Re: [CR]Cirque Diary/Report Friday (major rambling)

(Example: Framebuilders:Tony Beek)

Date: Tue, 06 May 2003 07:44:47 -0400
From: "Jamie Swan" <jswan@optonline.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Cirque Diary/Report Friday (major rambling)
To: rocklube@adnc.com
References: <3EB72006.60C737D6@optonline.net> <3EB76436.53B9@adnc.com>
x-mac-creator=4D4F5353
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Brian Baylis wrote:
> Jamie,
>
> It was real, buddy! That was only one of countless magical experiences I
> had over the event. Tom, I don't remember Curt Goodrich at that session
> but I may be wrong there. It was fairly intimate as it was an offshoot
> of one of the dinner outings, Friday I think. Jamie is talented and
> creative as a machineist, and for the small number of frames he's made;
> he "has already arrived". Nothing against your paint job; but I could
> make that bike look like any of the rest of ours. Great job. Don't
> forget you are going to make me some custom top eyes (double fluted) for
> something special I want to make. You will be my hero for life. Also,
> thanks for that final shove up the last "rise" on the Sat. ride; you
> saved my life. Peter Weigle and Richard Sachs also gave me a critical
> push up each of the last few rollers as I struggled with my single speed
> and some dead legs. More on all this later.
>

Brian,

I'm blushing. You guys are all too kind... I know the paint job is weak. I'll do better with time... I think one factor that makes my frames pretty good considering that I have only built 6 is the huge time gaps between them. The first one was 23 years ago. During that time I was keeping my ear to the ground to learn what ever I could about the craft. The other factor is the huge amount of advise that I got from Peter Weigle on this last (green and yellow w/ honjos) bike. Peter convinced me to try carving a set of Kirk Pacenti lugs and gave me tons of good tips.

Thanks too to Kirk for producing these lugs. The availability of these lugs is giving traditional frame building a monster hand sling... I was really hot to get this bike done in time for Cirque, and Kirk was out of fork crowns. When push came to shove Kirk sent me his only sample. Thanks Kirk, you are the man!

Brian, it will be an honor to make a pair of top eyes for you. It will be a little like your idea of each guy making one part of a frame. As far as me being a talented machinist; thanks for the compliment but I am not fit to carry Peter Johnson's bags. Peter Weigle is also a capable machinist. He just doesn't brag about it like I do.

As far as the rides go my hero was Pergolizzi. I rode a track bike with no brake on Fixed Gear Friday and that was quite enough. I was in complete awe when John did the Saturday ride on his Cinelli. The ride had a some rollers and got a little spirited. While we were all recovering coasting down the hills he was spinning his ass off; working almost as hard as going up hill. When we were casually applying our brakes to make a sharp turn at the bottom of a decent he was doing everything he could to scuff off some momentum by holding back on the pedals all the while trying to find a place in the bunch that would allow him to use the whole width of the road to carve the turns. I don't know if people understand the concentration and extra strength it takes to do a ride like that with no brakes and a fixed gear when everyone else is on a road bike. My hat is off to John. His mentor Sammy Zeitlin would be proud...

Richie Sachs did the rides on his cross bike with fat knobby tubs. His fitness is clearly on another level.

Grant Peterson and Curt Goodrich did the rides sans toe clips and Peter Weigle only used one... You guys are eccentric (read super cool) even by my standards.

And John's (Pergolizzi) 4th floor auction was hilarious... The bidders were softened up thanks to a few bottles of Masi wine supplied by my pals Paul and Rita Lee. Thanks guys...

Jamie I'll be back next year Swan - Northport, New York