The phrase Objet de vertu perfectly befits this Nicola Barra Barralumin bicycle from 1954/55. This evocative term, used to describe an item prized for its artistic merit, fine craftsmanship, and rarity, reflects the relentless drive of Parisian constructeur Barra to push bicycle innovation to the extreme, both structurally and aesthetically.Active from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s, this aluminium frame builder par excellence coincided with a period when French club riders were obsessed with the art of randonneuring. While their British counterparts enjoyed jolly japes in the West Country on their heavy touring bikes, the French covered serious distances on 650b lightweights. This bike represents the pinnacle of 650b-ness, built to conquer Paris-Brest-Paris, the Diagonales de France, and lengthy trips into the Alps and Pyrenees. A rod gear changer saw the jockey wheels moved left and right across a rod in order to move the chain over the sprocketsFuture / Richard ButcherThe builders made almost everything on the bike, from the frame to the mudguards to the gear mechanismsFuture / Richard ButcherThe dimpled mudguards appear almost too perfectFuture / Richard ButcherA minimalist colour palette gives this Nicola Barra a striking lookFuture / Richard ButcherThe aluminium frame is truly exquisite. According to most accounts, Barra employed a proprietary gas-welding (oxy-acetylene) technique to achieve his distinctive smooth weld seams. Theyre starkly different from the scalloped TIG weld joins were so used to seeing on modern aluminium frames. Another hallmark of Barra's design is his preference for intricate tapered tube shapes, which alter their profile along their lengthfrom vertical oval to round to horizontal oval. (Image credit: Future / Richard Butcher)The frame looks like pewter in the flesh, its like a jewel, says current owner Richard Hoddinott of vintage specialists The Velo Pages. Its such an unusual bike light, beautiful, but so capable. Its a statement bike, not many people would have been able to afford one back then.Hoddinott is quite right. The glorious frame, the ingenious bespoke components just look at that rod-shift front derailer and the pared down weight (7.65kg) came at a considerable cost. This was a real glamour bike, as at home among the fashionable Parisian boutiques of Avenue Montaigne as it was on the brutal Col de la Madeleine.The saddle might not have a brushed chrome finish, but it's still a work of art (Image credit: Future / Richard Butcher)