In Japan, when we enjoy cycling away from home territory, bike is carried by train. It is obliged to disassemble a bike and bike is put into a large bike case (in Japanese "Rinko-bukuro"). Bike extracts forks and removes front and rear wheels and rear fender. Generator wire is obstancle to disassemble. The exposed generator wire near fork crown like Singer, we must cut wire and set ugly connecter for disassemble bike. Because of it, we Japanese like concealed generator wire routed through headset like Herse. However, about "eclairage sans fil" by Herse, when forks extracted from frame, it comes to pieces and lose a spring and a brush. Toei improves so that it might not break, even if forks extract from frame.
The same about tail light. Since it is not necessary to cut a generator wire, we Japanese love tail light brazed on seat tube like Herse.
*for example:
http://www.alps-cycle.co.jp/
Kenji Fusejima Yokohama Japan
At 0:32 PM -0700 03.4.24, Jan Heine wrote:
>Curt,
>
>Not sure how generator wiring can be more concealed than on a Ren$B;î(B
>Herse with "eclairage sans fil" (where the generator wiring is routed
>through the headset via carbon brushes)? Can you explain?
>
>The reason the French concealed the wires was that it looked cleaner,
>and was less prone to damage from getting entangled in stuff.
>
>Many French, then and now, transported their bikes by train, where
>they'd be handled by railway employees, hung in a baggage car, etc.
>In fact, Ernest Csuka complained how they bent his handlebars on his
>last trip to the Alps.
>
>Jan Heine, Seattle
>
>Curt Goodrich wrote:
>
>Most notably, Toei goes to greater lengths to conceal generator wiring than
>the originals. Why? I don't know but I bet he gets off on it.