Re: [CR]Mario blasphemy

(Example: Framebuilding:Norris Lockley)

Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 18:01:25 GMT
To: mmeison@scubadiving.com
Subject: Re: [CR]Mario blasphemy
From: <brianbaylis@juno.com>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Marty,

Interesting question. I believe I have and will again in the future find out the answer to that question. As you may know, I already built one "replica" of a 1961 Masi Special track bike. It was inspired by the knowledge of such a bike my size is out there somewhere, but the realization that there's a good chance I may not end up owning the actual original. I decided to invoke the first rule of "Murphays' Law" and go ahead and build a replica, figuering that as soon as I finished the buggar, the real deal will appear, and my efforts would then be as waste; or would it? I could end up with the original, how bad can that be?

So, I took a pair of Columbus PL track fork blades and chainstays that I had already brazed together many years before as the beginning of a project to build a replica of a Cinelli TB (which I now have the real deal), and used them as the foundation of this frame. I also had brazed a steerer to a fork crown; it was even the same crown Masi would have used, so it was proper for my project. I then drew a full scale Masi replica, 51cm c-t with a 52cm TT. I intentionally added the typical extended point on the front of the Nervex Pro seat lug, seen on Masis from the late fifties and forward; EXCEPT for the Masis built with Nervex Pro lugs between 1960 or so and thru around 1963. So I intentionally put the point as a distinguishing mark that can't be removed. Otherwise, I copied the style of my 1962 Masi Special road bike. I also went with the Reynolds 531 main triangle tubes, as was common at the time for Masi; 531 main tubes, Columbus forks and stays. So I built the bike and then completely polished the frame and fork by hand, going from 80 grit up to 1200 grit with oil before buffing with sisal buff and then stiched cotton buff using white diamond compound. All buffing done hand held with my die grinder. I used my knifemakers mark to electro-chemically etch a logo in the top of the fork crown on each side and stamped "MASI special replica by RBB" then "2002" and below that my personal lucky number "11" stamped in. I took the finish polished frame to the plater at 7am one morning, and had it back by 3:30 that same afternoon! I outfitted it with period 151 bolt pattern cranks with skip tooth rings and a roller chain. Have a cool old Brooks saddle and a pair of steel Cinelli track bars with badged stem, proper track pedals, I still need to finish my old track wheels. I'm very happy with the bike, and I'm rather pround of it, actually. The finished machine is DEFFINITELY more valuable than an original, in my opinion. Certainly this bike is to me. I'd like the original; and may even get it someday, but my life is complete already.

I plan on a few other replicas, all track. In the "line up" are:

Bianchi Fausto Coppi track bike "Pokkerisimo" Hetchins vibrant track with Experto Crede lugset Early 70's Colnago super track bike (under way, but at a pace that even looks like reverse to a snail!) Mario Confente track bike (will be a copy of the bike under discussion as we speak) I have one, and only one complete set of Bocama lugs engraved by Apollo Engraving who did Marios' lugs and Fischer BB shells along with all of the Confente pantographed parts. John Grant of Apollo Engraving was also the person who painted the 50 Confente bikes built in Monterey, CA.

I think under certain conditions, a replica frame can surpass the value of the original. I personally feel my replica Masi is worth more that the real deal due primarily to the level of the workmanship. 100 years from now there won't be any of us around to spew stories and exaggerated tales of a few eccentric American framebuilders back at the turn of the previous century. Only the work will remain to speak for us about the level of dedication, the vision, the passions that guided our lives in the past that caused us to make such things. I intended for this bike to tell my story for all time, once I pass. It is what motivates one to put in the time to make special pieces that aren't exactly profitable to make, but serve a different purpose towards satisfying the basic human needs. Personally I would prefer to cuddle up to my track than a bundle of money; the bike makes me feel a little warmer and fuzzier.

Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA


-- mmeison@scubadiving.com wrote:


Question for the list:

I'm not blessed enough to have known Mario, ride any of his frames, see an actual Confente at my local Bike shop. The closest I've ever come was reading Mike Kones write up in his wild guesses about bike prices piece, and reading posts here. My question is this: what makes the bike so special? Brian, is it the lugwork and construction? Chuck is it the geometry and ride? Now for the blasphemy. Given the geometry is known, the lugwork could be duplicated quite easily by Brian, could a framebuilder recapture the mojo of a confente in a new frame? Sure the cache of having one of only a few hundred bikes ever made by a given framebuilder isn't there, but I get the idea that isn't what we are talking about when we wax lyrically about Confente bikes. The closest thing to this concept that I can conceive would be e-richie's bikes.

Marty "I've got nomex..." Eison Dallas, Texas