John Price wrote:
> Someone on the iBOB list asked about an Italian "Heron" - wondering if
there
> was an Italian made bike similar to the Heron. This got me thinking
> (doesn't take much) - Is/Are there Italian makers as noted as say, Alex
> Singer or Rene Herse (or Mariposa, Toei...) that made touring bikes in the
> classic vein ? Was touring something that was done much in Italy (like
> France had it heyday ?). Did any Italian makers compete in the Trials
that
> Jan Heine (and others) has brought up on this list ?
In the 10 years that I spent combing the swap meets and such, I never once came across anything that would even remotely compare to a randonneur bike. I believe this has to do with the way the Italian culture differs from French culture. In Italy, there is a true sense of community, with people clinging to their neighbourhood, area... etc In France, there has long been an urban class that wanted nothing more than to get out of the city. I believe this escapism had a lot to do with the advent of the randonneur bikes. This is also why bicycle-touring was so popular here in the US too.
Steven Maasland Moorestown, NJ
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