[CR] Frejus

(Example: Framebuilders:Dario Pegoretti)

Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:10:16 -0500
Thread-Topic: Frejus
Thread-Index: Acoa6acKSCJQy+g1RL2+9gv/tBBaAg==
From: "Strickler, George M Jr." <gstrickler@tulane.edu>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR] Frejus


I read with interest the submissions about Thomas Avenia and the Frejus. I lived in New Orleans and started racing around 1967 or 68. In 1969 I was in NYC on business and made the pilgrimage to Spanish Harlem to see Mr. Avenia. I spent 2 to 3 hours there getting his advice about bicycles, competition and life. I left with a Frejus road bike that was all campy NR except for the brakes which were Universal center-pulls. It came with aluminum training fenders and Clement silks. The color can only be described as pearlescent baby puke. My wife said, "you picked that out yourself?" All I could say was that Mr. Avenia had pulled it off the wall and said this was the bike I needed. I think I paid $350 for it and he threw in a pair of cotton tubulars. I rode that bike hard for 10 + years and because it was regularly drenched in sweat it got pretty rusty. Before I knew any better, I had it repainted several times by friends of mine who painted cars. I did retain the decals on the down tube. After I had to stop racing (children but if I had held on I'm sure BIC would have called) I put the fenders on it and for years commuted to work with it. I've had a lot of bikes in the last 40 years but the Frejus, my first good bike, has this special place in my heart. Last February I sent it to Joe Bell and asked him to do a full refinish and try to recreate the greenish-yellow color. I'll circulate pictures when I get it back.

George Strickler
Walden, Vermont