My Find Becomes Someone Else's Treasure

In an earlier post, I boasted of my curbside find of  a pair of Hondo/LeFol-style hammered fenders with a randonneur-style rack while riding along Kent Avenue in Brooklyn.

I really liked the look of them, and the quality seemed decent.  However, I wondered how useful that sort of rack would be to me.  And my research shows me that the fenders and rack are actually original equipment from an Electra Ticino bike.  

I don't mean to disparage their quality:  I have never used any of the company's products.  They might well be perfectly good:  After all, people rave about the bikes.

Still, I have to wonder whether using them to replace VOs would actually constitute an upgrade.  If I ever switch fenders on Helene or Vera, I think I'd want Honjos

But a cursory glance showed me that the way the mounting holes were drilled, the rack would not sit level on any of my bikes unless I drilled another mounting hole.  That would mean plugging the original drilling.  It's not only an aethetic matter:  Whatever is used to plug up the original hole will evenutally pop out and have to be replaced.  Also, if the plug is not airtight, it will never be as good as the material that was drilled out of the fender.

And, all right, I'll admit:  I'm just too lazy to change the fenders on my bikes.  So I took my fortuitous find to Recycle-A-Bicycle, who were only too happy to take them.

I Can Out-Retro Any Kid On The Block!

Take a look at this rim decal on an Electra touring bicycle:

Now look at this Mavic decal from the 1960's:

Don't get me wrong:  I prefer the graphics on many older bikes and components to their modern counterparts. (The fact that I ride four lugged Reynolds Mercians and buy stuff from Velo Orange should tell you something!) But I have to wonder about the impulse to create "genuine reproductions." 

I'm not trying to slam Electra:  I like a lot of what they displayed at the New Amsterdam Bike Show.  In fact, if I were in the market for a touring bike and didn't have my Mercians, I might well consider buying what Electra is offering.
  


For another example of something that seems as if its makers are trying to out-retro every other kid  on the block, take a look at this fork decal:

Compare it with these Reynolds fork decals from the 1980's:

As I said, I like much of what Electra is doing and wish them well. I just hope they don't get embroiled in some silly dispute with another company over who has the rights to copy some design that hadn't been in production for decades.


Now, for something that was decidedly not retro at the show, I offer this:

The show was sponsored by KLM and, not surprisingly, Grolsch beer was served.  All attendees who were of legal drinking age were offered two glasses "on the house."