Well the point of my original post was just that I have become a little too paranoid about zero feedback bidders. I suppose it's been a coincidence but there just seems to have been quite alot of them over the past few weeks so when I saw one bidding on the clubman I had a quick reaction to simply stop bidding which probably turned out to be a mistake. I realize we can't turn away every zero feedback bidder as it is beneficial to all and inevitable that the ebay community will continue to grow.
When I started collecting I had a little bit of everything, alot of english bikes, some italian and some french. For a number of reasons, I decided I wanted to focus my collecting so I have chosen to collect bikes of English origin, with a strong emphasis on Raleigh. After which I sold most of my non-english bikes including a colnago. And yes, when I do see a Masi or a cinelli my mouth waters and I start crunching numbers in my head but I have yet to act on the palpatations those bikes cause. I've never been a huge fan of french bikes except for the PX-10. That bike has some serious MOJO. When people ask me why I like raleighs so much I usually answer, "To me their kind of the 'every man's' bike." Like it's been stated before on the list, they gave people an affordable way to ride what the pro's ride even more so than raleigh. That's why I'm on the look out for one in my size, but I have to say it will be equipped with either simplex super lj or huret jubilee derailleurs.
As the their craftsmanship, they sound to be alot like my lawn. When you're standing a house or two away it looks green and full but when you get a little closer you can see the clover and what not mixed in with the grass. But that's alright with me.
marc garcia
chicago IL