Is this an amazing list or what? I had no idea what Ray had done before starting Romic in the mid/late 70's. There isn't much that has gone on in connection with classic bikes in the US in the last 50 years that someone on this list won't know about. And the UK members have the history of classic bikes there in the last half century pretty well covered as well.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Brook Watts <brook.watts@comcast.net> wrote: Ray was indeed a great racer as Ted describes. He told me many stories of his Vuelta de Mexico, which was the 1952 edition. It may be my memory is slipping but I seem to recall him saying his teammates included Ray Florman and Albert Eisentraut. However Otto Eisele's Cycling Almanac lists other team members.
Ray also told me that while serving in the military in Europe in the 50's he had the opportunity to ride the Peace Race--that would make him the first American to do so--but his invitation was nixed by military authorities.
Ray was the dean of Houston frame builders and executed a masterpiece roof rack out of Reynolds 531 tandem stays and tubing (and Campy drop outs) to grace the Campagnolo USA Buick technical support vehicle in the early 80's.
Brook Watts Longmont Colo
>
>
>Jerry's history line is right on. I can take you back a little more.
>Ray's first name is Roman and his he was a first line racer in
>Chicago. He was an engineer and worked with the old gang at the
>Schwinn factory in Chicago as a bicycle design and products engineer.
>Ray road in the Vuelta de Mexico, and was a finalist in Olympic
>trials back in the '50's. I have a foto of he and I coming across
>the line in a sprint in Sherman Park, Chicago,in spring of 1950.
>After I moved to California and Ray moved to Houston to start his
>own production, I sold his frames for quite a while and he held his
>own on sales until the onslaught of the Europeans. Like Jerry says,
>he was hard to move on design and people wanted to modernize a
>little. He did well locally for a long time, but it was harder in
>our California market for him as he held on to the old ways too
>long, and California was the cutting edge of US cycling. Other areas
>were as good, but we had the greatest amount of riders and set the
>trend for the country by sheer numbers and cycling popularity.
>Ted Ernst
>Palos Verdes Estates, CA
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Jerome & Elizabeth Moos"
>
>To: "Pete Geurds" ;
>Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2005 7:13 AM
>Subject: Re: [CR]Five Romics at Bikes not Bombs (in Mass.)
>
>>For those not familiar with the marque, Romic bikes were built in
>>Houston, TX by the late Ray Gasorowski. He was well established by
>>the early to mid 80's when I bought a junior road bike and a custom
>>track bike from him, so I'm guessing he probably started Romic in
>>the mid to late 70's. He built both standard and full custom
>>models. They are solid and cleanly built, although the lugwork is
>>not elaborate. The standard logo was a ring, or perhaps it is a
>>stylized flower, with the name ROMIC inside. However, Ray sponsored
>>a team in the Houston area, and they rode Romic Team Eagles, which
>>sported basically the coat of arms of the Polish kings, which
>>features an eagle. The connection, of course, was that Ray was of
>>Polish descent. The Team Eagle could be custom ordered by non-team
>>members - my custom track bike has the Team Eagle graphics. Ray
>>was pretty conservative about geometry - I had to argue long and
>>hard to get him to build my track frame with toe clip overlap. Ray
>>painted his own bikes and did repaints of other frames - he
>>repainted a couple for me. I think Ray died in the early to mid
>>90's, perhaps lung cancer, but I'm not certain. I heard his son
>>has built a few frames under the Romic name, but I think they were
>>mostly TIG, nothing like the old Romics.
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Jerry Moos
>>Houston, TX
>>
>>Pete Geurds wrote:
>>These sound interesting and on topic.
>>I'm forwarding a post from the BOB list. (see below)
>>Bikes not Bombs is a non-profit in Roxbury, Mass.
>>http://www.bikesnotbombs.org/index.html
>>Might be worth someone local checking them out.
>>
>>Pete Geurds
>>Douglassville, Pa.
>>
>>===================================================================
>>
>>I showed up at Bikes not Bombs this morning to help teach the vocational ed
>>class and found BNB founder Carl Kurz very excited to show me some bikes.
>>Someone had donated 5 Romic bikes all 60x60 531 frames, but of differing
>>styles. Tour tourers and three sport/tourers.
>>
>>I know nothing about Romics but they looked like nice 1980's era bikes.
>>
>>Most have 80's era Campy shifters, mechs and cranks. Two have very weird
>>drilled out crank arms (.25-.5" holes) all have Phil and/or Hi E sealed
>>hubs. Weird spoking on one. One has a neat-o brushed chrome finish. Two
>>have Campy cantilevers. Neat stuff.
>>
>>Very eclectic. With high coolio factors. Carl doesn't really know what to
>>do with them, other than try to get me to buy them. Boston area BOBs should
>>stop by and take a look.
>>Please don't call and pick their brains over the phone. They are too busy
>>to have to put up with that. Go in and take a look and make an offer.
>>It'll be a fun trip.
>>
>>Bruce in Snowy Providence
>>
>>59 Amory Street #103, Roxbury, MA, 02119
>>Jamaica Plain/Roxbury line, a few blocks from Jackson Square, where Centre
>>St. ends at Columbus Ave. The Orange Line T stops at Jackson Square.
>>(617) 442-0004