Originally Posted by eja_ bottecchia

For the record, I did not think that you were being judgmental. I think that you posed a very legitimate question.

I grew up poor. I had to do without a lot of things in life. My first nice bike, the Bottecchia, was a gift from my Mom, who was so poor growing up that she never had a bike. (in her town only rich kids had bikes). But she wanted to be sure that I had a good bike.

There are times when I have questioned the wisdom (or even the morality) of owning an expensive bike like the Colnago. But then I get on the bike the smile on my face wipes all doubt.

BTW, I think it is great that you run a Bike Kitchen in your city. My oldest daughter was a volunteer at a BK in Los Angeles. I donated lots of parts to them and met some very nice people there.

When I go to meet my maker, my kids will get my bikes and hopefully either use them or "recycle" them. That will complete the circle.

Does your screen name refer to the Legnano bikes?