Originally Posted by
rootboy
That is an interesting point. You mention his kids. What if the name Weigle got sold by his kids to someone else and they make bikes under Peter's name. Even with the blessing of the kids and a legal document. Are those bikes Weigles? Well, I suppose they are. But not "genuine" Weigles, to my mind. That said, there's lots of examples. But unless it came out of Maranello, from his factory, it isn't a Ferrari. Unless is was made by Carol Shelby, it isn't an AC Shelby Cobra. Etc. These are artisanal cars, much like a Herse bike. A Rolls Royce was always made in the RR factories, wasn't it? Even after Mr. Royce died. When Rene Herse died, I believe true Herse bikes died with him. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Mike and Jan are trying to preserve the legacy of the great French builder. Maybe if the bike said "R. Herse by Compass Cycles" on it .....
I think that Rene Herse is a brand as well as a vision of riding, a vision of design, and a set of techniques for how to produce a bike that delivers the Herse riding experience. And even when Rene was alive and in leadership, and yes, even when he was building frames if he ever did, it was a brand. Mr. Herse cannot be bought. But the right to realize and commercialize his unique product and knowledge of how to implement it can be sold, and may still lead to products that cyclists want to buy.
Chances are the knowledge needs to be used to be kept alive. Mme Herse has a stake in who has the priveledge of intending to do so, and apparently felt that Mike Kone and his enterprise were worthy and capable. I don't really know why Mike wanted to sell, but I think Jan understands the Herse vision and product, and has taken big steps in reverse-engineering the products. He's not a framebuilder, but he can employ great framebuilders. After all, that's what Mike Kone did and what M. Herse did, by employing M. Desbois. Ask any modern fremebuilder owner/operator how easy it is to do it all, and you'll get a modern lesson on division of labor.
I don't see a problem here. I see a good chance that the Rene Herse leadership in randonneuse design and construction will live on and even evolve. Dead companies, unfortunately, represent lost knowledge and achievement. If the people are gone and the paper has been shredded, it's really dead. Rene Herse is not.