> I always liked the look of the oversize caps on the
> Raleighs, and wonder of wonders, I bought a 1970
> Gitane Tour de France, and it has oversized caps,
> almost a decade before the Raleigh. Amazing, ain't it?
Earle,
You're so correct on this one. In fact, the oversized seat-stay caps had been stylish in France by the 1960s, if not earlier. Actually, I always thought this was why Raleigh adopted the technique - i.e. to look more "Continental". But perhaps they did adopt the style for technical reasons? (I still have my doubts about that, though...)
Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)