Ann and all
I started with an interest in a specific brand, Bianchi. We carried Bianchi in our bike shop in the early 90s and I loved them and got interested in their history. Then I had specific interests in a certain era of Bianchi...70s...then...Coppi era! Now, my interests have gone all the way back...early 1900s, the 20s/30s...pre-war. Path Racers! I have been reading a book Roy Drinkwater passed onto me to read lately and I love the history and accomplishments of those early cyclists and the tribulations they faced when riding and racing. It is fascinating. So with all the new age things making cycling easier (to an extent) I really like to see how it was! This brings me to the point I am at now, I bought up some bikes that were intersting...find they aren't exactly my size and originally with some of them. I didn't intend on actually riding...so I wasn't worried about the size. Now, I want to try them out and ride them. So I recently have sold a few off and will build up some funds and search out the correct sizes of the bikes of interest. In short, I too find myself looking back farther than originally though. One thing I never really looked too far into was the bike boom bikes. I wasn't even aware the bike boom existed til I come upon the list. My area and my age were the biggest factors in preventing me from experiencing these aspects. But things change...When I recently read about the original time keeper's watch from the tour being passed around...I thought..How cool is that! The history as much as the bikes is what keeps my blood boiling!
Enjoy Walter Skrzypek Falls Creek, Pa
-----Original Message----- From: ADP <aphillips9@mindspring.com> Sent: Nov 12, 2003 8:59 AM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]nostalgia bikes and a question for the list....
It seems to me that many list members initial interest in vintage lightweights is based on the bikes remembered from our "youth." We owned or coveted those bikes when they were new and owning them now is just as pleasing. Sometimes those bicycles were high quality and in limited supply and the bikes have great value now, sometimes they were just bicycles with memories and we get to revisit those memories decades later.
What I find interesting is that my interest has gone beyond the bicycles I loved when I was young and I'm much more interested getting information on and collecting older bicycles or bicycles I had no knowledge of as a youth.
How many of the list members here started out with an interest in a specific bicycle or era and gained interest in a wider range of timeline or style based on exposure to all the information we share?
Ann Phillips, Decatur GA
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Walter Skrzypek
Falls Creek, Pa