bulgie 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275196789398
Appears to be for inhaling the smoke from burning leaves into ones lungs, which is an actual thing people do. Go figure!

I don't know Mr. Roberson but I know he used to be a framebuilder for Masi (California) in its heyday. (That was back when people came to work and said "Hey". They don't do that anymore.)
I also enjoyed the photos of the build process when Richard Byrne of Speedplay fame commissioned Rob to make a replica of his circa 1960 Masi Special. Since Speedplay changed hands, that photo set isn't there anymore, maybe it's on Flickr or some such?

But here's your chance to pollute your lungs in true C&V style. A mere $1,200 for this masterpiece.

tiger1964 

Might be fun with bubble soap -- I do not smoke -- but not for $1200

Drillium Dude 

I saw that last night on Ebay when I plugged "Colnago" into the search bar; have to admit I was unimpressed with the proportions of the clover cut-out, and felt the ask far outstripped the quality. Nobody else would have one at your "function", tho, so I suppose that's a plus.

My opinion and worth both pennies

DD

3alarmer 

...hey, did you see where , which is so totally retro he used no cast lugs and spaced the rear at 126 ? I was retro, before retro was cool.

xiaoman1 

UH, That's a hard pass for me, I have never smoked or "inhaled", but the balance of the pipe looks off to me.
Best, Ben

52telecaster

This is analogous to walking right?

juvela

-----

wrt contents of earlier Speedplay site -

it is available on the internet archive


-----

bulgie 

I didn't know what you meant at first, but on second look I see now it is a whoile series of pipes with different lug styles. Bianchi, Legnano, Motobecane, maybe others, as well as the aforementioned Colnago and Nervex. Honestly I'll be surprised if he sells a single one, they seem too weird to me — and I do smoke a pipe sometimes and I love lugs, so I should be his prime audience. But I wish him well.

Drillium Dude 

I must admit, I didn't click on your specific link - but recognized the "Roberson" call-out and assumed (!) the Colnago pipe was the one which you were referencing. I quite like the Nervex Pro one in your link - but again, not for 1200 bones

DD

dedhed

Appears to be more of the burning leaves for "medicinal purposes" type unit, which is becoming a legal big business in many places.

Dylansbob 

I occasionally will smoke off an old Silca disc wheel inflator and I'm sure I'm not the only one...

bamboobike4

Yep, and there exists a strong correlation to the lack of entry-level labor in those areas.

Mr. 66

Does he have 420? Trek.

BFisher

Can't do that with carbon.


Actually, another neat application would be a tin whistle. Lug and drillium as functional design. A Columbus dove stamp on it would be totally cool.

unworthy1

The stamping on his "Magistroni" pipe is "Marastoni" (which is the correct spelling for the bicycle marque but the lugs are not his product, and Magistroni did not make lugs)...duuuude!
Is it supposed to be a Magistroni head set top nut that gives this article one of its two names?
I think somebody was slightly "impaired" during the ad writing process...

bulgie 

No, I think he was trying to emulate a Marastoni. Note that some of his other pipes are also bike brands, not lugs brands (e.g. Confente, Colnago)
Nobody sets out to spell Magistroni with metal letter punches and accidentally has it come out Marastoni... I hope!

Marastoni is a very cool and iconic brand, well worthy of being "honored" this way, IMHO. More so than Magistroni, which would be odd man out in this grouping. Unless they made lugs? I only associate them with cranks and headsets.

EDIT: OK I see what you mean, the title of the ebay auction says Magistroni, so someone is confused. Might be me!

P!N20

Hi Mark, are these the ones you are referring to? https://web.archive.org/web/20071213...nde/index.html

There's also a couple of articles:
https://web.archive.org/web/20080126...asi/index.html
https://www.thespoken.cc/masi-special

bulgie 

Yeah that first link is what I'm talkin' 'bout. I'll check your other link later, Richard (lame attempt at a cultural reference).

That Roberson photo spread is precious, a (sometimes maddeningly poorly focused) slideshow of a master making a masterpiece, mostly the old way. With a few simple tools, some of them very nicely designed and built but others really crude, like the fork raking form that's just two already-raked blades welded side to side making a v-groove between them. It's been years since I've "watched the slideshow" but I do remember the leverage to bend the blade was supplied by a rope. A rope! -Like they did it in the '70s. The 1870s that is. (rimshot)

OK a TIG welder isn't exactly caveman tech, but most of his tool concepts, joining and aligning methods etc are 50-100 years old. And he only used the welder to recreate those old Masi lugs that havn't been made in 50 years. After the lugs were made, we're back to caveman style.

Maybe the audience for this is smaller than I imagine. Is it just me? I know some people simply don't get this preservation ethos, and they're not wrong, there are plenty of other things to obsess er um I mean be passionate about. But I'm glad there are still a few anoraks like us around that like that old stuff, and/or how it was made, for any of a hundred reasons. I don't try to explain it, I don't try to win converts or drag anyone else into it. But if you like Roberson's slideshow, then you are at least preservationist-adjacent if not a full-blown re-enactor youself. Preservationist-curious?

Mark B (with two boxes of vintage bike lugs in the basement next to my buggy whips) in Seattle

bulgie 

BTW I asked Richard Byrne if he had those photos and story anywhere else, so we don't have to deal with the slow servers at the Wayback Machine. He replied that he does want to put all that on his Flickr eventually but he's been real busy lately. It's important not to let this stuff get deleted from a server upgrade, or Archive.org going bankrupt or whatever (not saying that's likely, just scary) Remember WoolJersey.com?

For anyone who doesn't know, Byrne's Flickr is here and it's awesome.