Originally Posted by
noglider
There are too many to list, but my favorite might be the Raleigh International of the 1970's. Lots of Raleighs are nice.
It's true that French bikes can pose problems because of threadings and dimensions. I feel it's a shame the metric system lost in the bike world, but that's what happened.
The most predictably standardized bikes might be the Japanese bikes of the 1980's. They were also very well made.
+1
Mid-'80's Japanese brand bikes seem to have fairly standard components. My first ever "tinker" & learn on bike was a '70's Motobecane Grand Jubile. I knew it would likely have different threading, etc., but was still frustrating for a beginner.
Remember to have fun.