The following items of national "taste" occur to me (none are absolutes -- certainly there are exceptions):
Disproportionately British: Fancy-cut lugs, panelled paint jobs (I once had a Bob Jackson with panels on the TT and DT, 5 panels on the ST and a contrasting head tube). Decor often verges toward Gothic/medieval/neo-historic look. Touring/randonneur bikes equipped (mostly)with readily available "general market" parts, set up to carry most of the load on the rear. Fender stays adjust at the outboard end. Serious mudflaps (often).
Disproportionately French: Simpler lugs, monochrome paint in soft or dark hues (French blue, or navy blue, bottle green, grey or black). Light-hearted Art Deco graphics (Herse, Singer). Touring/randonneur bikes more often set up with custom racks, lights, fenders, etc. (can anyone name a British "constructeur"?). For heavy-duty work, low rider ("surbaissee") rear racks carry the lighter, bulkier stuff aft of the rear axle (this may be exclusively French?). Most of the weight is carried on the front. At both ends, rack struts double as fender stays. Otherwise, fender stays adjust at the dropout. Except for colors, most of this remains true for current output from Singer, Follis, Rando-Cycles and Daniel Salmon (when building tourer/randonneur bikes).
Disproportionately Italian: Simple (and very clean) lugs, monochrome paint in bright colors. Has anyone ever seen an Italian bike set up to carry more than tools and a spare tubular?
Peter Storey
in seasonably chilly Brooklyn, NY
> Perhaps "quirks" is not the best word here, maybe "ideas", "techniques"...
\r?\n> would fit better. Anyway, here's my question for the group. As I
\r?\n> understand it the technique of shellacking handlebars is a French one,
\r?\n> developed by randonneurs, tourists way back when. It strikes me as a very
\r?\n> French thing to do - an elegant, slightly "off the beaten trail" solution.
\r?\n> This got me wondering if other countries have techniques, or "quirks"
\r?\n> (there's that word again) that they are known for or used/developed quite
\r?\n> apart from others. Is there something that is/was "typically Italian" or
\r?\n> "veddy British" ? What says the group ?