This is the first instalment of a Buyer's Guide to 'touring' bikes. Here the word 'touring' is used as a florid and grandiose way of saying 'shopping'. As you might expect there is not much here to thrill lovers of the exotic.

However a number of bikes did catch my eye:

• Atala Mezza Corsa - with a Gian Robert 3-speed transmission.
• Bianchi N. S. Alleghe 26D - with a Huret 3-speed transmission.
• Bianchi Colorado 28U 3V - with a Simplex 3-speed transmission.
• Bianchi Virginia 26D 3V - also with a Simplex 3-speed transmission.
• Biemmezeta Capri - with a Campagnolo Valentino 4-speed transmission.
• Bibici L86 - with a Huret 4-speed transmission.
• Bottechia Venezia - with some sort of Campagnolo 4-speed transmission.

I might guess that a derailleur bike with less than 5 gears was last marketed in the UK in the late 1960s or early 1970s. But the Italian models listed here were current in 1984.

I also note that there is only one mention of SunTour and only one mention of a Shimano transmission (a Positron system). There are a dozen or so mentions of European derailleur manufacturers. Even for shopping bikes, that was not quite the UK experience in 1984.

Another world...

• Publisher: La Bicicletta
• Country: Italy
• Date: July 1984
• Derailleur brands: Campagnolo, Gian Robert, Gipiemme, Huret, Ofmega, Shimano, Simplex, Sturmey-Archer, SunTour
• Derailleurs: Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport?, Campagnolo Nuovo Valentino Extra?, Campagnolo 980