[CR]longish report from T-Town

(Example: History:Norris Lockley)

Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2001 09:23:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Tom Dalton" <tom_s_dalton@yahoo.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]longish report from T-Town

I’m only now recovering from a rather frightening bout of compulsive spending at the T-town swap meet. An excessively-long account is certainly in order… Okay, I’ll spare everyone and try to keep it brief.

Top ten highlights of the 2001 LVC Swap Meet 10) Perfect, perfect weather (definitely not the norm for this event) 9) Bought a set of late (stamped-logo, non-fluted) SR cranks 172.5 42/53 almost new for $25 8) Bought an interesting Oria-tubed Daccordi frame in my exact size for $100 (new) 7) Had the pleasure of meeting Bobby Julich who kindly donated all proceeds from the sale of his old team equipment. 6) NYC courier crowd was present in force, adding to the carnival atmosphere. Miller Lites on the infield at 10 AM???? Cigarette smoking cyclists??? Whatever. 5) Bought a rough badge-logo Cinelli Stem and steel track bar for $30, accidentally left it on Bobby “the Baltimore Bullet” Phillips’ table and when I came back to find it, it was gone. Moments later we found Larry Black with the bars in hand looking for someone to buy them from. Thanks Larry! Sorry Larry. 4) Had countless conversations with strangers who shared an interest in old bike junk. 3) Bought a set of NOS Criterium Seta Extras for $85 2) Bought 20 sets of high-end Modolo and CLB alloy brake cables for $40 1) Soon after my funds were depleted, found an ATM, got a few more bucks, and keep makin’ deals.

Bottom five low-lights of the 2001 LVC Swap Meet 5) They had a freakin’ ATM at the velodrome swap meet!!!! Why not just put vodka in the coffee urns at an AA meeting. 4) Spent $35 on a set of Binda Extras (I just had to have them, I guess). 3) Bought a near-perfect set of SL track pedals for $25 and promptly lost them (Arrrghhhh!) 2) In my shopping frenzy, I never set up my table to sell anything. Oh well. 1) Spent $85 on two old tubulars, $40 on a bunch of old cables I’ll never use, $30 on rusty handlebars… what was I thinking???

I guess my main point here is that the event is good fun, and if you have had any thoughts of going, you should attend next year. If you are a collector of fine racing bicycles from the 70’s or before, you probably won’t find much gear, but if you like later SR and early C stuff like I do, there is plenty. If you are a BOB-ish type who just prefers friction over index, clips over clipless, freewheels over cassettes, and so on, this is an event for you. Hundreds of racers selling off outdated equipment! Please, everyone, come next year, as it is very expensive for me to buy all the available vintage stuff by myself…

Finally, one observation… I came across a father and son who were eyeing up a circa 1994 (OT!!!) Chorus 8-speed ergo Giordana that looked almost unridden. They said the seller wanted $600. I though “what a steal,” a hand-built Italian TSX frame is worth several hundred by itself. They said that they wanted it as a race bike for the son who was just starting out. And then I started to think about it… The bike had tubulars, so they would need to buy another set of wheels for training or have the existing hubs rebuilt. Then there is the fact that the bike is 8-speed, so they are going to have trouble finding replacement cogs, extra wheels, etc. Also, this bike was probably 3 pounds heavier than a current top end-model. I think it would still be a good bike for any beginning racer and that $600 is a good price, but looked at from the perspective of a young racer (or his father), rather than an old guy who likes old bikes, suddenly it wasn’t a no-brainer.

Tom Dalton

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