Well,folks,here's a snarky Hollywood reality check about teenagers and good bikes.Starting around 1958,I was transplanted with my University family to a neighborhood near Pacific Palisades where Hollywood lived.I was already watching bikes closely,and had managed to assemble my own version of a Schwinn Continental on a New World frame with a wild crew of Euro parts from Ed Lynch's place.The kids at Revere Junior High,however,were getting gifts from their parents of Olmo Specials and Ideor Assos,top o'the line and full Campi,which they rode to school and chained up in the bike yard.I mean,these 13 year olds were aware that the bikes were great rides,so it was just the luck of the privileged.The University kids and the doctors' kids were saving up for much more interesting Uragos and Follis touring bikes from Lynch and Harding.I went to Geneva with the family sabbatical in 1964(16 years old)and finally got a nice Jean Brun,rather finer than a Paramount,which is still my daily ride.My equivalent of J.B.Froke's bike.
Attentive Angelenos might be interested to know that Tom Schnabel was my early bicycle companion,and when he was about 14,he picked out a full Campi Girardengo from Hans Ohrt.Tom also brought home the Coureur/Sporting Cyclist from Ohrt's.Always the connoisseur.
Seth Finkelstein,Santa Cruz,CA