I'm nuts.

My number one passion is old cars, and I am privileged to own a 35 year old, shiny red Ferrari.  Its from the days of handmade cars, and its an amalgam of leather smell, powerful machinery and thoughtful design.  There are many high tech modern cars I can buy for less.  But it doesn't matter because my car is a thing of function and beauty, built with passion—it even has Campagnolo wheels!

So its no surprise that I own a bicycle built by Richard Sachs.

I first met Richard Sachs in 1992, taking a friend from Michigan to pick up his bike in Chester, Connecticut , about 60 miles from where I live.  I liked the bike, but I really liked Richard.  I could see immediately what has to be obvious to anyone who knows him—this is a guy with a single passion, and the privilege to pursue it directly.  What a lucky guy.

In 2000 I decided to replace an old aluminum Vitus that I had used since the 1980s, and I made the rounds of graphite, aluminum, kevlar et al.  Good stuff, well priced, certainly better than I could ever get the most out of.

But my good friend from Michigan insisted I see Richard, and when I saw those beautiful frames, and the gorgeous completed products on display, they pulled at my heart.  And I knew the connection was that, in addition to being functionally correct, they held the passion of their builder.  And I am a sucker for that.

So when I go down a suburban hill too fast, thinking of how I really ought not to kill myself, leaving a family fatherless, I am delighted to look down at that red frame with the yellow Richard Sachs name, because I know that Richard built it right, and that its forgiving and steady on the road because of it.

And I relax a little more and enjoy the ride.