Kilroy1988 

Although steelbikeguy suggested a comparison between this bicycle and the "art bikes" he shared an article about, no one else here has remotely insinuated that Mr. Mercet built this bicycle in this way. You took it upon yourself to prove us wrong without even stopping for a moment to think that maybe we don't actually believe this is how the bicycle originally appeared. We are all well aware of the fact that many vintage bicycles are given new life by their owners at various intervals throughout the years, and I personally decided to share the bicycle here because I find the trends which coalesced to form this particular build intriguing and was particularly impressed by how nicely photographed the machine is. Also, despite actually not sharing the aesthetic tastes of the owner of the bicycle in question, I always admire the effort and consideration taken to achieve such a highly uniform and well-executed build.

Carry on attempting to take the high road. The tunnel at the end is often deep and dark.

-Gregory