[UPDATE - I had the opportunity to speak with frame builder, Brian Baylis a few weeks ago, and he took at look at this Tesch, which he painted. He observed that there was no serial number on the bottom bracket, and this indicated a very early Tesch build. He confirmed this was his paint job, that the bike was custom-built and known in the early 80s as a Tesch 100 model - not 101, which came later. He said that the purple paint scheme was very rare, and there may have only been a handful with that paint scheme.]
I found this David Tesch custom bicycle two weeks ago, and it's a handsome addition to my stable. You can find more photos HERE.
David Tesch was a local, Southern California frame builder who started with Masi, then went into business of his own in the mid-80s. He started making custom frames, like this one, in 1984, then began production of his California 101 bicycles as well as others. You can read a great tribute to David, who sadly died of a brain tumor in 2004, HERE.
This bicycle is quick. The frame geometry is tight, but not skittish. When you stand, the bike moves beneath you like any good criterium frame should. I haven't taken this on any long rides yet - just tooled around the neighborhood, but it deserves to be ridden and will be.
I'll add more about this particular bicycle as I get more info from the experts at the Classic Rendezvous Google Group. These guys really know their stuff, and are always eager to help identify bicycles and provide info on anything to do with vintage racing bikes.
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