That Rene Herse tandem on top of the article at
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/technology/70437/embacher-collection-bicycle-auction-dorotheum.html is lethal. Sit on the stoker seat and wake up in hospital with a big bump on the back of your head.
I fancy the Subaru all-wheel drive, No 28, for its technical interest. The BSA Paratrooper, No 84 is amazing; it looks like Pashley made it for BSA.
I would have thought that with its history the Flying Gate, No 102 would have a bigger reserve; ugly bike, though. On the whole, the frame experiments here serve to convince only that the traditional diamond, trapeze and mixte have survived for a reason.
And the Alex Singer, No 40. A girl who gave me a Madrilena doctor's bag in a year in Paris which would be indelicate to enquire into, told me that Alex Singer had far, far greater provenance than Rene Herse. Actually, she said, "better breeding", but today we're all so bowdlerized and worried about offending someone, somewhere, sometime...
The Bob Jackson, No 54 has fine breeding, too.
But undoubtedly the greatest classic here is the Raleigh Tourist, No 15. Just look how laid-back it is, not a care in the world! That's what cycling should be like.
Thanks for posting this one, Ian; a gennie blast from the past. For which of these, though, would you give up a Thorn? (I didn't see any for which I would give up my favourite bike for these seven years now.)
