Richie,
I saw that and thought the same thing. What the hell is that. I suspect those are track frames. At least the Skip Cutting bikes. Short sprint bikes for the track. Can't imagine a road bike with 5.2cm of drop.
Jim, road or track? Any frame angles given that are exact, like head angle and seat angle?
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
>
> <Seat tube measure is given as 60.5cm and top tube as 54cm.>
> <Seat tube measure is given as 59.5cm and top tube as 54cm.>
> <The other, marked "braccio 65" gives a 58.5 ST and 53.5 TT>
> <58.5 ST and 53.5 TT dimensions.>
>
> incredible!! if it wasn't in print, i'd have a hard time
> believing those numbers would/could work together!
>
> <It has a longer fork and 73.5 degree geometry and
> Mario's "S2" head angle.>
>
> what's "S2" mean?
>
> e-RICHIE
> -------------------------------------------
>
> On Sun, 12 May 2002 13:19:52 -0700 "Jim Cunningham" <CyclArtist@cox.net>
> writes:
> > David, Russ & All,
> >
> > I've picked out these cards and here is what I find:
> >
> > Card # 14 shows the customer as John's Bicycle in Pasadena. Seat
> > tube
> > measure is given as 60.5cm and top tube as 54cm. This is one of a
> > minority of cards that do not show specific rider's names or rider
> > measurements. It also has minimal frame data.
> >
> > Card #4 is made out to Skip Cutting and does show his body
> > dimensions.
> > Seat tube measure is given as 59.5cm and top tube as 54cm. There
> > are
> > more detailed frame dimesions. In addition, there is an sheet of
> > notepaper attached with two frame goemetries listed. One marke
> > "gamba
> > 95" shows the same dimensions as indicated on the card. The other,
> > marked "braccio 65" gives a 58.5 ST and 53.5 TT dimensions. There
> > is
> > also a line which I think indicated a 5.2 cm BB drop.
> >
> > Card #20 Indicates that it was built for Tony Dulgeroff of Woodland
> > Hills,00 CA. The other,
> > marked "braccio 65" gives a 58.5 ST and 53.5 TT dimensions.
> >
> > I'd be glad ot provide copies. Normally I send the original card to
> > the
> > "caretakers" of Confente bikes, keeping the copies for my records.
> >
> > Incidentally, Confente # 35 has come back to me and will soon be
> > available for sale. We are awaiting several accessories and items
> > of
> > provanance to be found in storage before offering it. This bike in
> > excellent original condition, measures 57 ST. The bike was built
> > for
> > Mario's attorney Ralph Braunstein who offered it to me. The bike
> > was
> > ridden very little, and was designed to be less aggressive than
> > Mario's
> > full race bikes. It has a longer fork and 73.5 degree geometry and
> > Mario's "S2" head angle. It was and is set up with Suntour barcons
> > as
> > befits this "gentleman rider".
> >
> > Jim Cunningham
> > CyclArtist
> > Vista, CA
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: David Walker [mailto:dwalker@boulder.nist.gov]
> > Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 9:17 AM
> > To: russell.howe@ps.ge.com; chuckschmidt@earthlink.net;
> > dwalker@boulder.nist.gov; jtperry@worldnet.att.net;
> > RGrunauer@mediaone.net
> > Cc: bradley@americancyclery.com; rocklube@adnc.com;
> > dnall@bellsports.com; bikevint@tiac.net; Jim@CyclArt.com;
> > jgrome@aol.com; richardsachs@juno.com
> > Subject: Re: Confente - Skip Cutting
> >
> >
> > Russ,
> >
> > Interesting news indeed! If Chuck hasn't told you already, I own
> > Skip
> > Cutting's Confente, S/N 14, which I purchased from Chuck about six
> > years
> >
> > ago. Chuck can probably give you a better account of the history
> > than I
> > can
> > since he's closer to the source, but the story as I know it is that
> > Skip
> >
> > had the frame custom-built for him and assembled by Mario with a
> > full NR
> >
> > gruppo (Mario apparently didn't think SR was proven at that point
> > even
> > though it was available). When it was ready for delivery, Skip
> > backed
> > out
> > of the purchase for reasons unknown; probably just that he was a
> > starving
> > racer and couldn't afford the final bill! It was passed to an oil
> > company
> > executive who must've ridden it only once or twice, then it went
> > into
> > storage when he was transferred to the middle east. Years later, an
> > ad
> > appeared in the L.A. Times, Chuck saw it, and snatched the bike to
> > ensure
> > it didn't fall into unfriendly or uncaring hands. Several years
> > later we
> >
> > negotiated the exchange. Since that time, I've ridden it
> > occasionally;
> > probably have about 500 miles on it total in the ensuing six years.
