Re: [CR]Re: Masi on Ebay.. Why, why?

(Example: Production Builders:Frejus)

To: BobHoveyGa@aol.com
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 13:02:53 -0500
Subject: Re: [CR]Re: Masi on Ebay.. Why, why?
From: "Richard M Sachs" <richardsachs@juno.com>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

snipped: "I may be misunderstanding you, but aren't many of the parts on these later bikes also 'proprietary', the "MASI" engraved seatstay caps/ brake

bridge, the fork crown with the Masi crests, etc.?"

the pieces you mentioned were of the era when builders began tapping into industry supplies from firms such as silva. those are catalog parts that were simply engraved. my intention in bringing this up was to note the special shaped and flattened chainstays, the sand-cast fisher and subsequent similarly shaped and cast flat crown, the nervex ref 32 lugs and their microfusione itlaliana cast parts, and "those types of things...". in case the post is lost, i was refering to masi usa's use of stock henry james lugs - tho with windows, cinelli semi-sloping mr crowns, and other details re geometry, as the tell-tale signs (to me) that the link with the prior iterations was lost. e-RICHIE chester, ct

On Fri, 19 Mar 2004 12:45:44 EST BobHoveyGa@aol.com writes: While I'm definitely considering the ride part of the equation, I must say that since my training is in art, my first and strongest reaction to a bike is visual, as an art object rather than a functional one. In this respect I find the later US-built Masis quite appealing, even up thru the San Marcos period. I'll have to admit to a great deal of ignorance regarding the source of the lugs, crowns, shells, etc. that were used at various times... I'm not a framebuilder so my accumulation of this information tends to happen pretty slowly and mostly from folks like you and others on this list.

I may be misunderstanding you, but aren't many of the parts on these later bikes also 'proprietary', the "MASI" engraved seatstay caps/ brake bridge, the fork crown with the Masi crests, etc.?

Bob Hovey Columbus, GA

he replied to me:
>i can't. proof that this is purely subjective!
>re the philosophical connection that remained: tell
>me more about this. imr, the post rexart era frames
>were the first to use materials available to the common
>man, rather than the "proprietary" parts that gave the
>prior ones so much elan. to me, (!), a masi with henry
>james lugs, a cinelli mr crown, and other decorative
>detail and geometry changes, means the fork in the
>road had been taken.
>btw, i never considered the "how they ride" issue as
>part of this equation, so i can't comment here.