Originally Posted by
bikemig
Yes, a more or less full French build would have been very appropriate for a 70s era touring bike regardless of whether that frame was built in France, the US, or the UK.
Yep, TA triple crankset & other bits 'n bobs were indeed common on touring bikes we built but I don't recall fitting a box-style HB bag requiring a decaleur & front rack/support in the late '60's-through the '70's for our customers.
Lot's of Cannondale/Kirtland/Eclipse over-the-handlebar coated strut & bungie designs w/ traditional British seatbags and good solid Karrimor kit before then.
Perhaps we were too Anglophile but sold a butt-load of Motobecanes as well, none of which came w/ decaleurs or provision to fit them.
The current Faux-Constructor fad is an odd re-imagining of a past in hardware use that I never experienced in a high volume/high end old line LBS that still had wooden rims & "skirt guards" when I bought partnership stakes "back when". If we hadn't seen it..by '73....
The past is not what you imagine or would like it to be : You had to be there.
And if you
were there/then any other data points on the state/style of HB bag/racks/panniers in use in the era in question?
-Bandera