Well... I needed to go and pick up some new boots for my Cooper today and it is a 5 miles ride to MEC over a mix of smooth roads and some fairly chewed up and pot hole infested side streets which I take on purpose to test things because you need a little bump and shake.

The Garlatti feels a lot like my more modern Proctor with a steeper head angle, less trail than my UO8 and a fairly generous wheelbase and as such it is very responsive without being twitchy and the response to weight shifts and input is very predictable.

It is a stiff bike (chroming can do that to a high ten frame) and even with those 630:32 Conti 1000 tyres at 80 psi you don't want to be blowing through potholes and ruts even though I have no worry that my wheels would not handle it... those Arvon hubs are as smooth as they come and this really makes for quite an improvement in the rollout.

The half step gearing on the Stronglight crank and drivetrain set up is about as perfect as one could hope for... the retrofriction shifters and Suntour VX S are a match made in heaven and it is like you are always in the right gear. I can put everything I have into those cranks and all that power (meager that it is) goes straight into that back wheel and discovered last year that this bike is great on hard climbs and extremely stable on fast descents.

The Universal brakes are what they are and there is no braking from the hoods with these... have some vintage Matthauser pads and holders I will be swapping in to freshen those up a little and this should help the 30-0 times.

Marcel Berthet pedals are coveted for good reason... they are as smooth as the Suntour Superbe pedals in my Cooper road bike which says a lot as they don't get any smoother than this.

After I ran my errands I put the new boots on my Cooper which just got it's Cyclone drive train changed to Campy NR which would be a lateral shift at best and the NR does give up just a little crispness to the Suntour, especially with the front derailleur.

My Cooper that rolls on 700:23 racing tyres at 115 psi has a ride that you would be happy to experience on a touring bike... for as stiff and responsive as this bike is, the ride quality is unbelievable and is actually smoother than the Garlatti but then, it is a hand built vs the Garlatti which was made by a big company that specialized in making farm equipment as well as bicycles.