conspiratemus1

At your service, Rob. Buried here: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...rting-m-3.html (post#59)

Relaxed head angle gives long trail and reduced steering fatigue over long rides. Mariposa was sending their frames out for painting in 1994 as their premises were temporarily without a paint booth. Tony Beek, their former painter who had gone out to his own atelier by then, matched this up for me. The colour speaks to me and is still easy to look at 25 years later. Where does the time go?

It would look sweeter with a Brooks saddle but there is a rule that you can only have one perfectly-broken-in Brooks at a time and it is currently living on the tandem. Most people I know hated those leather-covered Cinellis but I find them just fine for a one-day ride.

clubman 

Tony Beek was a quiet force in both vintage and newer boutique bikes. Not only was he the top shelf painter around but he was equally skilled in the machine shop. I had 3 paint jobs and 1 total restoration done by Tony.

He had a Viking track that he swore he would keep till he died. I still want it.

zimmy65

This is my first post. I've been lurking on this site for months, soaking up all the great information on here. I'm in the process of rebuilding a couple of vintage bikes (1984 Trek 720 and mid-80s Specialized Sequoia). I was at Mariposa's Cranfield space a couple of days ago and Michael, who I discovered is a former Olympic cyclist, generously spent a good half hour with me talking through parts options on the Trek 720 (they're also going to rebuild the funky seatpost clamp and move the brake bosses to accommodate mini-v brakes on the frame). I hadn't been there in years, not since they had loaned the space to Noah Rosen, their former painter, to run Velocolour - a top-notch bicycle painting business, during the period that Mariposa wasn't in business.

Michael also was kind enough to give me a tour of the amazing bikes hanging from the ceiling, providing a mini-history of cycling in Toronto.

Right now they're seeing people by appointment only but it's well worth a visit and is unlike any bike store I've ever been to. It's almost like an art gallery for bikes.

A Mariposa is definitely a grail bike for me. The care they put into their work is admirable.

steelbikeguy

Very nice that Michael Barry is keeping the business running! His dad passed away a few(?) years ago, but they were at the 2016 Classic Rendezvous gathering. Got a shot of them riding together, as well as a few photos of the bikes they displayed....









very cool bikes!

Steve in Peoria