Neil Foddering wrote:
>Whilst on the subject, do you know who made GB handlebar plugs? I've b
een
>having a conversation with a cycling friend, who swears that they were
made
> by GB in England, but I'm equally sure that they were French.
I'm looking at some GB bar plugs right now. They read: "GB --Paris --Bte
SDDG . No 121"
I think there was a bit of Cyclo-style cross-channel thing going on with
GB (at least where bar-end plugs are concerned), and, just to confuse m
atters more, I received a full box of said bar-plugs awhile back, new-in
-box--but it was a box with VERMA logos all over it, and stamped "Made i
n Western Germany" (in English). Again, I'm looking at it: the label rea
ds "5 Paar Plastik-Lenkerstopfen, la Ausfuhrung, Nr. 5288, weiss"--this
is Dutch, right? I believe Verma is of Netherlandish origin, so all's st
ill well--but what of the Made in Western Germany attribution? Was Verma
going cross-border, too?
The plugs also plainly say "Made In France" on the inside (the expander
bit, the plastic piece engaged by the nut and bolt.
Seems like an early Common Market idea...but informally. Was this throug
h inattention, or design? Perhaps customs officials only read outside la
bels--but for shipment from where to whom?
GB was Gerry Burgess in England, yes? But perhaps someone knows more abo
ut a French Connection--and can anyone speak about this Dutch one?
Thanks Neil (and Nick) for uncorking the bottle on a topic area others h
ave likely noticed as well. Trivial as it may be, I had wondered about t
he GB bar-plug things as well.
Forgive a joke: Is it true what they say, that Gaslo plugs are made out of the tops, that is, the wired-on "keepers" of Prosecco or other sparkl ing wine (not to say Champagne) bottles? Just kidding, but there is a ce rtain resemblance. For one thing, they both contain a gas to some extent .... The story, if true, might help to explain the cost of Gaslo plugs-- which is pretty high by the ounce, I must say. Now that the weather's warmed, a Kir Royale would not be inappropriate. Maybe that's what those double bottlecages are about. Same department, i n a sense, as the sangria mentioned--but fizzier. Cheers-- Tom Ward Brooklyn, NY / USA (Etats-Unis)