[CR]Fork Bends/Period Correct/Christmas

(Example: Framebuilders:Alex Singer)

Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2003 10:06:39 -0800 (PST)
From: "Bruce Schrader" <bcschrader@yahoo.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <CATFOODhlUT1CLDom8k000035cc@catfood.nt.phred.org>
Subject: [CR]Fork Bends/Period Correct/Christmas

Christmas morning in San Francisco. I'm laying in bed with my wireless laptop and my 20 year old cat that I love beyond words, listening to my wife (who I love even more) playing beautiful music on the piano out in the living room. Life doesn't get much better than this. But reading the CR digests today truly adds yet another joy to my soul.

In my younger years, I was known to have dropped a few small block V8's into a variety of vehicles. It was immensely pleasurable. I have some, but little regret for doing it now. At least I wasn't guilty of cutting the wheel wells out of Corvettes and adding fiberglass flares.

I don't consider myself much of a collector of bicycles either. True, I do have a few humble classics, but they are ridden regularly and are by no means in mint or period perfect condition. I like to tinker, modify, improve, upgrade or personalize things too much to leave them alone. Therefore, if I have something truly collectible, I usually put it into the hands of one who enjoys collecting things.

So I have no problem with taking a classic, steel, lugged frame and upgrading it with some modern components. (Don't throw the old parts away though) If index shifting with ergo brifters and dual pivot sidepulls and cassette hubs are too your liking, I see nothing wrong with that. Where I draw the line is putting a carbon fork on it! That to me is desecrating something holy.

My heart is truly warmed when I read Brian Baylis, Bob Freeman and Stevan Thomas' description of making curved bladed steel forks. Even more importantly, as Brian so eloquently described, forks that are individually designed and built for each frame. And not just geometrically matched, but estetically matched as well. And the curves....I could read endlessly about the beauty of the curves. Even the discussion about the mysteries of how a fork works and where it flexes is fascinating to me.

I could just hug you all! Bruce Schrader San Francisco, CA

===== "Not all those that wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)