Originally Posted by
T-Mar
It has been documented. I believe that at last count I had synopses for 345 Canadian brands and/or manufacturers. At one time, I had intended some form of publication, after my planned retirement from the forum. However, my initial attempt was met with a barrage of personal attacks from some within the community. This soured me on the project and I prefer to answer questions as they come up, besides maintaining my serial number database threads. On the positive side, the negative experience did prompt my return to these forums.
This sad tale takes me back to the days of Usenet, the flamewars, the trolls, and all those related hostilities. Very unfortunate, but understandable how one could get soured enough to exit the fray.
The number itself--
345 Cdn brands--is much, much more than I might have ever guessed, but even that number alone is useful information for someone like me who combs online classifieds and yard sales. The number itself better sets me up to be unsurprised to come across an old bike with a mysterious provenance. I think my mindset has been too inclined towards a relatively closed set of brand origins, especially in Canada. It's also helpful in correcting an erroneous tendency to think something unheard (or copied) could be exotic and rare, pulling me closing to the more probable reality of cheap and common. The example of my thinking the "Pro Tour" might have been something special (a nice Centurion) is a perfect example of my error in wishful thinking.
I hope that someday, you may rethink sharing your complete list. For all those who would direct cannon fire across your bow, I'm sure there would be a contingent of folks grateful for passage aboard your ship.