Marcus,
Nice report you gave there. It's good to hear you continue to keep your passions for the classic bicycles alive and going during a time when boat-loads of folks appear to be jumping on the bandwagon to sell off all of their bikes, parts, and memorabilia because "others are doing it."
I did some thinking over a plate of authentic Italian ravioli at one of the local restaurants lately regarding the race to sell everything in a hurry. I have deduced that the reason many folks may be selling all of their vintage bicycles and related parts is that 1.) they need money for a plot and/or pay for funeral arrangements, or 2.) they feel that with the last Cirque held in Greensboro (just recently) their "hobby" or "passion" has truly come to an end. This is not so. This has nothing to do with Dale and his crew (who work tirelessly to put on these great events,) but everything to do with fear and a sense that "it's over." Dale cannot put on Cirques forever; he has a family and a shop to run. So pass the torch and keep the ball (more Cirques) rolling I say.
Keep riding that Richard Sachs and don't let any fool talk you into buying one of "today's" bicycles.
Ted Baer
Palo Alto, CA
> This past weekend I rode a in three-day, 300 mile
> charity ride to raise
> money for the Make A Wish foundation. Thanks to
> Nick Z for the generous
> support.
>
> There were 700 riders. As far as I could tell, my
> '77 Richard Sachs was
> the oldest bike there. I saw no more than a handful
> of steel bikes,
> almost none with fork crowns. There was an early
> 80's Colnago, and a mid
> to late 80's Diamant. Even those people who looked
> twice at my bike, and
> recognized a fine steel frame, were not familiar
> with Richard Sachs.
> "Isn't he the guy who invented the Sachs
> derailleurs?"
>
> I did not see anyone else with a spare tubular tire
> attached to the
> underside of their saddle. For the record, I had
> one there, and another
> in my jersey pocket. I was tempted to wear the
> extra in a figure 8 over
> my shoulders, but that seemed too ostentatious. I
> have generally been
> lucky with sew-ups, and got no flats.
>
> I rode with people who were generally faster than
> me, staying in the pack,
> taking a turn up front, and hoping not to embarass
> myself. Everyone was
> nice, so I couldn't have been too slow. At one
> point as I shifted, I said
> alound that I thought I could use one more gear.
> The guy next to me asked
> whether I had 8 or 9 back there. He was deeply
> surprised when I answered
> 5. The first day was hilly, and there were
> headwinds the second day, but
> the Sachs was a terrific ride, and my Brooks Pro was
> extremely
> comfortable. The Campy hubs rolled as well as
> anything out there.
> Although the recommended equipment list suggested
> low gears, and possibly
> a triple, I did it with the traditional 42/52 and
> 14-24. And toeclips and
> sneakers.
>
> I did get a few "wow you did really well for someone
> with such an old
> bike" remarks. And "think how much faster you'd be
> on a new bike." The
> other thing I heard was, "gee, your bike is really
> quiet."
>
> It was striking how far out of the mainstream we
> have become with our old
> bikes. I wondered too, how much easier it would
> have been on a bike that
> was 5 pound lighter. Still, I wouldn't trade any of
> my old bikes, with
> their elegance and beauty for a newer one.
>
>
> Almost recovered,
> Marcus Helman
> Huntington Woods, MI
>
>
>
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