Re: [Paddlewise] The Svea is back!

Well, as long as someone started the "I bought my..." thread I can respond
to it. :D

In 1972 I got a seat on an REI charter flight to Brussels, Belgium and
return that gave me 30 days in
Europe. I took a train to Paris where I had friends from S. America who were
also avid bicyclists. Bob put me in touch with a bike shop that sold me a
Peugeot PX-10 complete with sew-up tires. I added a set of "rock pickers" (a
spring-loaded piece of wire that rode lightly on the tire to pick out glass
and rocks), a rear rack and changed the rear gear-set to one more acceptable
for touring. I had brought my camping gear including rear panniers, a super
light-weight tent, a cook kit... but no stove. My reasoning was that Optimus
and Primus were made in Europe (ok.... Scandinavia... but to a guy from
Seattle they were pretty much the same).

Boy was I in for a surprise. Europe was in the midst of a "camping gaz"
revolution and the only stoves available burned whatever "gaz" was in those
little throw-away cannisters. I finally tracked down a mountaineer store in
Paris 1st Arondissement and described to him (mostly in Portuguese) what I
needed. He looked puzzled for a moment and then held up his finger as a
signal for me to wait and disappeared. About 15 minutes later he reappeared
with a brown box, blew on it to clear the dust off of it, and opened it to
reveal a brand new Optimus 8R. He sold it to me for about $10 and wished me
the best of luck on my trip.

I've used - and loved - that little stove ever since.

Before I took this trip I was told how unfriendly the French were to
Americans but I found it exactly the opposite. On one particularly hard pull
up a mountain pass lunchtime picnickers alongside the road got up from their
checkered ground cloths spread with food and wine to line the road and clap
their hands to cheer me over the summit. I had shopkeepers give me fuel for
my stove (dry cleaning fluid), bike shop owners thrust spare wheel spokes
into my hand and refuse payment, and cute girls try to start up
conversations.

I spent a great 30 days bicycling nearly 1,000 miles (with only one flat
sew-up, I might add) and took a train back to Brussels from Frankfurt (where
I had partnered up with another bicyclist and two cute girls) checked my
bike in as luggage and flew back to Seattle. I had lost 30 pounds during the
trip.

I still have that PX10 and it's still light and stiff and responsive. I
sometimes put local riders on it just to see their reaction to a bicycle
that has racing geometry. I also have a photo of me under a sign that points
the way to "Pusay". My wife (whom I married in 1974) has never understood
that joke. :D


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net

On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 3:08 PM, Chuck Holst <cholst_at_bitstream.net> wrote:

> I bought my Optimus 8R in the spring of 1973 or 1974 at Midwest
> Mountaineering for $13.50. It was the last of the previous year's shipment;
> the price of new ones was $18 that year.
>
> BTW, the Optimus 8R became the Optimus Hiker several years ago. I see there
> have been some other changes, including an improved burner and a side pump
> like its big brother, the Optimus 111B, which I used to use for winter
> camping.
>
> Chuck Holst
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> I think you can buy the Optimus 8r stoves still too. But neither are cheap.
> They run close to US$200 each!!!
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