Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2006 07:59:29 -0600 From: Tom Hayes <hayesbikes@gmail.com> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR] Madison Swap meet
The Madison Swap meet, I thought, was extremely well organized. Along one wall, probably not by chance, were Greg Parker, John Barron, and Scott Davis selling a terrific variety of vintage stuff. I saw Peter Naiman's display of bikes, his display for another swap and show in Waterford.
There were interesting items for sale, I thought. A lot of NOS Nouvo Record stuff, but at Ebay prices--please note, I'm not complaining. The bike that John Thompson's photos single out as Ligier I thought was a Siebert. Whichever it was, I kept coming back to it, and could not determine for sure, or sure enough to buy it, whether it had a slightly crinkled downtube. Just before I left, I searched for John Barron's advice on the bike, but I could not find him to lend his expert opinion on it. I left without buying it, and in my mind, especially after getting stuck in Chicago traffic, I thought that bike on the back of my car might offer solace to the frustrations of standing still for an hour.
I haven't attended this swap for about four or five years, since it was held in a armory. I would like to believe that the crowds, the need for a larger venue which they currently have, and the excellent organization attest to a growing interest in bikes, but one never knows, huh? And it is encouraging to see, in a town like Madison, even in the winter--though not so cold there on Friday and Saturday--lots of folks pedalling around.
In any case, like all swaps I have attended, I consider them a blast; nothing like a huge room filled with bike goofs, walking around muttering Nouvo Record, fondling parts, and wishing for the never depleted pockets of money.
Cheers.
Tom
-- Tom Hayes Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Hi Tom:
It was great to see so many old faces and meet a few new ones at the Swap on Saturday. Plus, it was 40 degrees F warmer outside than at last year's event!
That neat gold track bike was a Sieber from about the 1950s. Yes, it had experienced a "significant frontal impact" at some point. The seller mentioned this when I (like about, oh, 193 other bike goofs) looked it over closely. Way cool, but that crash damage and the mixed bag of mostly later parts seemed to scare everyone off, even though his asking price wasn't really so unreasonable ($295). He mentioned (as his son was wheeling it out at the end of the swap) that it would probably get parted out, which in this case is probably entirely reasonable, I guess. Very cool bike, though.....
Scotto-san's Keirin framesets were amazing, I thought, particularly the Samson. Very Nagasawa-ish. The head decal even declared "a legend borne in steel and heat." :-)
Sometimes I wish I weren't so tall.....
Greg Parker Tired, but finally back home in Ann Arbor, Michigan