Uh....Isn't that Heathkit, not Heatkit?
I remember the Heathkit and Dynakit era too! Finally sold my pair of Dyna matched power amps a few years ago.
Doh...off topic...whack!
Wayne Bingham
-----Original Message----- From: John Joseph Taglia [mailto:jtagli1@uic.edu] Sent: Monday, March 26, 2001 3:11 PM To: Richard M Sachs Cc: M4Campy@aol.com; classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR]Jump back, kiss myself...
Dagnabbit, Richard, that's Heatkit, not Heathcliff.
John "Grew Up In St. Joseph, Michigan, Just Across The River From Heath's HQ" Taglia
On Mon, 26 Mar 2001,
Richard M Sachs wrote:
> i used the word. so i'll take a crack at it...
> three things to say first, and i don't mean to be
> smug. 1) if you have to ask the question, you'd
> likely not get the answer. 2) sometimes the only
> answer to 'why', is 'because'. 3) i don't know how
> to describe it, but i know it when i see it.
> in response to doland's query re: the pinnacle of
> the vintage era, i tried to define its downslide by
> inferring that once the pre-finished frame parts
> came to be in full time use by full production factories
> to small framebuiders, bikes, as were previously,
> were no longer 'made', as much as they were 'assembled'.
> i would compare it to heathcliff make-your-own
> televsion kits, or slr cameras, or even player pianos!
> the investment cast parts/plug-in dropouts/one-piece
> brake bridge/bridgeless bb shell with CAST-IN cable
> guides...all these time items came into being, not to raise
> the quality level of the frame, but to reduce the man hours/labor
> needed to produce a decent frame. the quality level at frames
> shops had always been high. using the newer pieces added
> nothing. perhaps not even efficiency. on the other hand,
> as frame factories moved in to this era, it was possible to
> add the cache of custom framebuilding to what previoiusly
> were factory level frames.
> after a point in time, the details that helped to make up
> the hallmarks of fine framebuilding were now, essentially,
> for sale to anyone who cared to omit/bypass experience,
> training, intuition, etc., and make a lot of frames without
> the labor previously needed. i view it as a good thing, not
> otherwise. it allowed the bar to be raised for all involved.
> but it heralded out the time that my answer to doland
> was meant to address. period.
> when all needed to make a table is a tool and a piece
> of wood, both available from home depot, such a table
> would not likely be revered in 'fine woodworking'
> magazine, nor should it. the same holds true within the
> context of vintage/pinnacle/etc. as my reply to doland
> suggested: soul-less.
> e-RICHIE
> who's replying to:
> On Mon, 26 Mar 2001 12:57:18 EST M4Campy@aol.com writes:
> Hello all-
> Since several members have talked about the "soul" of bicycles being
> lost on the downside of the /pinnacle/
> I guess it begs the question...
> What gives a bicycle soul?