DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I changed my message but forgot to change the subject. See what happens when we are asked to multitask? Sorry for the confusing subject line.
Doland Cheung "I'd better stop writing now until my head is clear"
classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org wrote on 03/31/2005 11:03:23 AM:
> "Now how are Eisentrauts?"
>
> All due respect, you've got to understand that's kind of like saying, "Is
> Bach better than Beethoven, and how about Mozart, how's that Mozart
> guy's work,
> is he any good?"
>
> As has been discussed, there's quite a few master builders. How is
their
> work? It's all good. It's all excellent. IMO, deciding between them
is an
> emotional process, not a logical one. Eisentrauts "feel" different
> than Sachs
> "feel", which in turn "feel" different than Gordons, and I'm referring
to
> emotional "feelings", not ride quality. I have emotional
> attachments to a few
> builders. I rode a '75 Traut as my primary bike for 23 years (alongside
a
> parade of maybe thirty others), and it was my best and loyal
> friend. A heck of
> a bike, with geometry that was ahead of its time, a tight rear end
that's
> alive but efficient, and a front end that's very, very fast, but
> still stable.
> Now in graceful, liesurely semi-retirement. I've got an emotional
> attachment to Trauts, with good reason.
>
> I sold a few Gordons in the late 70's, including a spectacular tandem,
> almost three thousand dollars in 1977 -- that was a serious price then.
The
> people I knew who had Gordons were consistently individualists, and
> hard riders.
> Gordons absolutely have their own aesthetic character, unique lug
treatment,
> and those great Flash Gordon/deco decals, and I've got an emotional
> attachment to them. I'll probably order a custom from Bruce in the
> next few months.
>
> Blah, blah, blah. My point is, there is no best, and asking others "how
> such-and-such frame is" will elicit responses that are just as much
> emotional as
> objective, and the emotions driving those responses aren't YOUR
emotions, so
> what good are they? Do you ask a mailing list what woman to marry?
> (Perceptions of the way a frame actually rides are often oddly
> subjective, too.) If
> you can afford three or four customs, buy them. Get to know them
> intimately, and see if one captures your heart. Or, if that's not
> an option, as it
> usually isn't, figure out which builder and style has the right
> emotional feel
> for you, and then, pretty much ignoring lead time and cost, take
> the plunge.
> It's a leap of faith, like marriage, and you'll probably second-guess
> yourself after writing the check, wondering if maybe you should'a
> gone a different
> way. That's human nature. However, after a just a few months of hard
> centuries, long days in the saddle, and endless position
> adjustments, you'll have
> bonded with that bike on a molecular level, and everything will be fine.
> Then, unlike marriage, you can wonder about what to buy next.
>
> The sooner you make a decision, the sooner you can be riding. It's only
a
> bike. Go for a ride.
>
> Peter Bridge
> Back to remodelling house now, in
> Sunny San Diego, CA
> (To self: Do I need a fillet bike? Maybe a fancy lug bike, never had
one
> of those. Hmmn, Brian's just down the road, and I hear his bikes are
> especially lively, which I like..... maybe one of those? I wonder
> if Gangl is
> building, his frames were gorgeous, Italian-style, and rare. Ahh,
> shut up and go
> for a ride on one of the bikes already languishing in the garage. Get
your
> mileage back up to 250 a week, and your bodyfat back under 10%, andmaybe
you
> can think about indulging yourself, once you've earned it. But,
> what about a
> cross bike, I really kind of "need" one of those.......)