"National character" debunked long ago? Since when? By whom? That is an assertion that there are no cultural differences in the world, and that customs and culture are the same everywhere. Perhaps that is Politically Correct, but it is also completely false. Television and the internet may be driving us toward a homogenized world culture, but thank God I won't live long enough to see that achieved. I can't imagine anything more boring than a world without "national character". I mean, why travel to Europe, or Japan, or China if it's all the same as the US anyway? A people's culture is reflected in the things they create, and that's as true of bicycles as of anything else.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, TX
Arthur Link <artlink@flash.net> wrote:
Please folks,stop the jingoistic generalizations and comparisons to cuisine.Bikes are built to meet the needs of people.Some choose plain,some fancy lugs in every country! If the CR Main archives had better representation of German,Dutch,Belgian,Australian bikes you might see something for every taste and purpose.There are just so many ways to weld up the plumbing to get the job done. "National character" as a valid concept has been debunked long ago. You should rise above this twaddle. Art Link, in Hispanic-Germanic-Southwest ,San Antonio ,Tx