Re: [CR]Heiden's 7-11 Team Huffy/Serotta

(Example: Framebuilders:Bernard Carré)

From: <PBridge130@aol.com>
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 19:35:58 EDT
Subject: Re: [CR]Heiden's 7-11 Team Huffy/Serotta
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org


I wish I could keep the years apart in my mind. The AMF team (side note, Beth Heiden was on the women's team) morphed into the 7-11 team; the Skunk River boys came and went; suddenly Ron Keifel didn't ride a 57 anymore; and Buckwheat's bubblevan became a series of much less charming Buick stationwagons..... but I can't remember which year was which.

What I do remember is that I rode a number of the AMF Serottas, of which I would assume the eBay frame is one, as there weren't that many of them, and the sponsors were not handing them out freely. I probably rode this one, assuming its provenance is what the seller says it is (something I'm doing a bit of research on). I also had a lot of affection and respect for Ben Serotta, whom I met for the first time at the New York show in 1976, and whom I would occasionally see when I was visiting family half an hour north of his shop (I think it was the same year that I met some guy named Sachs, but I'm not at all sure).

Having now waxed sufficiently nostalgic, I'll add that I didn't like the way those frames handled. I didn't like the front ends on them -- very twitchy, a handful, requiring concentration. Not what I considered a desireable stage-race bike. However, this one is my size, I have pretty good concentration, and my stage-racing days passed quickly and a long time ago.

Peter Bridge
SD CA USA