BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

also on craigslist:

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/bik/2381879986.html

I think this is Craig Morrow, you can meet him at any antique bike swap in the area. I've not seen his collection, but hear that it is pretty crazy. I think Gerry knows him, maybe he can shed some light on it...

I know Craig has been trying to open a museum for a long time, at least since I was 17 or so and first met him.

There used to be an awesome bike museum in Orchard Park, NY, outside Buffalo. I toured it in 2006, but I think it's closed now. I wonder where that collection went.

Craig Morrow...I think I purchase pedals for an old Schwinn from him off ebay. He has a big "ebay store" with tons of old bike parts.

It is a Craig Morrow production.

A while back I toyed with the idea of replicating the Bowden Spacelander, allegedly a wimbly ride, in graphite, assuming the weakness stemmed from fiberglass and not the design. Ran across Mr. Morrow's account of how he came to corner the market on the very rare Spacelander.

"...its a long story about the bikes,,,,most wouldent belive me,,,,,,,all in all a flee market guy bought out a warehouse full of bikes and parts and other antiqes,,,,he sold most of the items and then looked up bowden spacelander on ebay for info on them like value,,,since bowdens are so rare and not offten one is posted on ebay,,,he couldent find info on them ,,thought o well just more flee market junk,,,so he sold them to a buddy of mine who has a bike shop,,,sold for near nothing,,my buddy who got them also is not a collector of bikes,,but he knew they were worth somthing but sold them to me for a price most would not belive,,,,,,,the flee market guy brought them to his shop put them in a pile like if they were huffy bikes or something,,,what a site,,,,,,now the guy who owend the ware house ,,why did he let all this go for nothing,,,its another story so hard to belive ,,a handfull of high end bike collectors knew of him but thought maybe he had 6 or so bowdens,,,not 11 of them,,,,he had a few high wheel bikes and a few other rare bikes,,,anyways he doest care about the bikes anymore,,,hes a older guy who does ride a cheap 10 speed bike around,,at one time he guarded the bikes like gold and wonted over 10 grand for one bowden bike,,,,he did turn to god and i think someplace in his mind value and things are not what he wonted anymore and just let the dogs out,,,,,,the funny thing about it all is that i knew of him before ,years back,,,,i lookerd up to him as he was the all time bike collecter,,,,,,so much more to this story ,,,its all odd but true" from http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15208&start=15&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=morrow+bowden&sid=ecfcf992b60e55550c1ed580aeaf3916

There have been articles about him in Pgh's hack rags as well, but apparently those reporters were not able to access the web for research or something.

I've never met the man. I find it fascinating 11 of these were sitting in boxes in a warehouse in Pgh of all places. Here thar be treasure?

With all credit and blame to Fellini, for a while I was plagued by an image of eleven black and white habited nuns riding these colourful Spacelanders across the Clemente Bridge towards the Stadium at sunset...

thanks for the info.

The certain guy with the shop who ended up with the Bowdens was none other than Gerry Kraynick.

Bowdens were fiberglass? Wow, I've seen pictures but I just assumed they were stamped welded sheet metal.