John Thompson wrote [snipped]:
> I used to have an old "Velital" Italian city bike with a narrow,
> brazed steel flat bar/stem. It was quite narrow -- probably 35cm
> at most, with no back sweep. The stem had no forward reach, but
> was brazed to a somewhat semi-circular piece that swept
> forward. Very short, straight pieces extended out from there
> for the hand rests and brake levers. The brake levers were brazed
> onto the bars as well.
This must be the very bar or one very much like it:
http://bulgier.net/
These are listed in The Data Book (p.186) as 1955, but I saw them in Firenze on a bike that must have been ten years younger than that. No doubt the design hung around for a while. A classic beauty IMO.
Mark Bulgier
Seattle WA USA