Dear Listmembers,
Every year retired Hollywood special effects master Jimmy Thomson generously displays his impressive collection of Hetchins bicycles. He now has 26 Hetchins in his collection. As far as we know, that is the largest number in any one collection. Jimmy told me when I asked who is #2 he mentioned someone in the UK who has 17. It is a privledge to be invited to attend this gathering to see this assortment of Hetchins all in one place. Jimmy and Helen provide coffee and tea(naturally), pasteries, and rolls with roast beef for their guests. The event is held in Jimmys back yard where he displays the bikes in the custom made racks he built which you see in the photos.
The group was slightly smaller than last year as I recall; we missed Chuck Schmidt, Dave Staub, the Cunninghams, and the Johnsons. In attendance were Charles Nighbor from Walnut Creek, CA, Aaron Lipstadt, Charles Andrews, Sterling Peters, Bill Keil(non listmember), Matt Gorski, Jay Van De Velde, Chris Gonzalez, Mark Petry, and myself. We looked over the bikes, took pictures, and talked bike talk as the bikes sparkled in the warn California sunshine.
After we had our fill of looking and talking, it was time to ride. Jay and Chris had to pass on account of injuries requireing rest from the bike. The rest of us took to the beautiful, albiet hilly, Fallbrook countryside. The route was about 22 miles or so, but for me who hasn't ridden since my last ride report and was too busy to eat properly before the ride, it was verging on tough. My legs (all three of them) felt like lead. Even with a triple crank on the Hetchins Millinium I was suffering. I was warm out and a bit windy, but we all made the distance with a minimum of wrong turns. Mark had ants in his pants and was feeling frisky, as he rides EVERY day, he tells me. No wonder he climbs like a homesick angel (credit to Phil Liggett for that one) whenever we ride together. I climb like my ass was filled with lead billet. I hate that feeling, where as you begin to climb immediately your arms feel weak and tired. It usually only gets worse from there. We didn't lose anyone though and we had a very pleasant (if you like suffering, like I do) ride on this most excellent day. The good side of the uphills were the downhills, at least there were plenty of those along the way. Later in the year it is brutally hot out there.
Charles Nighbor was riding a Caylor touring bike, Charles Andrews rode a newly acquired (light pink) Jack Taylor curved tube, Sterling rode his Masi GC, Bill Keil rode his new fancy lugged Baylis (some local framebuilder I've never heard of), Mark rode his Hetchins Hellenic, Aaron rode his Hetchins (don't know which lug pattern), Matt rode a nearly virgin Raleigh Pro, and I rode my Hetchins Millinium #11.
After the ride we dropped in to the local Mexican food eating establishment where we consumed massive quantities of water, chips, and salsa. The food was prompt and tasted REAL good after the ride. This is often my favorite part of our get togethers, the part where we sit for a while and talk about mainly bikes, but other interesting topics as well. As always, the event was a success. Every time we sit down with each other we learn more interesting things about ourselves. I'm glad others are starting to get local vintage rides going on a regular basis; I feel it is every bit as important as our other types of contact with each other. Perhaps more so.
Sorry this ride report is rather tame; but without Pergolizzi to add some Brooklyn spice to our mellow jello So. Cal. group it's hard to make it exciting. Hopefully the pace will pick up as I write the reports about our antics at Le Cirque. I can feel it in my bones already, we are going to have a roaring good time in Greensboro. I can hardley wait.
Quick note on the Masi GC with flat stay caps. We took the fork out of the frame and it is dated 5 70. It also has the telltale number stamped on one chainstay socket and steerer of the fork that indicated the bike was repainted in Italy at one time. We looked inside the head tube and no holes for a badge were present. Unless the bike was repaired with a new head tube which neccessitated the repaint; the bike actually is a GC with flat stay caps. The down tube was fitted with a decal I'd never seen before. It is the 1972 down tube decal with the fine line border and the "crosshairs" quartering it, but it had a red background instead of clear. I've never seen a bike with that decal before. This one was applied over a non factory repaint, not the one that was done in Italy at some time. I wonder if there is such a thing as a Masi Special with concave stay caps? Anyone have an example? Just curious.
Brian Baylis La Mesa, CA Quote of the day: (As we're getting ready to leave the resturaunt) "Let's blow this taco stand". And we did.