> > To
> > this
> > day I am grateful to Chuck for allowing me to become its caretaker
> > (no,
> > I
> > don't consider my position to be "owner," but rather
> > "custodian"--some
> > day
> > it'll pass to another owner in the same condition in which I
> > received
> > it,
> > which is to say, showroom new). I guess the fact that I bought a
> > Masi
> > Special when I was 16 years young in 1975 for a king's ransom
> > ($600;
> > about
> > a year's worth of paper-route profits) was enough proof that I was
> > a
> > worthy
> > candidate for this very special bicycle! Remarkably, it fits me
> > perfectly;
> > I've never had to change one thing on it to be comfortable and
> > efficient
> > on
> > the bike. It's as if it were made for me.
> >
> > I would be happy to assist you in any way you like with your plans
> > and
> > meeting with Skip in Sommerville. By the way, I visited the museum
> > in
> > the
> > summer of '00 as our group of about a dozen Wheelmen were passing
> > through
> > on our tour to the national Wheelmen meet in Salisbury, MD. I'd be
> > especially grateful to get the chance to talk with you and Skip,
> > even if
> >
> > briefly, sometime during this event. It sounds like a great event;
> > wish
> > I
> > could be there.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Dave Walker
> >
> > P.S. I also have a Pro Pista, S/N 20, which I picked up from Jasjit
> > Grewal
> > several years ago. I do not know who it was originally built for,
> > but if
> >
> > Jim's inclined to look up the build card I'd be most grateful to
> > get
> > this
> > information (and maybe a photocopy of the cards for #14 and #20?).
> > Thanks, Jim.
> >
> > At 08:39 AM 5/7/2002 -0400, russell.howe@ps.ge.com wrote:
> > >Greetings,
> > >
> > >Skip Cutting will be inducted into the U.S. Bicycle Hall of Fame
> > in
> > >Sommerville, NJ over Memorial Day weekend. Skip is mentioned in
> > the
> > >Confente sales brochure as one of the top U.S. riders that rides a
> >
> > >Confente frame.
> > >
> > >I will be in NJ Memorial Day weekend and I will arrange a time to
> > talk
> > >with Skip concerning Mario. I will email the results.
> > >
> > >Regards,
> > >Russ
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >Modern 1945-1975 Competitor (Road & Track)
> > >HARRY "SKIP" CUTTING
> > >Skip, born in Indianapolis, Indiana in the mid 40's, and raised in
> > >Southern California, has progressed through a national and
> > >international racing and coaching career that spans 40 years,
> > finally
> > >retiring from racing at age 50 while still competing as a Category
> > 1-2
> > >rider. He was a member of the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympic Teams,
> > and
> > >the 1967 and 1971 Pan American Teams (bronze medallist). During his
> >
> > >long career, Skip competed both successfully on the road and the
> > track,
> >
> > >competing in the Olympic and Pan American Games as an individual
> > and
> > >team pursuitist, and competing in the Pan American Games and World
> >
> > >Championship as a sprinter and sprint tandem rider. From the late
> > 60's
> > >to the mid 70's Skip competed in some 28 countries and recorded 297
> > top
> >
> > >three international placings. In 1972, Skip was awarded the
> > unofficial
> > >title of 'World Scratch Race Champion' by the Danish Cycling
> > Federation
> >
> > >after winning every scratch race at all three Danish International
> > >Sprint Grand Prix's that year. He won the World Masters Road
> > >Championship in Austria in 1987 and was the Silver Medallist in the
> >
> > >World Masters Games Road Race in 1989. From 1989-92, Skip was
> > >responsible for initiating the World Cup Masters Track
> > Championship,
> > >the event that later became the Masters World Track Championships.
> >
> > >Having coached and taught many riders over the years, he was the
> > coach
> > >of the very successful corporate employee Team EDS (1992-98). Skip
> > has
> > >a degree and advanced certifications in exercise physiology
> > education.
> > >He currently works in the field of cardiac medicine. He lives in
> > >McKinney, Texas.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > Russell W. Howe
> > > > GE Power Systems - MRP
> > > > 1 River Road, Building 59E, Room 225
> > > > Schenectady, NY 12345
> > > > Phone (518) 385-3515 / Dial Com 8*235-3515
> > > > FAX (518) 385-2574 / Pager (518) 341-1748
> > > >
> > > >
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------
> > ------------------------
> > David K. Walker
> > RF Microelectronics Group, Radio Frequency Technology Division
> > National
> > Institute of Standards and Technology 325 Broadway, M.S. 813.01
> > Boulder,
> > Colorado 80305-3328
> > tel: 303-497-5490
> > fax: 303-497-3970
> >
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > ------------------------