Replacement bars...for now
The 90's era Cinelli stem and bars worked great but bugged the hell out of me every time I saw the engraved logo. This set of GB bars and stem date to the 60's, I think - and so they are at least British, and at least two decades closer to the period. I know, I know - shellac wouldn't have been de rigueur for a British bike in the 40's, but I do like how it feels on my hands. The flare of these bars is rather nice too, and the color of the wrap comes close to matching that of the saddle and jibes nicely with the patina also. (As well it should: I used the original cloth wrap, which was originally red but had faded to a dusky rose. With clear shellac it comes out a dark honey color.)
Replacement bars...for now
The 90's era Cinelli stem and bars worked great but bugged the hell out of me every time I saw the engraved logo. This set of GB bars and stem date to the 60's, I think - and so they are at least British, and at least two decades closer to the period. I know, I know - shellac wouldn't have been de rigueur for a British bike in the 40's, but I do like how it feels on my hands. The flare of these bars is rather nice too, and the color of the wrap comes close to matching that of the saddle and jibes nicely with the patina also. (As well it should: I used the original cloth wrap, which was originally red but had faded to a dusky rose. With clear shellac it comes out a dark honey color.)