Classic & Vintage - What is this French bike - Jacques Anquetil?

I pulled a mixte frame out of a hedge yesterday, and was mystified. It's clearly old, and French. It has a head badge with L, F, and C intertwined (dunno which way around they belong!), and has Jacques Anquetil on the frame. As far as I know, he never rode a mixte.....

Anyway, the wheels are shot (one is gone), and I only pulled it out cos it has a luggage rack I wanted. It also has Mafac centrepulls though, and now I'm fascinated. What the hell is it?

Let’s see a pic!

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=148154&highlight=liverpool+peugeot

It seems you've had a lucky find, Sammyboy! Post pics when you can, please.

It's not one of those. It's a Liege Cycles France (in the daylight, I can read the headbadge!). It weighs about a ton. I've attached pics. I think what I've really found is a luggage rack and some centre pulls, but I'm interested in case anyone knows the Anquetil connection. IT has Simplex at the back, Sachs Huret at the front, and I think the crankset is Universal.

sort of a low-ender from the 70's. Will make a nice rider if you pursue it, though. Pity about the fender, it looks like it would have been really cool. Is there one on the back?

I'd stratify it to very late 1970s. The early and mid-1970s models that I've seen all had the foil based decals. Most of what I've seen were UO8 equivalents, though there was one PA10 equivalent.

There is a fender on the back, but it's equally as mullered as the one on the front. I don't really know whether I'll pursue it, since I already have a Raleigh mixte sitting around which is lighter (and later, I suspect). I also had it being 70's. Worst case scenario is I've got a rack and a set of centre pulls for nothing, as well as a stack of French size parts. Probably I'll hang the whole thing up and what to see if I feel inspired to fix it up. I have an 80's Peugot that might give me the bits to put it on the road, and the missus MIGHT enjoy it.

Eet eeze, how yu americanz saye?, "merde". Seriously, it is a low end bike, looks liked stamped drop outs, is the frame a lugged frame? But it looks to be in ok shape, with a new front wheel and some cleaning up it could make a good commuter.

I might build it up for my g/f. It's kinda heavy though.

She's only ever had an MTB, and her back gets sore riding it. I want to build her something lighter, with less rolling resistance, and more upright. I was planning to find a small 531 frame, with a short top tube, put a high rise stem on it, and some really swept back bars. I don't know that this is much shorter seat-stem than her current bike, but I do have some wheels on a late 80's Peugot that would fit, if I can get th rust of them. I suppose I could do the whole reverse stem thing to get her upright, but I also wonder how she'll get on with the down-tube shifters.

Really, though, does anyone know why Anquetil's name is on this?

I suppose for the same reason that de vlaeminck's name used to appear on Colnagos...that sold bikes. Anquetil also marketed his own line of bikes (or someone did it under license for his name), if I recall, and so this may have been the lower range of that lineup.

I could well understand his name appearing on certain bikes, but I would've thought that Colnago's would be more appropriate than a low end boat anchor mixte!

I just seems a little bit like Sears marketing an Indurain dual suspension MTB for $90.........mad.