bikingshearer 

Thanks, TIOS. I'll let you, and the rest of you helpful C&Vers, know how it plays out.

And TIOS, from your link, I see you had dealings with bigbossman and BlankCrows. BBM and I ride together a lot, BlankCrows less often due to distance and schedules, but these are two of world's truly good - and fun - people. Come join us on a ride. It'll give us a chance to ogle your Eisentrauts.

Edit: It just dawned on me who you are, TIOS. I take back everything I said about bigbossman.

TIOS

I'm glad you had an "awakening" moment there about BBM; I concur. Thanks for remembering who I am. But I would have to argue about BlankCrows being a "...truly good - and fun..." person. You don't know him like I do.

bikingshearer 

Here's an update.

I have decided to pass on buying the Limited because . . . I scored the "A" frame that Picchio Special pointed out. Since the seller was 20 miles away, I was able to see it in person. It needs a repaint, but O Lordy it is unbelievably sweet - those stunning paper-thin lugs, that smoother-than-a-baby's-butt seat cluster, those only-on-an-Eisentraut BB cable guides . I'm getting heart palpitations just writing about it.

As for the repaint, Ed Litton will get the first crack at it. He only learned his trade from Eisentraut and shared work space with him - and he's a fifteen minute drive away from where I live - and it gives me another excuse to visit that amazing museum he calls his work space. Hard to do better than that.

I linked my friend to this thread so he could see all the good advice and info himself and told him I was not going to buy but that I would do the selling. Taking repechage's advice to heart, I suggested to him that parting it out would probably net more than selling the bike whole, and he gave me the go-ahead. (Besides, this way I can score a beautifully broken-in Brooks Pro .) So in the coming weeks, I will be pulilng it apart, cleaning it up, and selling it off, along with some other stuff I have that has been hanging around way too long and needs to find a good home.

Many, many thanks again to everyone. Your info and insights were very, very helpful. Everyone is going to come out happy in this one.

MetinUz

Congrats. I was wondering what happened to that frame as the auction was canceled. I am also asking Ed Litton to paint two Eisentraut's, one of them 1977 model A. Ed is having some surgery, but should be back to work end of March or April. Now take a number!

Oregon Southpaw

Thread delivers.

Wobblewheel

I had one built for me after I rode my buddies bike and loved the ride, climbing character and really clean, very thin lugs. While attending UT Austin in the late 70s his frames were very well respected. There are so many really talented AMERICAN frame builders, I seriously do not understand the love for sloppy, gaudy, poorly filed, crooked, uneven, loose riding french and italian classics. Austin was kind of a training mecca for fast riders due to the challenging terrain and most rode American frames, you would see more japanese built track bikes though.

Whit51 

Wobble wheel, you’re responding to an 8+ year old thread. You’re right about Austin bike culture in the 70s though. I was in grad school at UT in 76-77 and bought my first good bike there. I commuted to school and work, and even then they had a nice bike lane network. I remember reading in the Statesman about racers training on a 50 mile “Budapest Loop” and was amazed people were riding 50 miles on a regular basis. (Admins, sorry, I’m way off topic)