I looked back to see what I had said on this thread.
Originally Posted by
Andy_K
In case anyone is wondering, that bike did end up in my garage. It's back at the Atelier now as I've asked [MENTION=381793]gugie[/MENTION] to give it a little more Gugificazione. Is it possible for a craftsman of Italian descent working on a bike in America to make the bike even more French than it was originally? That's kind of what we're going for.
Since [MENTION=8403]ollo_ollo[/MENTION] shared his lovely Stella, I'll also share some pics of its near twin.
A few of my favorite details will help answer the original question of what's so special about French bikes.
(Tour de France? Yeah, a Stella rider won a couple of those.)
(Why, yes, that is a Columbus decal with French text. The seat stay wraps are pretty cool too, no?)
(In case you wondered what other races have been won by someone riding a Stella...)
(I still haven't gotten around to taking a picture with the head badge that [MENTION=73614]rhm[/MENTION] made for me installed.)
I think the word "panache" could be properly applied to what I'm getting at with these pictures.