Well, I scratched a simmering itch and just bought French. It feels pretty good, bold enough form me, anyway: let's see how the sensation holds up when my new 1950 "Special Bonnefont - St Etienne" arrives from Viarmes, France. And, before that when my wife gets home tonight and finds out.
The Bonnefont is a fully decked-out lightweight city bike (does the bit of rust increase or decrease a bike's weight?), with things hanging off it that I've never heard of before, e.g., "Le Nervurex" muguards, "suicide" shifter, etc. Reminds me very much of a thicker-kneed town cousin of Jay's "Helyett Speciale."
This will be fun, switching my habitual search and prey imagery from Campy to Simplex, plus Le Juy. Like Steve Martin said, these French have a different [name] for everything!
Does anyone on the List have or know anythin' about Le Bonnefont? I'm going to need a lot of advise as well as luck.
Pics are to be forthcoming after the bike lands.
JB Froke
Pebble Beach, CA