My story is perhaps a bit unusual for a Sachs owner.  I have the 58th Richard Sachs frame (according to a recent conversation), a 64 cm Reynolds 531 frame in Burnt Orange.

The frame sat in the window of the first bicycle shop I ever frequented.  I thought it was just beautiful (this was 1980).  The owner had purchased it after seeing Richard's work at a show, and had subsequently decided it was too large and put it on the shelf.  I worked and saved until I could buy it.  I was riding an old Motobecane at the time and just starting racing.

I got a Campy Gran Sport gruppo at a good "employee discount" and built the bike up myself.  The difference in the bike was staggering.  I rode and rode the thing and this bike is really responsible for getting me into 20+ years of enthusiastic cycling.  When the shop owner finally rode the bike he came back to the shop, breathing hard, and muttering under his breath "shouldn't have sold it, even if it was too big".

I took the bike to college, and as I got into racing, built up a Gios in a much smaller size, with more aggressive geometry, thinking it would make me faster.  I guess I looked faster, but I was less comfortable and found myself thinking differently about cycling (more like a chore).  I sold the components off of the Sachs to my roommate in college and the frame went into storage.  In retrospect, this saved the Sachs because the crashes, scrapes, and racing abuse used up those other frames.

10 years later, and lots of mountain bikes, aluminum-framed, mass-production racing bikes, and uncomfortable miles in the saddle, my Sachs has become the object of a new obsession.  I am returning to the bike which gave me the joy of cycling in the first place.  I still remember the magic-carpet ride, the crisp but not-nervous steering, the "life" of the whole frame gently resonating under me.  The frame went back to Joe Bell for refinishing, in the correct color, with NOS decals.  Richard was kind and helpful in resurrecting the bicycle for me.

I've built up this bike as my main rider, in a manner which is probably unusual for your customers (and which I hope is not offensive).  I've set it up for fast touring with a triple crank, and used many of the original parts from the bike including hubs, headset, and brakes.

The only way I can describe the combination of precision and liveliness of the frame is with a fencing analogy—a good foil has just the right amount of flex and spring to allow total precision in pointing and swiping.  My [large-tubed aluminium frame] feels like fencing with a wooden yardstick compared to your frame.

Thanks again for all the help in the frame restoration.