J—dVMar 10

RE: https://todon.eu/@redjives/115718790871486689

Time for a quick update on the mystery bicycle. First, thank you to everyone who replied; you were all super helpful! As you may recall, the original theory was that I had a 1970s French cycle of some sort. That seemed to fit the components and general style. But, it quickly became clear that it was *not* from one of the large makers of the time, so not Peugeot, Gitane, Motocabane, etc. There were plenty of other smaller brands at the time, so the basic ideas was still plausible; it would just be more difficult to identify. After asking here on the fediverse someone suggested I try one of the forums specialized in vintage bicycles.

[1/n]

#BikeTooter #VintageBicycle

Show threadJ—dVMar 10

Remember the good old internet, where niche aficionados could come together and geek out? It still exists! At least, some of the time. I posted my question and the niche aficionados came through. First, with a whole bunch of details about the lugs and other bits and bobs and then with the real breakthrough: it's not from the 1970s! It's almost certainly older, likely post-WW2 French.

[2/n]

https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/help-identifying-french-70s.501586/

Help identifying French 70s(?)

I have what appears—based on the components—to be a French bicycle from the ’70s. Here’s what I know: Derailleur: Simplex SO Freewheel: 3 speed Moyne "Inter" Hubs: Exceltoo Crank: Nervar Brakes: say "Racer" and I believe are CLB Dynamo: Soubitez Wingnuts: Huret Rack: Fiol The stem says: "∅...

Retrobike
Show threadJ—dVMar 10

They key was the derailleur hanger, or, really, the lack there of. The modern parallelogram form for the rear derailleur is not the first design that was tried. So even though this bike has a 70s or 80s era derailleur bolted onto it (a Simplex SO) the fittings on the frame are for a much older style. You can see how it works in the 3rd and 5th photo of this post: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/vintage-french-randonneuers-and-porteurs.449944/page-23#post-3285014

Since this bike has the fittings for that style of derailleur, the frame is almost certainly pre-70s, and probably pre-60s. But, that still doesn't answer who made it, who "updated" it with 70s components, and especially, what of the decals and branding are original and what is from that refurb.

[3/n]

Vintage French randonneuer's and porteurs.

The French like our bikes too :) https://forum.tontonvelo.com/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=13164 The poor French. What have they done to deserve this? Need to pay an annual subscription to the CTC to legitimately ride it, look for vintage tweed plus fours, forced to drink mandatory milky tea, try to...

Retrobike
Show threadSam Mar 11
@redjives I look at that and my first thought is that it's crying out for a fixed gear conversion, but that's only because that's my first thought on seeing any vaguely horizontal drop out.
Show threadJ—dVMar 11

@ravenbait Yeah… and that would be a lot easier because then I could remove the freewheel destructively, cf. my latest toot: https://todon.eu/@redjives/116210066041780292

On the one hand the derailleur, while vintage, is probably not original. On the other hand, the freewheel itself likely is original and I would kind of hate to see it go. I think single and/or fixed gear will be the backup option.

J—dV (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image On the restoration front, one of the things I need to do make this bicycle rideable again is replacing the broken spoken on the back wheel. To do that one has to first remove the freewheel (the gears), because otherwise you can't feed the spoke through the eyelet in the hub. In principle, not a problem. Freewheels can be stubborn, but they are designed to be removable … with the appropriate tool that matches the notches or splines on the freewheel. Basically, it slips into that center bit, you grab a really big wrench, the tool engages the notches or splines, and you unscrew it¹. For any reasonably modern freewheel you just measure it and order the right tool. But this thing is old enough that none of the modern standards match and I haven't been able to find anything that is quite right. So… [1/2] [1: You can see the idea here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrV6XXiLGk4 ] #BikeTooter #VintageBicycle

Todon.eu
Show threadSam 
@redjives Yes, I saw the toot. I wish you luck in finding an appropriate tool for the job. My worry would be that the freewheel is so jammed on it's not recoverable without application of a lever so large you damage it anyway.
Mar 11 at 10:42amWeb
Show threadJ—dVMar 11
@ravenbait That might be. The other option would be to source a replacement, destroy this one, and put a "new" vintage one on its place. Actually, that is probably the easiest … but would it be as much fun?
Show threadSam Mar 11
@redjives I mean, I went to the effort of finding contemporary Campag aero levers for a 1983 Raleigh Sun Solo fixed conversion, so I'm probably the wrong person to ask!