Bob Hovey wrote:
>
(cut)
> However, it seems apparent to me that much of the insipid design in Japanese
> components (and motorcycles and automobiles) results not from the Japanese
> following their effective and well-established traditions of design, but in
> trying to guess what will please (and sell to) a western audience. I would
> like to see a line of Japanese bike components designed to please their eyes
> only, like a tea whisk or samurai sword... now THAT would be something.
I think they did try to please their own eyes with the Shimano Santé from the mid 1980s. At the time of the introduction I was considering building up an all Japanese bike because this group looked to me to be made with a real Japanese sensibility of style.
Santé parts:
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/
Chuck "Pacific Rim" Schmidt L.A.
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