Brandon Ives wrote:
>
> (snip)...I don't want to
> see the people that have made 5th state Rembrandt print cost $2000+, make
> ANY
> Masi cost $10,000. I never want to see the name become more important
> than the item.
Most don't _want_ or need a Masi or other demi-god built bike (alive or dead demi-god, for that matter).
Brandon, you live in SoCal as I do. I'm reminded of something Peter Johnson (living NorCal, Bay Area, demi-god) said on the Hetchins Heaven ride last Saturday, "Half of all the Porsches built went to the US and half of those went to California." Undoubtedly true for Masi, Pogliaghi, Cinelli, et all. Hans Orht opened his bike shop in Beverly Hills (and one in San Francisco) in the mid-1930s selling lightweight, derailleur equiped European bicycles to the masses in California. We're living in the land of abundance, can you say, "cornucopia?" Now go out there and find 'em!
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, Southern California