Mario Confente, was Re: [CR]Nostalgia (Gr. nostos, return + algos, pain)

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Avocet)

From: "Russ Fitzgerald" <rfitzger@emeraldis.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Mario Confente, was Re: [CR]Nostalgia (Gr. nostos, return + algos, pain)
Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 07:12:35 -0500


Chuck's tale of how he met the late Mario Confente and the conversations he had with him reminds me - I am one of those unfortunate souls who has never seen a Confente up close. Quite seriously, he and his work are revered by a number of very knowledgeable folks with exquisite taste in bikes.

It seems to me that perhaps it is time for a "Confente registry," similar to that done for Hetchins bikes. Now, I know I'm suggesting a pile of work, especially if it becomes an online site - but the mention of Confente touches off wistful prose from Chuck S., JFC, Mike Kone, Brian Bayliss and others.

If not a full-blown site of its own, could those of you who own Confente bikes send more pix to Dale? There are a few photos there, but I'm sure Dale would love to have more. There are places one can go online to see the works of Rene Herse and Alex Singer. Faliero Masi's early bikes turn up in a couple of places ... but not Confente's, for the most part.

I'll never have the opportunity to meet Mario Confente, and I'll probably never own one of his bikes - but I suspect I would appreciate them if I knew more about them and saw what they looked like.

Just an idea,
Russ Fitzgerald
Greenwood SC
rfitzger@emeraldis.com