I've recently been compiling a list of tourers that most closely follow in the traditions of Herse and Singer. (If in the past I made any suggestion that certain Japanese builders in this style were lesser lights than the French, I humbly eat crow now and have seen the light...to wit, below are a number of great builders...)
I confess to having seen most of these bikes now only in pictures but from these it is clear that there are more than a few that invite our attentions.
In addition to TOEI, the S. WATANABE bike I've seen is an audax style but without lights. Other WATANABEs look just like Herse and Singer, some even made with Cyclo rear derailleurs (with the hanger). There is a demountable by K. YAZIMA that looks like a dead ringer for that Herse that just sold on eBay. The HIROSE looks like a 650b randonneur like my Herse, without a rear rack. The KATAKURA SILK is a full-fledged cyclocamper with 650b wheels but includes a third rack within the main triangle, presumably for water bottles(?).
Among French builders in this style, I'd love to hear and learn more about: A.S. Gillott Tronchet Verdin Andre Bertin
And does anyone know anything about: River One (the example I've seen is a 650b sized wheel bike with lighting on the front mudguard and a dynamo boss on the rear wheel, again like my Herse, with the bag support front rack but no rear. and VOLKS, the one I've seen being an audax bike with front rack, mudguards, no lighting and 700c or 27" wheels.
Would anyone care to comment on any of these lesser known or less frequently mentioned builders? Darn impressive stuff I have seen: elegant for the details, practical and smart in design, and every last one a joy to behold. I bet they ride just as nicely as they look.
Douglas Brooks
Canandaigua, NY