Frank
08-20-2005, 12:03 AM
was more from a sense of the finality of the loss of a lugged steel frame from the Serotta line-up than a sense of urgency to actually order and own one.
I never felt or thought from the postings that there was as much a desire from Serotta Forum folks to immediately order and own a CSi frame and fork for close to $3000, as it was the sense of sadness and reluctance to see the option to order a lugged steel frame and steel fork from Serotta disappear.
I have experienced this myself as I have watched so many of the "traditional" lugged steel builders (DeRosa, Colnago, Casati, Ciocc, Basso, Pinarello, et al) discontinue production of their lugged steel frames. It gave me cause to think about ordering one of their final lugged steel frames at full retail, but when it came to making the commitment to do so I could not do it. This thought, if played out by many others like me, no doubt played some role in the demise of lugged steel. I live with it by saying the decisions were already made to not build lugged steel, I (and others like me) didn't cause it to happen. I can sleep better this way ;-)
The price then, as well as the CSi price today (and I am an admitted bargain only buyer) just was more than I was willing to pay. This "love to own one but am not willing to pay that price for one" mentality no doubt was repeated by many other folks, not just at this crisis point but when hundreds or thousands of buying decisions over the years were made by us when buying a new frame.
I came to realize what I wanted was not necessarily to order and own one of the traditional lugged steel frames, but to continue to have the option to do so in the future. I didn't want to see aluminum and carbon and titanium replace the beautiful and colorful lugged steel Schwinns and Bassos and Tommasinis that had fueled my initial love for bikes in catalogs and magazines like Colorado Cyclist and Bicycle Guide, respectively.
The fact, however, is that is exactly what has happened. I am an anachronism stuck in a frame and fork time warp of quill stems and lugged steel. I believe I was battling not just a change in materials, but wanting to somehow keep that sense of awe and adoration for beautiful lugged steel alive forever. The memory and mind's eye picture that I can still see today of those beautiful lugged steel bikes is fading, and I don't want it to disappear completely. I think I am reluctant to see an object that is so impressed on my youth lost. It makes me older if I can't see that catalog showing those bright and colorful steel Basso Loto and Caribe frames, because they are now as gone as that time in my life is.
This recent battle to see Serotta continue to produce a lugged steel frame has been lost, but in my mind the war was lost long ago as far as lugged steel production frames go. Serotta was just one of the few remaining holdouts, and now those ranks are one fewer.
I never felt or thought from the postings that there was as much a desire from Serotta Forum folks to immediately order and own a CSi frame and fork for close to $3000, as it was the sense of sadness and reluctance to see the option to order a lugged steel frame and steel fork from Serotta disappear.
I have experienced this myself as I have watched so many of the "traditional" lugged steel builders (DeRosa, Colnago, Casati, Ciocc, Basso, Pinarello, et al) discontinue production of their lugged steel frames. It gave me cause to think about ordering one of their final lugged steel frames at full retail, but when it came to making the commitment to do so I could not do it. This thought, if played out by many others like me, no doubt played some role in the demise of lugged steel. I live with it by saying the decisions were already made to not build lugged steel, I (and others like me) didn't cause it to happen. I can sleep better this way ;-)
The price then, as well as the CSi price today (and I am an admitted bargain only buyer) just was more than I was willing to pay. This "love to own one but am not willing to pay that price for one" mentality no doubt was repeated by many other folks, not just at this crisis point but when hundreds or thousands of buying decisions over the years were made by us when buying a new frame.
I came to realize what I wanted was not necessarily to order and own one of the traditional lugged steel frames, but to continue to have the option to do so in the future. I didn't want to see aluminum and carbon and titanium replace the beautiful and colorful lugged steel Schwinns and Bassos and Tommasinis that had fueled my initial love for bikes in catalogs and magazines like Colorado Cyclist and Bicycle Guide, respectively.
The fact, however, is that is exactly what has happened. I am an anachronism stuck in a frame and fork time warp of quill stems and lugged steel. I believe I was battling not just a change in materials, but wanting to somehow keep that sense of awe and adoration for beautiful lugged steel alive forever. The memory and mind's eye picture that I can still see today of those beautiful lugged steel bikes is fading, and I don't want it to disappear completely. I think I am reluctant to see an object that is so impressed on my youth lost. It makes me older if I can't see that catalog showing those bright and colorful steel Basso Loto and Caribe frames, because they are now as gone as that time in my life is.
This recent battle to see Serotta continue to produce a lugged steel frame has been lost, but in my mind the war was lost long ago as far as lugged steel production frames go. Serotta was just one of the few remaining holdouts, and now those ranks are one fewer.