Re: Rapido
The Rapido was a low quality bike. Generally sold in hardware stores such as Rona franchises in Montreal. The distributor was a company on Trans Canada Highway near Cavendish. The Czechoslovakian distributor was also the agent for Barum tires (orange colored knock-offs of hutchinson tyres) and Favorit ten speeds. It was said that the company was a front for Soviet spy communications. Conveniently, Motokov inc was sharing a wall with a satellite company in the same bldg from the 1970s right up to the late 80s. The satellite equipment sold next door back then was hi-tech stuff, not what we think of for personal entertainment as we know it today and since the 1990s for direct to home or sports bar use. Plausibly a front, back then if they couln't give you change for a part, the staff would take whatever you wanted to pay if you had smaller bills. The staff wore darh suits and had one teen aged kid up front who spoke perfect english who also spoke slavic. Summer of 81 my brother drove me there at closing time. I was 15. I remember the Brezhniev looking boss telling the kid to screw the money and to just gimme the tires i bought. Half of the dozen tires I bought bubbled on the sidewalls and blew from friction. The frames were very well built and light. All other parts like the quick release axles, derailleurs, and brake shoes were pure crap. I owned a fleet of them bought on my family's company expense account at a Rona store. Cannibalized parts from Peugeots made for great cruisers. I treasured my bike more than my Porsche today.
