This morning at Epsom Hospital, I parked my bike next to a rather lovely but understated machine. Black, lugged, steel frame. SA 3-spd hub and hub brakes. Brooks saddle and leather look bar tape. Oh - and an elegant chainguard. i think there was a very proud and happy owner onsite.
On my way home, as I was unlocking my bike in Epsom, a chap on an orange bike passed me. I then dropped my mitts and faffed a bit, but caught him up before the first roundabout on the A24. Steel frame (not an expensive one), flat bars, aged rider. But hey - fixed gear! Smallish chainring, but a shiny Miche hub, and he was riding not fast, but well. I stuck with him for a while, enjoying his enjoyment of riding his bike, then sprinted across the lanes to where I needed to turn right.