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| Personal Pursuits |
Business Cycles
By Brendan Quirk
03/01/2005
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"Mario made beautiful stuff, and he pushed the American builders beyond a look that we all had, which was kind of simple, plain lines,” said Tom Kellogg of Spectrum Cycles in Breinigsville, Pa. “He forced us to class up our act.”
“After seeing Confente’s bikes at the New York show,” said Ben Serotta, a frame builder in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., “it was clear that he raised the standard.”
The effort required in producing such gorgeous frames was evident in their price. While a custom frame made by Kellogg, Serotta or one of the other American elite in 1977 cost less than $200, a custom Confente ran $400.
 | | CONFENTE'S ROAD-racing frames are renowned for
their rarity and clarity. |
Two years after the New York show, Confente died of heart failure. He had built 135 frames: 124 for road racing, 11 for track racing. In the 25 years since, the unparalleled craftsmanship of his frames have become intertwined with the immutable laws of supply and demand. No other brand of bike has seen such a precipitous increase in value. A $400 Confente frame in 1977 required an additional $400 to equip with components. If pristine, this $800 complete bicycle commanded $3,000 to $4,000 in the late 1990s. As recently as 2003, Confentes sold for well over $6,000.
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