Archive-URL: http://search.bikelist.org/getmsg.asp?Filename=classicrendezvous.10507.0849.eml
Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2005 07:45:30 -0400
From: "Daniel Artley" <dartley(AT)co.ba.md.us>
Subject: [CR]Vintage Ride Report for the Parkton, MD ride last Saturday

You can't say that these bikes are trailer queens!  Not only did they get 
ridden, but ridden in the wet!  The weather could have been a bit better 
in the East this weekend, but we had our biggest crowd descend on Parkton 
yet.  I'd asked people to bring extra bikes to show off, and was wowed at 
the bikes brought for ogling. The ride was to start at ten, but the people 
coming the farthest were the first to arrive at around 8:30 am.  Paul and 
Rita Lee and Larry Osborn arrived around 8:30.  Tom Adams showed shortly 
after and it all started to build from there.  Because it was so gray out, 
we started setting up bikes in the carport.  Tom brought four, his most 
recent Stan Pike, the recently acquired Algurn, his Ephgrave and his brand 
new Pacenti lugged Goodrich.  All beautiful bikes, but I really liked the 
original finish and cool lugs of the Algurn.  Paul and Rita brought 
several bikes including that Geoffrey Butler gotten from Sam Fitzsimmons 
for a song at the Cirque (boy, did I miss out on that one!), really pretty 
the way it was set up.  Larry had a cool Carlton from 1961.  A wise few 
brought bikes with fenders (more on that later).  And then it all just 
mushroomed.  I expected a small turnout with the latest weather forecast, 
but it all ended up with a group nearing 25 riders. In honor of my 
recently deceased friend Tom Bruni, I asked friends and listees to bring 
Bruni bikes to show.  There was a collection of two tandems and four 
singles, the farthest coming from Long Island with Paul and Rita.  Harvey 
Sachs and I said a few words about Tom, I gave some info about the cue 
sheet and we were off. After a light shower stopped, we started around 
10:30 on wet roads, and of course split up with different paces almost at 
once.  While riding next to fixers complaining about the first two 
back-to-back hills, things flattened a bit and we caught our breath.  The 
roads started to dry out, Rita commented on the nice scenery, and the 
riders started to pick up speed.  Shortly the vagaries of my cue sheet 
turned up. Around ten miles into the ride and bringing up the rear, I 
watched a group way out of my reach who'd turned right instead of left, 
heading for that really big downhill that I'd avoided climbing when I was 
planning the cue sheet.  Pete Geurds rallied a sprint on his Raleigh Grand 
Prix with SA AW hub and blew past me to intercept the wayward group of 
what turned out to be a dozen or more riders.  Luckily * or unluckily, 
they'd stopped mid hill for Jim Sheridan who'd double flatted after 
hitting a rock on his Ibis Scorcher.  The ride got back under way 
enjoyably.  The fixed riders all seemed to be riding at least as well as 
those with gears; apparently all climbed the one short steep one that I 
walked in my fixed test ride last week.  Then, with 5-6 miles before the 
end we felt a few drops that settled into a not too heavy steady rain.  I 
was admiring the hammered Honjos on Rita's Raleigh International and 
thinking they'd look good on my latest project bike.  We were riding a 
fairly flat ridge leading to the two and a half mile downhill to the 
finish.  I finally pulled shades off so I could see and was rewarded with 
the rain feeling like needles on the way down the last hill.  Just a block 
or so from the finish we came across the lead group, Wayne Bingham, Peter 
Kohler and a few other of the faster guys trying to decipher my last cue 
in the rain.  And all those fabulous bikes, the green Baylis, Peter's 
perfect Raleigh Team Pro, Ken's so nice Cinelli SC and all those other 
cool bikes dripping there in the rain. Refreshments had already been 
cracked by the time I got in.  And the party started.  Barb got home early 
from work and had a good time talking rather than helping her husband's 
party get underway.  8o)  Actually Barb was up late the night before 
preparing food, making bouquets with the local wildflowers and just 
helping out enormously.  I'm a lucky guy!  The deck got crowded and the 
table was set.  Rita Lee helped set up too, so many wonderful people!  
Quite a few had brought food and drink and it was a hungry crowd, a bit of 
baked beans and crème pie was pretty much all that was left at the end.  
That, and I ended up with as much unopened beer as I started with (not 
including a full garbage bag of recycled bottles), many thanks to the 
bearer of the unopened sampler of Dundee's, one of Barb's favorites. There 
were about six other local riders, most of whom were together with me on 
Bike Virginia, one of the hillier one's they'd done.  Bob Moore, a former 
president of the Baltimore Bicycle Club and another rider obsessed with 
bikes, turned 71 that week.  Four of the Bruni's were with this group.  
Another buddy, Phil, was asked about the manufacturer of his 64 Dunelt 
(was it Raleigh?) that he'd had since he was a kid.  An introduction to 
one of our resident Raleigh experts, Larry Osborn was in order.  Deb 
Taylor was taking photos of the Bruni's for an album for Tom's wife as a 
