the thought of any more bikes at home. I am in fact a perfect living example of the species - the obsessive collector.
To make matters worse, there are certain brands of frame that I have never owned, will never need, but nevertheless I would like one of them...for the collection.
Like buses in most large cities these sought-after bikes never come in ones...but in twos and threes. And so it is that I have just come across, and am negotiating for, a couple of MARCADIER racing, as opposed to randonneur, bicycles...and there is still an alloy Reyhand (?) in mind.
I have never seen a Marcadier but, tempted by the one in one of Jan Heine's books, consider that I owe myself at least one. Jan's Marcadier is an aluminium alloy one and at least one of the two I know of is of the same material...the other might be steel, as it is painted red.
It goes with the territory of such transactions that the bikes are a long way from where I live, not even in the same country, and that the photos provided are of poor quality and lack detailo. I have requested others.Oh! almost forgot...they are too large ( at about 23") for me to ride..
After finishing this heart-felt appeal to the CR Listers I think I shall have to go and lie down to consider matters further. Are there any psychologists among the CR members who could offer me some free counselling....PLEASE
I know what I should do...but please convince me.
Norris Lockley
Settle UK
(with sincere apoogies to the bard, William Shakespeare..and Prince Hamlet)