Re: [CR]Re: Masi, Last years of San Marcos

(Example: Production Builders:Frejus)

Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 14:25:08 -0700
From: "Brian Baylis" <rocklube@adnc.com>
To: BobHoveyGa@aol.com
Subject: Re: [CR]Re: Masi, Last years of San Marcos
References: <84.13d10601.2c28b56c@aol.com>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Bob,

I believe the end of what one might call "the Joe Starck " era came in 1994 or 1995, at which time I hooked Joe up with the guys at Bill Holland Cycles. That's as close as I can recall.

Brian Baylis La Mesa, CA


>
> In a message dated 6/23/03 3:03:06 PM, Tom Nyzio writes:
>
> >>If the last Gran Crits were built around 1989, what years were the 3V's
> made in the U.S.? It's my understanding that after the initial import of
> Alberto-made Volumetricas, the 3V was made in California, while the TEAM 3V (which
> had an aluminum fork and, at some point after initial production, a fastback
> seatstay) was said by catalogs to be imported from Italy.<<
>
> The so-called "Russian Masi" 3V, a special edition of 100, was built in
> California around 90-91 and the Diamond Jubilee special edition 3V sometime after
> that I think. And there was another special edition 3V that I saw recently
> that I forgot the name of. These, as well as regular 3V's were built in
> California, but for how long I don't know. Years later, in the 96 Torelli catalog,
> The Volumetrica and Team 3V are both listed but no mention is made one way or
> another where they were built, (though they do specifically mention the Cran
> Criterium, Nuovo Strada and Gran Corsa as all being imports by that time). So if
> the Gran Criterium stopped being built around '89 (Jim Allen's recollection,
> but he said he wasn't sure... he said Joe Starck would know so I wrote him
> this morning), there apparently were at least a few years more activity at San
> Marcos building the 3V.
>
> > Yeah, I know that the tail end of production falls outside the timeline...
>
> True, it does... but Dale might cut us some slack since we're talking about
> some fine lugged steel here, and the demise of a major marque. If he does
> object (Yo, Dale? Holler if we're bein' bad, 'K?), anyone with solid info on the
> "last days" of Masi can contact me off-list. And if you're interested in
> receiving the collected info, contact me as well and I'll forward all the comments
> your way after everyone weighs in. (But don't all holler at me yet... this is
> just if Dale says this thread's a no-no).
>
> We've had a lot of discussion here about Masi's early days, both in the US
> and in Italy. There's a big gap of info (say from 90-96 maybe?) between the
> heyday of San Marcos and the reappearance of Masi as the
> fingernails-on-the-blackboard fat-tubed Asian import . I'd love to have some of that history filled
> in, so if anybody out there knows, please sing out!

>

> Bob Hovey

> Columbus, GA