Jan wrote,
>The Barra probably is technically not one made by Barra.....snipped.
(I also had an off list question about if I noticed which Sturmey Archer
rear hub the Thanet had,?,,)
My thoughts, I first saw the **Barra** and the Thanet some 20 years ago. After seeing Steve Kinne's Thanet at Cirque this year I thought it would be fun to go and revisit these.
What amazes me the most about these bikes is the fact that this man researched and then sourced two very interesting high performance bikes, from two fairly obscure builder's, on two different continents years ago.
Whether the bike is a true Barra, or one made under contract almost doesn't matter to me; (I'm just passing on what the owner's "family" told me). To a historian these details are very important, I do not question Jan's assessment.
To me the real story is the owner's passion for buying and riding what he felt was the best in it's day. That he was aware these builder's existed, (pre internet/Google) is fascinating.
That he tracked the builder's down, bought the bikes, and that they're still leaning against the same walls, as they were some 20 yrs. ago, is ever so cool. Sorry if I missed some details, but my heart was racing. I was invited back, so I'll look at that Sturmey Archer again, and see if there are any stampings on the alloy frame.
Very glad I'm not a collector, I wouldn't be sleeping much, scheming how to get these away from the owner! I slept very well that night, knowing those bikes were still there.
peter weigle
lyme, ct.