Obsessionistas.co.uk now have vintage track bikes

There's a lovely collection of vintage track racing bikes just appeared on the Obsessionistas.co.uk website.

You remember we posted about Sir Paul Smith's pro jersey collection on there recently? The site seems to have discovered that cyclists like Sir Paul and Mark Smith with his collection of French miniature metal riders are among some of the more er..obsessed..collectors among the hoarders of Antique Typewriters, Insects in Amber and Air Hostess Uniforms to name some examples on the home page. All great stuff.

Today, they've launched the collection of vintage lightweight racing bicycles put together by Edward Albert who is an Emeritus Professor of Sociology from Long Island, New York.

As ever, the best bit is the backstory; it really isn't all about the bikes. Over a lifetime of riding and racing Professor Albert had found himself accidentally collecting and eventually drawn particularly to the work of a local New York framebuilder, Dick Power, who was at a working peak in the 1950s but had been involved in the New York track scene all through the 30s to the 50s. Don't forget that the famous Madison Square Garden venue was the world centre of Six Day track racing with the Madison event still carrying the name.

As Prof. Albert told Obsessionitas, "What I like most about this particular part of my collection is that they are not "works of art" but working bikes that were raced hard and often put away wet. They are bikes whose raison d'etre was function, i.e., to win bike races not to look pretty. That type of craft is long gone and mostly forgotten. I also liked being where the crowds weren't. At least they weren't when I started."