i saw it this a.m. and wasn't sure what to say - i thought someone else would want a go at it. fwiw, you summed up all my posts when you wrote this: "So I've stopped taking that deep breath, and I just try to look at the charm of the whole package." i think that says it all.
and when you added: "By being created "without noticing" as Yanagi put it, they have a a beauty that so-called 'fine-art' just cannot match." i agree with that. with handmade objects, often it's better to let the material tell you what it wants to be.
e-RICHIE®©
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
Tel. 860.526.2059
site: http://www.richardsachs.com
pics: http://photos.yahoo.com/
On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 17:01:35 EST BobHoveyGa@aol.com writes: A few folks wrote to say that my last message came out kinda funky in the
digest edition... don't know what happened, but I'll take another shot:
e-RICHIE writes:
>otoh, my observation was that the quality and execution of the torch and
>metalwork seemed quite entry level; i am not suggesting that there are
>structural problems, but on the surface, there were telltale signs of
>over-heating, and brass inclusions, and heat bands, and distortion on
all the
>frames i was shown. personally, i felt that the mojo and history of the
atelier
>and brand over-rode any of my professional biases, but i did see what i
did
>see.
Richie;
I've never seen a Singer in the flesh but whenever someone would post a nice group of photos with good-quality closeups, I used to take a deep breath before opening them, hoping that I would get some indication that the Singer reputation was built on more than just "the whole package" (i.e., the production of a well-designed 'turnkey' randonneur), and that there was some of the attent ion to detail I have come to associate with fine framebuilding in this country. But each time I was disappoiinted... even hidden by a (pretty crappy in some cases) coat of paint, I could see blobs of brass, uneven shorelines,
wrapover stays that didn't quite line up (and often looked like they'd hardly been cleaned up at all). It caused me to wonder what all the fuss was about with these bikes.
I was introduced to the terms wabi and sabi in art history class. It's been thirty years but if memory serves they are not-quite-translatable Japanese terms that refer to qualities that westerners do not always appreciate in art... The mellowness that comes thru long use (the way old shovel handles or leather bicycle seats can be more beautiful than new ones). And the innate beauty of objects of humble origins... objects that were created simply, without
self-consciousness or pretension on the part of the artist, to serve a need. By being created "without noticing" as Yanagi put it, they have a beauty that s o-called 'fine-art' just cannot match.
I supose it may be this latter quality (I'm not sure exactly which term it is, I always got wabi and sabi mixed up) that applies to Singers. I won't go so far to say that they're folk art, but I will say that the art is definitely functional first and I don't think it ever occurs to them that a bicycle should be deserving of the level of finish applied to, say, jewelry (or some American custom frames). So I've stopped taking that deep breath, and I just try to look at the charm of the whole package. And I have to admit, I find that my appreciation for them has grown considerably, not to the point that I'd plunk down the 'Benjamins', but at least I think I am able to see the attraction so many owners have for these machines.
That said, I do feel the buyer of a new Singer deserves more for his money. $6,000 Euros (or whatever they're going for these days) should be able to
cover more than custom racks, a nice stem, fenders, lighting. The buyer should not have to wonder about what's under the paint... like overheated joints and the other things you mentioned.
Bob Hovey
Columbus, GA