Me again, according to a booklet issued by Paul Lange, the German importers of Shimano, on the 50th anniversary of the firm, Lange and Shimano signed a contract in 1967 and Lange started to supply Shimano components to the German industry in 1970. As from 1974, Dura Ace componentry was sold by Lange to German cycle shops.
Brooks: Has anyone of you ever heard of Brooks selling seconds? In 1985 I lived in the UK and I was looking for a saddle for my everyday bike. I bought a B.17 for eleven pounds, which was rather cheap, because it had a big scar right across the rear half of it. The cycle dealer said it was a second. You could just see the scar, but not feel it. The saddle has kept very well indeed; I have still got it, even on my Mercian tourer, because it is the most comfy of my saddles. Over the years it has assumed a near patent-leather shine, with the scar still faintly visible.
Yours, Toni Theilmeier, Osnabrueck, Germany.