ehern@dartvax.UUCP (Eduardo Hernandez) (05/16/84)
[ Has anyone truly seen this monster?] I just had my bicycle stolen last week (for the second time). Fortunately, I found it sitting where I had seen it last, the bicycle rack in front of my dorm. The bike had been stripped of most of its accessories and was badly scratched. This has left me wondering why and how I got my treasured bike back? . . . and what in heaven's name happened to the thief? Was their divine intervention at play? :-) Anyway (the reason I posted this is) Can someone tell me where I can find some first-quality touch up paint . . . for a fair price? Is it possible, also, to buy the TREK letters to replace the ones stolen? Thank you. - eduardo . . .dartvax!ehern
libes@nbs-amrf.UUCP (05/18/84)
Sorry about your bike getting roughed up, but why fret about the logos? I'm thinking about a TREK but if I buy one, the first thing I'll do is take off all the decals and the plate on the steering tube (I checked...they all come off easily and without marring the paint) and then perhaps paint something artistic on it and maybe my name (in small letters, please!). Then, at least in some sense, the bike won't be completely "assembly-line". Of course, I can't get rid of the logo stamped into the seat stays but I'm not that fussy (I just hate Trek's frame decals!), I mean there are logos all over every piece of the bike - derailleurs, handlebars, brakes, rims, tires, panniers, saddle, water bottle, etc...you'd think we should get paid for riding such a mass of rolling advertisements! In fact, I wonder sometimes if a lot of bike manufacturers all buy frames from Fred Foo in Taiwan, stamp their name in metal somewhere (top of the seat stays seems pretty common), paint it so its recognizable (that they painted it) and throw on appropriate components for their price. To make a more expensive bike, change to a different manufacturer's components (same quality) and put on 531 decals. Print in your brochure that its weighs a pound less. Put on an aerodynamic saddle and water bottle and charge $100 more. (Uh oh...I'm starting to froth at the mouth....) Has anyone noticed that bike brochures look exactly like car brochures - all gloss and slick? I hated shopping for a car cause all the salesman are lying through their teeth and I'm hating shopping for a bike, too. How do others feel about these things? Don Libes {seismo, allegra}!umcp-cs!nbs-amrf!libes