1. I would have thought that Jan Heine has made a valuable contribution by provoking a discussion. Quite a while ago, I asked a question about Campagnolo on this list and was told rather testily to look at the Campag timeline. Had the answer been there I would not have asked. How refreshing to see CR regulars goaded into action and thought.
2. Steven Maasland wrote,
<It is furthermore not up to an individual forum member to come up with research data that will be used by a 'for profit' entity like Jan's publication. I am sure that many people would be perfectly willing to do the required research if commissioned to do so. It does however seem that BQ is typical of many shoestring publishing operations, in as much as they are not willing to fund new research up front.> Maybe things are different on your side of the pond; in Britain, you expect to be paid somewhere between nothing and a couple of hundred dollars by 'shoestring publishing operations.' Most contributors do the work because they want to increase the sum of knowledge. That is an honourable ambition.
Long my CR and VBQ thrive. Go on arguing, chaps! Something interesting usually comes out of it. And you are doing it for free.
Stuart Tallack in West Sussex, G.B.