Thanks, Peter. I saw some pictures on Bike Forums, and it looked like the event has shifted to a smaller space - it was all in the large central hall several years back.
On Sun, Jan 9, 2011 at 12:41 PM, Peter Jourdain <pjourdain@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Greetings---
>
>
>
>
>
> I had been planning a photo essay of the Cronometro swap,
> but, for the reasons mentioned in Tom Hayes' previous post----the crowd,
> congestion, and the configuration of the tables----I couldn't get a
> purchase on
> any clear views. It was rather like being stuck in a crowded elevator or in
> the
> swelling mob I remember in Boston's underground Park Street MTA Station
> during
> the morning rush. The aisles were narrow, the crowd three and four people
> thick
> in front of every table, and the ability to even see the displayed wares,
> never
> mind photograph them, was minimal. Consequently, I kept my camera in its
> case.
>
>
>
>
>
> For me, Cronometro is ceasing to be a place where I can
> expect to find vintage goodies and more of an excuse (and a good one) for
> getting together with friends from this and other bike lists, some of whom
> I
> hadn't previously met face to face.
>
>
>
>
>
> To that end, the morning began with breakfast at "The
> Curve" with a bunch of great blokes from the Gentleman Cyclist (3-Speed
> hub gear) list. Our lingering at breakfast meant that we escaped the long
> wait
> in line at Cronometro and were able to walk in unencumbered. Granted, we
> may
> have missed some of the mad dash for choice frames and bits which fall into
> the
> hands of those who book tables, wait hours in lines, or otherwise have the
> competitive
> will, but most in our crowd were of a like mind-----Cronometro's a social
> event
> and not really for serious parts hunting. If you find something it's a bit
> o'
> luck and serendipity. You take it as it comes.
>
>
>
>
>
> Still, a few in our midst did find some goodies. Owen Lloyd
> of the Gentleman Cyslists nabbed a bundled-together stack of NOS
> Stronglight chainrings
> for $10! And Jeff Pyzyk of CR found some really rare Campy levers for $50.
> Even
> if I had spotted those levers before Jeff, they would have been lost on me,
> since I do not possess the encyclopedic knowledge of all the Campagnolo
> iterations that are in the storehouse of Jeff's mighty mind. A true example
> of
> the phrase, "knowledge is power."
>
> But other than the few things my compatriots found and displayed to me,
> don't ask me what vintage parts I saw...I didn't get close enough to see all
> that much, and what I did manage to glance at in a wink is all a blur to me.
>
>
>
>
>
> The floor plan of the event is a large central lobby with a
> high ceiling, which houses many of the larger commercial vendors, and two
> rooms
> with lower ceilings off either side of the lobby, holding the tables of
> your
> "mom and pop" sellers. The central lobby was the only room which was
> humanly navigable and not oppressive. The side rooms, where all the vintage
> sellers were hosted, was an uncomfortable and unimaginable stew of
> humanity.
> After a few minutes I ceased to even look for goods on tables, I simply,
> amidst
> a thousand muttered "Excuse me's," started scanning the crowds for
> familiar faces.
>
>
>
>
>
> And plenty of friends did I find. There were Gentleman
> Cyclist breakfast mates Troy Mayne, Bob Allen, and Tom Huber, and two of
> their
> friends; Gent Cys Mike \u201cCheesy\u201d Bullis, Brad Smith, Alan and Owen Lloyd; CR
> guys Earle Young, Richard Cielec, Billy Ketchum, and three very nice chaps
> from
> his Chicago "mob." And I even managed, as the masses thinned, to say
> "Hi" to CR and VeloStuf's John Barron, to visit the table of BOB list
> guy Mike Hauptman, and have an extended chat with CR's David Cooper, who
> had
> sought solace from the foot traffic behind one of the vendor's tables.
>
>
>
>
>
> Speaking of vendors, if we in the throngs had it bad trying
> to negotiate the narrow passages of the aisles, the vendors were literally
> "back to back" with nary enough space to park a chair. Several of
> them whom I didn't even know, and completely unsolicited, demonstrated to
> me
> their predicament and expressed their frustration with the sardine can
> which
> was this year's layout.
>
>
>
>
> At one o'clock most of us were more than ready for lunch,
> and a good group of us repaired to Earle Young's local hangout, Tony Franks
> Bar
> and Grille, to down amazing hamburgers and Reubens, hoist pints of ale, and
> talk of all manner of bicycles.
>
>
>
>
>
> Despite the impossibility of the layout and the craziness of
> the scene, I had an absolutely fabulous time.
>
> How was this possible?
>
> The
> people. The great bike people are to me what makes the Cronometro event a
> "happening" worth attending. This was my fifth or so year of jumping
> into the melee, and I plan to be there next year, too. When it comes to
> bike
> people and the solder that ties us together, insanity knows no bounds.
>
>
>
>
>
> Cheerio,
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Peter Jourdain
>
>
>
> Whitewater,
> Wisconsin USA
>
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>
> _______________________________________________
>
--
Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI USA