Classic & Vintage - Lejeune track bike info/pic request

I recently won a LeJeune purple track frame on ebay. Its coming from France economy post, so i havae about 4 more weeks to wait, but was wondering if anyone had any pictures or other info on LeJeune track bikes. I think i've extracted everthing google has to offer on the subject, so im turning to the pros. any pictures or information would be great, all i know is:

its purple, its a lejeune, it is reynolds 531 (i know its good tubing, so i assume its a higher end lejeune?), its a 59.

paging Lynn Travers....Mr. Travers, CV-6, white courtesy phone...

paging Lynn Travers....Mr. Travers, CV-6, white courtesy phone...

*CV-6 picks up red phone*

PA system: "No, the white phone."

-Kurt

It has to be the red phone. Lejeunes are red. :lol:

Hmmm. I wonder why I did not snag the auction picures. IIRC, there was only one photo and it was not real big. Yes...higher end. Don't recall if it was all 531 or main tubes. I hope you will share good pictures of the frame when you get it. If you are on the CR list, once you take some photos, you should contact Norris Lockley in the UK. He is the resident French bike expert and may be able to tell you something about your frame. For sure look at the seat stay caps for any identifying marks.

If you start at this link (http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x115/lat7575/Cirque%20Bikes/?action=view&current=Cirque_res172.jpg) you will find pictures of Fred Rednor's 75 track bike. There are several pictures in the series, but don't stop when you run out of red bike as there is a pic of another Lejeune track bike that rolled up while Fred and I were talking.

Go here (http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/CV-6+Enterprises/LeJeune/Pista/)and you will see pictures of the chrome frame I am building...eventually. With the delivery of a TA pista 46T ring, I will have all I need to build it.

Then there is this beauty that was up on the bay Dec 07. IIRC, it went for a ridiculously low sum.

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x115/lat7575/Lejeune%20pistas/DSC_002125res.jpg
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x115/lat7575/Lejeune%20pistas/DSC_002322.jpg
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x115/lat7575/Lejeune%20pistas/DSC_002916.jpg
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x115/lat7575/Lejeune%20pistas/DSC_004215-1.jpg

It looks alot like that red one from cirque. i wihs i couldve made it this year, it used to be held about a mile from my house, but a move prohibited me from getting to VA thia year. It has the same double-punch track ends and seat cluster. I've never seen a decal scheme like this lejeune has though. I can't wait til it gets in, i have some TA cranks and campy tubs just itching ot get on it.

On a similar note, does anyone know where to find a non-pivo or non-ava 22 frenchie stem?

heres pics of what im expecting:

*bump*, still looking for some info

Ah...pictures. I can see now it has main tube 531, so while not top of the line, it is a high end frame. I have been told by several that even when the French put a main tube only decal on, they often used 531 elsewhere. Why they would not advertise all 531 is anyone's guess. Seat stay treatment typical of the Lejeunes I have seen. There are Cinelli stems out there in 22.0, but competition is usually pretty fierce for those on eBay. I am sure you know you can sand down a 22.2 stem without much effort. Any particular reason you don't want Pivo? What other information are you seeking?

era? geometry? original component guesses? i had a pivo break on me one time, and i know ava's are prone to it as well. i know this has come up before, anyone know a place for replacement decals? they don't have to be liek the ones on there, this frame has my least favorite decals ive ever seen on a lejeune, and i want to run it liek it is for awhile, but plan on a full re-furb in the future. i got the frame for $150 and the seller said $150 shipping, i got it shipped economy-slow for $30 from france

which 5 tubes are 531?

which 5 tubes are 531?

I would say the decal reads 3 tubes and not 5. Those would be, seat, down and top. Looking at the photos of Fred Rednor's bike, link in my first post, your bike could be as early as 1975, but based on the markings, I would put it later. Who knows on the original components. I would guess it was not sold as a complete bike. I would go for top end French, but I read you have Campag already, so why beat yourself up looking for French. I have the bruises...LOL.

There was a seller on eBay France that had the plain block Lejeune in white a few weeks back. I scored a set and he had another to sell but I do not see any more. Greg Softley has photos from me of my decals that I had made. The art work for those decals was done by Mike Swantak with my direction and he sold all that to JRestore, who is on the forum. These are the garish markings I call Champ du Monde. If you are going period, then they are not the markings you want to use. Should you choose to use them, have JRestore get in touch with me as there are still some corrections that should be made to them. They are good and very close, but not exactly correct.

so it finally came in, onyl 7 weeks after it shipped. i guess you pay for speed, so for others that go "economie post", think twice if you are anxious. i had half forgotten i had it coming, half expected it to never arrive. it came and the paint is awesome, it is a purple like ive only ever seen on anodizing, so i was very happy with that. french don't know boo about painting though, the un-primed one-coat technique was some weak sauce. however, i was MORE than happy with what my $78 euros bought me. here are better pics. TA bottom bracket, and lightrace headset. same headset on that red bike further up in the post, any suggestions on tuning it are welcome, ive enver encountered an hs quite like it. nice tight clearances, no rust (until i unwrapped it in humid north carolina, than it started oxidizing VERY quickly, so still debating my next move. i didnt want to repaint it, but i might HAVE to now. a few new questions:

BB is stamped "121" on bottom left, and top left has "PFG" (see photos).

thanks e'erbody. especially lynn

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l466/otto_rax/IMG_3808.jpg
http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l466/otto_rax/IMG_3803.jpg
http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l466/otto_rax/IMG_3805.jpg
http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l466/otto_rax/IMG_3806.jpg
http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l466/otto_rax/IMG_3807.jpg

Wow, that is a very nice looking frame. The lugs are simple but nice, the gold outlining is great. I want an awesome purple track bike for 78 euros!

RGF is Raccord Gargette Freres fairly common bottom bracket. I have no clue
as to the 121.

Marty

Interesting transfers on the main tubes, the fork has a version of the block lettering... transitional.

Second tier bike, probably TA or Stronglight cranks, LeJeune used both. simple alloy or steel post most likely, Normandy pista hubs (good luck locating them) Lyotard or Atom pedals, most likely Pivo bars and stem...

That written, LeJeune was not married to a spec, the headset is the suggestion of no Campagnolo, but could have had Campagnolo hubs.

I would place the date as 1977 or beyond due to the ends used, and the atypical transfers.

Interesting transfers on the main tubes, the fork has a version of the block lettering... transitional.

Second tier bike, probably TA or Stronglight cranks, LeJeune used both. simple alloy or steel post most likely, Normandy pista hubs (good luck locating them) Lyotard or Atom pedals, most likely Pivo bars and stem...

That written, LeJeune was not married to a spec, the headset is the suggestion of no Campagnolo, but could have had Campagnolo hubs.

I would place the date as 1977 or beyond due to the ends used, and the atypical transfers.

Have fun with it whatever you do. I saw some Normandy pista hubs on the bay a few months back. But I think the OP said he had some Campag hubs already. Guess sometime I will get around to mine.

i have some TA track cranks and some older campy "sheriff-star" hubs on ambrosios i think ill put on there. time to attacjk the HS and BB and clean teh crap out of them. not completely frozen, but more trash than the east river

not that this should ever be used for dating purposes, but that typeface is straight outta "Man from U.N.C.L.E." and so would place this frame in the world of 1964 thru 1968 :)