[CR]Craigslist outing, CA - Masi team bike?

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From: "Bob Hovey" <bobhoveyga@aol.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <MONKEYFOODC8wSA1Xvp000007d1@monkeyfood.nt.phred.org>
Subject: [CR]Craigslist outing, CA - Masi team bike?
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 20:13:18 -0400
cc: beandk@rcn.com

RE: http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/429849473.html

I just spent some time on the phone with the owner of the bike. He did not go into a lot of detail about the race team since I was more anxious to hear the details about the bike, but he did tell me that he was about sixteen at the time, they rode Masis and it was sponsored by some sort of freight or t ransport company. I believe he said Whitehead was on the team as well, perh aps someone who's familiar with S. Cal. racing could connect the dots with t hat?

The bike is MC63, serial number 0471, which would make it a 1976. He had it painted green (a new color Carlsbad was experimenting with I guess... he sa w one frame on the wall at Carlsbad and Simonetti told him it was the only o ne they'd painted that color so far... he liked it and asked for his bike to be painted that color). After talking with him a while, his memory got bet ter, he realized that Simo was the guy who walked him thru the shop but it w as Mike Howard who built his frame. He had a few custom bits applied... top tube cable guides and downtube shifter stops for bar-end shifters. I forgo t to ask him if the stops were the small cable stops (as on the rear chainst ay) or shifter bosses with stop adapters.

He says the bike's in nice shape, decals are pristine and all original compo nents are there except for the front chainring that he swapped out, and the freewheel and chain. I forgot to ask about rims... they should be original since he built up a second set of wheels for training.

He has not been on the bike in twenty years so that's why his memory was sha ky. After speaking with him, I am fairly certain he's a trustworthy seller.

Bob Hovey Columbus, GA USA

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Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 18:14:43 -0400 From: "David Bean" <beandk@rcn.com> Subject: Re: [CR]Craigslist outing, CA - Masi team bike?

The text doesn't indicate that THIS bike is a Masi, Team Masi, or anything to do with Masi. But there's quite a difference between the terms used to describe the bike for sale and what you'd expect from someone familiar with good bikes.

Perhaps someone will go check it out. My guess is that it will turn out to to have a Reynolds frame and some Campy components. The guy selling it got it cheap somewhere and now hopes to make a profit. I won't offer comments on how it might have been acquired.

Craig's List transactions usually require the buyer to inspect the merchandise, so at least misrepresentations can be checked.

David Bean
Arlington, MA
beandk at are-see-enn dot com