remembrance for many of the bikes that Tom had built.  He'd never taken 
any pictures himself. Paul Raley brought his beautiful, all original Jack 
Taylor Tour of Britain, that I'd thought he might be interested in 
selling.  Nope, it's a keeper, but then Tom Adams was looking for a tape 
measure for Ken Sanford who was interested in his Ephgrave.  There were 
too many nice bikes to mention, but I'll try at the end (except for those 
unobtainium and non-classic models).  Since no one else brought bikes up 
to the porch, I pulled a few bikes out to line the deck, a Raleigh Pro I'd 
been working on (a rider, not too correct), the Paramount track, Jack 
Taylor road/path and Bruni tandem.  You've GOTTA have bikes sitting around 
for people to see while talking bikes and stuff.  The Tour's stage 
finished up pretty early and the crowd mostly moved outdoors into the 
steamy weather. The more distant riders had to start leaving for the long 
ride home, and the party started to slow down.  I got to show off the shop 
and bikes.  I've got an early '60's Viking, recently purchased from Tom 
Hayes that I'd wanted to have ready for this ride.  Murphy's law got in 
the way, but I had it at least put together enough to get a better idea of 
what it'll be like.  I want Barb to see other people's collections to show 
that I'm not quite over the edge, but was flattered when someone, I think 
it was John Gorham, made that comment about mine.  Just wait a couple 
years John, they just seem to start adding up! Paul Raley was admiring my 
Sachs after the ride and I was telling him how I'd hoped he'd have brought 
his new one.  I THINK we came to an agreement to trade Richard Sach's for 
a day's ride, he on my tourer and me on his new road bike.  We seem to be 
identical fits.  I just may be able to keep up with him that way.  Harvey 
Sachs brought that really cool 38 Paramount track bike, but wouldn't be 
persuaded to bring it out of the car in the weather, quite a switch from 
the bike that got ridden with impunity before the restoration.  ;^) As 
bikes were clearing out, I got a closer look at the Stinsman tandem that 
Joanne and Marilyn had brought, really pretty details, fully lugged, two 
sets of pencil thin twin laterals, a rear set of track ends with a hanger 
and really pretty paint.  The wheels were really like race wheels and rims 
with extra spokes drilled and built in, and I think Hi-E hubs.  Wow!  And 
it happened again.  I took a bunch of bike pictures at the beginning and 
carried the camera around for the ride without pulling it out and forgot 
about it for the rest of the day.  Please if anyone took photos digitally, 
e-mail them to me and I'll post them for all to see. Before everything 
wrapped up, Wayne treated me to a ride in his little VW R32, and Mike 
Rawlings had been treated to a test drive in Bob Moore's Z-3 Beemer.  A 
good time was had by all.  Clean up was a pleasure for such a great time! 
A list of riders and their bikes as best as I can do (I kept a list): Dave 
Shook, Fredericksburg, Va.. Miyata 1000LT Jim and Ellen Sheridan, and son 
Ethan from Baltimore, Ibis Scorcher (with an insane 50x15 gear) and friend 
Gordon Walsh riding fixed.  And Jim, A doctor friend of Ellen's too on one 
of those cheesey lightspeeds. Peter Kohler, Washington DC, 1980 TI Raleigh 
Team Pro Ed Granger, Lancaster, Pa., '73 P13-9 Paramount John Barry, 
Mechanicsburg, Pa. 1973 (or is it '74), Fuji The Finest Pete Geurds" 
Douglassville, Pa. Raleigh Super Grand Prix converted to S-A hub and 
another Raleigh to look at. Mike Rawlings "Williams"  Custom built by Joe 
Williams. Harvey Sachs, McLean VA, Weigle Rondonneur, and '38 Paramount 
track bike Ken Sanford, Kensington, MD, Cinelli Super (Speciale?) Corsa 
Paul Raley, Leonardtown MD, Jack Taylor Tour of Britain Joanne Crowell, 
and Marilyn Jolly, Baltimore, Custom John Stinsman Tandem, and two Bruni 
singles Deb Taylor, and Doug Newlon, Laurel MD, Deb Riding a Bruni, Doug a 
modern Aluminum something or other. Tom Adams '49 Ephgrave, '05 Goodrich, 
an '82 Stan Pike as well as the '54 Algurn. Wayne Bingham, Lovettsville, 
VA The new green Pacenti lugged Baylis! Paul and Rita Lee, Huntington, NY  
Geoffrey Butler, Italvega Super Speciale (ex Tom Adams), Rita's Internation
al with hammered Honjo fenders, and a gold Raleigh Pro. John Gorham, 
Frederick MD, Quickbeam Phil Hack, Baltimore, '64 Dunelt 3 sp. SA AW. 
Larry Osborn, Bruceton Mills, WV,  '61 Carlton Bob Moore, Baltimore, 
Batavus road bike with 34 tooth rear and Campy Rally, the record looking 
one, and a Colnago track bike, never drilled for brake. Bill Hale, 
Washington, DC  , Alpine fixed conversion and Falcon track bike. Goon, 
Koch and his wife Tsien?, with Goon riding fixed.  A late show, I never 
got to see their bikes. Many thanks to all who came.  It made for a 
wonderful day.  I had the best time!  Hope cleaning up the bikes isn't too 
much of a chore. Dan Artley in lovely, but a bit humid Parkton, Maryland
 
ps:  There were a few items left if anyone wants them back.  A red plastic 
tape measure, a bike stand just like the one I've been looking for (I'll 
pay for it!  Can I get more? or do you really want it back?), and an 
isulated green coffee mug.



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