At a certain point in the life of many bicycle collectors and hobbyists, it becomes less "about the bike" and more about the friendships one has made along the way. This is not to say that with the passing of time one is necessarily less acquisitive, covetous, striving, or aggressive (if such has been one's lifelong approach in the pursuit of the "object of desire.") Older and wiser collectors are not necessarily "better people," to be sure; but it turns out that through the years the bicycles have helped us make human connections that are far more important, and certainly more rewarding, than adding one more old bicycle to the stable.
This 1976 Marinoni "Quebec" Special, is such a bicycle, having become more than the sum of its parts. It once belonged to my good friend of many years, Real Le Bel of Quebec, Canada. Real taught me about Giuseppe Marinoni, the Italian who traveled to Canada to race in 1965, and never left, going on to build some of the most beautiful bicycles in the world. Marinoni built 76 frames in 1976; this is number 55. Originally painted black, the first owner had Marinoni repaint the bike, probably some time in the 1990's, in Marinoni's signature three color fade scheme: red, yellow, blue. One of the most beautiful features of the bike is the pantographed symbol of Quebec, the fleur-de-lys (a heraldic symbol religious and political in nature, translated as "lily flower"), in fork crown, lugs, crankset, and seat post.
So far as I know, as of this writing Marinoni is still building bikes. I recommend a 2014 Canadian documentary film, available on DVD, called "The Fire in the Frame," profiling Giuseppe Marinoni, the former competitive cyclist turned bicycle manufacturer, who in the spring of 2012 at age 75 set the one-hour world record for the 75-79 age group: 35.728 km.
This 1976 Marinoni "Quebec" Special, is such a bicycle, having become more than the sum of its parts. It once belonged to my good friend of many years, Real Le Bel of Quebec, Canada. Real taught me about Giuseppe Marinoni, the Italian who traveled to Canada to race in 1965, and never left, going on to build some of the most beautiful bicycles in the world. Marinoni built 76 frames in 1976; this is number 55. Originally painted black, the first owner had Marinoni repaint the bike, probably some time in the 1990's, in Marinoni's signature three color fade scheme: red, yellow, blue. One of the most beautiful features of the bike is the pantographed symbol of Quebec, the fleur-de-lys (a heraldic symbol religious and political in nature, translated as "lily flower"), in fork crown, lugs, crankset, and seat post.
So far as I know, as of this writing Marinoni is still building bikes. I recommend a 2014 Canadian documentary film, available on DVD, called "The Fire in the Frame," profiling Giuseppe Marinoni, the former competitive cyclist turned bicycle manufacturer, who in the spring of 2012 at age 75 set the one-hour world record for the 75-79 age group: 35.728 km.
1976 Marinoni "Quebec" Special ©Daniel Dahlquist