David,
Actually, there apparently such a thing as a "stock" Confente frame. The story on the one Wayne ran into at T-Town is that it was ordered for stock in New Jersey at "Rexart Cyclery". The frame "just happens" to be the size bike Bill Recht rode. Imagine that. My guess is that the track bike was sort of for Bill, but who knows if that is true? And if it was for Bill then did he ride it? I sort of doubt it. Someone ended up with it and raced it. The rest of it's life will easy living. After a touch-up it will remain in my collection unless someone comes up with a Confente to trade me that is my size that still has original paint on it.
BTW, I know a small road Confente exists because I've seen a photo of it. It was on display in the Confente booth during I think the 1975 or '76 NY Bike Show. Word is that some woman in NJ was(or is) the original owner of that bike. Any NJ contingent ever seen a small Confente between some womans' legs?? I'd like to hear about it. Photos would be even better! OK, quit laughing........you guys know what I mean. From the B&W photo it looks like the frame might be orange. Non-metallic, just like Pat Edwards' frame. Someone find that little runt frame and I'll trade for the track frame. I would prefer a small Confente track frame myself, but I dare not set my sights that high. I was about to bite on the one American Cyclery had for a while (which might be a counterfiet, but maybe not and I'd really like to know) which was apparently stolen out of the shop. Crap! Now it's probably beating around SF beneith a messinger who got it cheap with house paint covering the thing. Who knows? Maybe someday someone will spot it at the "Messinger Olympics".
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
Keep your eyes peeled in NJ.
>
> Were there ever any "stock" Confentes? Legend says not; so couldn't this
> have been built for a customer with "Spiderman" proportions? Re Santana
> solos, met a customer @ 1979 who had ordered an Eisentraut touring bike from
> Bud's and after an unreasonably long wait the owner of both Bud's and
> Santana had a fillet brazed solo bike made for him.
> David Feldman
> Vancouver, WA
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <Ritzmon@aol.com>
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Monday, January 20, 2003 5:01 PM
> Subject: [CR]Re: Undersquare Frames
>
> > Harvey Sachs wrote: What fascinates me is that this is another large frame
> with greatly undersquare design. My Cinelli SC is 64 cm (c to top) x 57 cm
> top tube. From this I'm beginning to believe that these designers, back
> then,(still?) thought that the thin-air breathers were all leg and no torso.
> Are most "oversize" frames that undersquare?
> >
> > My experience bears this out. Most of my early bikes (late 60's through
> early 90's) had top tubes no longer than 58cm. I believe that neither
> Reynolds nor Columbus made top tubes any longer than this. After years of
> riding bikes like this with 14cm+ stems and seats kicked all the way back to
> fit, I was amazed when I got my first bike with a 61 toptube and a "normal"
> position on the bike. Damn, that bike rides GOOD!
> >
> > Mark "Long Torso" Ritz
> > in Arcata CA
> > with a track bike with a 62.5cm top tube!