I'm just now recovering from Larz. It is a long day, driving up to Boston from Long Island, NY, stumbling around in the intense heat, juggling my acquired treasures, soaking in all the awesome machines in the Concours and then driving home. My wife accompanies me, mainly to see me with a wide grin on my face all day, and give me words of encouragement: "I don't want you going home with out something you really want. No regrets this time", and feed me more cash when I need it.
I really tried to avoid bottom feeding and bypassed a NOS Taiwanese Schwinn frame, even though it was in my size, and went straight to Sam Fitzsimmons table and picked up a Viking track frame with nervex lugs and BB, round fork blades. It has a neat head badge with a viking ship. It is the color of my old departed Lambert (garnet), which had some Viking relationship I think.
After I scooped up a random sampling of cranksets, Ofmega, Zeus, Campy and Sachs, I grabbed a lugged titanium Miyata frame which reminded me a lot of my ALAN Carbon. It is most definitely OT, but if there is any consolation, I'm thinking of building it up with Galli, Ofmega, Modolo stuff.
I got a Campy HF tipo wheelset with 27" fiamme yellow label rims, complete with tires, looking like the came straight off an ATALA 104, for $15.
I ran into a few people I recognized from the list, Peter Weigle, Mike Kone, John Pergolizzi and most likely, a few more. I'm sure they were out there.
To top the day off, my early 50's Raymond Valance bicycle, wearing its Spirax RD and Cyclo shifters (thanks everyone) won a plaque in the Concours for the "Chairman's Award, unrestored". There were a lot of really nice bikes in the show but mine may have been the "most unrestored" of the bunch, thick with "patina". I was honored.
Now the games begin, equipping the frames, finding frames appropriate for the cranks etc. I feel energized.
I did sense that there were fewer vendors this year and I did hear a few grumblings about not being able to have your vehicle nearby your swap space.
Hey, I had a good time.
Paul Lee
Huntington, New York