>To me it looks about 24"
>
>Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't have a good feeling about it.
>I haven't seen as many RHs as some of the experts, but I'm struck by
>the lack of finesse that this frame shows, and the rather crude
>lettering. Could it be that this is an old fake?
The lettering is hand-painted, and looks original to me. The "Italian-style" lugs without the more elaborate cut-outs usually were used on less-expensive bikes, which also explains why the lugs weren't thinned as much as some. The internal rear brake cable routing is a neat touch, typical of Herse's nicer bikes. I have seen a few bikes like this - sort of "in-between" models set up as racing bikes in the late 1960s/early 1970s.
This looks like a nice 1970s bike, mostly original and easy to complete, even if it's not one of the very desirable high-end machines. The best randonneur bikes have all the Herse parts (cranks, stem, racks), which makes them much more interesting.
Jan Heine Editor Bicycle Quarterly 2116 Western Ave. Seattle WA 98121 http://www.bikequarterly.com
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