dougb

I really like porteur bikes. In my attempts to approximate a porteur set-up, I bought some promenade bars. Now I'm looking for reverse brake levers, but the interior diameter of the bars is too small to accommodate modern (time-trial) levers.
I suspect some porteur bikes used the same reverse brake levers used on Velosolex scooters (see attachment). I'm curious if they're skinnier than modern levers. Has anyone tried to use Velosolex levers in their bars or can anyone tell me the outside diameter of the velosolex clamp or, better yet, anyone have one they want to unload?

Grand Bois

I don't know anything about Velosolex, but I do know that Dia Compe TT levers were originally designed for city bikes and they fit 7/8" bars. They come with shims for road bars. They didn't become TT levers until Lance used them on his TT bike in the TdF. The instructions that come with them show special slotted grips for use on city bikes, but I don't know if you can still get those grips. Cork grips can be made to work with them the same way they can be made to work with barcons.

Velo Orange has some beautiful CLB levers, but you have to buy a whole bike to get them.

el twe

If you can't find anything, get some cyclocross inline (auxilary) levers and just mount 'em on the end.

Grand Bois

The cables will be going the wrong direction.

Universal Cycles sells the dia Compe 188's for about $20.

fender1

Check out velo orange. I think he might have some for sale.

dougb

Tried them. They're too big.

Grand Bois

Unless you have bars that are undersized on the inside, they're not too big. I put them on mountain flat bars. I've got pictures.

Grand Bois

Actually, I'm working on a similar project and I wouldn't use those Dia Compe levers because they're part plastic. That's why I sold them. Let us know if those Velosolex levers work.

mswantak

I've got a '66 Velo Solex down in the carport. I'll measure the lever plug and get back to you.

ampalabike

I have a pair of these CLB levers (the same ones as on the velo-orange site) and i mounted them on my daily rider city errands bike.
They fitted a pair of guidons phillipe training bars but the bars needed some filing inside since they were a tad to big. I have another spair pair and can measure. I do not know whether these are the same as on Velosolexes but they look the same in the picture. I tried a couple of bars but most other bars were simply not big enough - the bar walls were just to thick. Those old french training bars are really light, I destroyed one pair pulling to hard on a climb on one side. I just snapped where I drilled it for the brake cable.....

ollo_ollo

Any more pics of this nice bike? Camera angle makes it look like world's shortest top tube

Grand Bois

It looks like a '70's Peugeot UO-8 to me.

ampalabike

I knew this picture will trick you guys.......more pictures are here: https://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/Drexl/Peugeot/
....and you will see: it is not the camera angle but my 3-year old son's saddle. A thing which used to be quite common here in the old days, I have a couple of them. I guess you will be sued if you ride with your kid on that in the U.S.. Here in Bavaria it is fun and my son claims this is "his" bike, he just loves it and takes care of shifting.....

Grand Bois

Nicely upgraded!

ollo_ollo

Thanks for the pics, that explains everything. Pretty cool for the kid! I may try something like this for my grand kids.

amnomad

I looked around for one of those top tube seat clamps as well as a down tube footpeg type arrangement, haven't found one anywhere. I imagine it is a liability issue to sell them here in the states.

dougb

Beautiful!
I've never seen a front rack like that. Is that yet another unobtainable, exotic, French part?

Grand Bois

They're not hard to find. They're good for supporting a bag or basket.

https://cgi.ebay.com/Specialites-TA-S...QQcmdZViewItem

redneckwes

ampalabike,

Beautiful machine!
Is that a T.A. front rack?

ampalabike

Yes, it is a T.A. rack. I got it via ebay from England. It was not that expensive. I also have a small nylon front bag for it that has a slot for the vertical support and a little rubber band on the bottom that secures the bag on the rack. My last addition to the bike were the Bluemels fenders, I got these from a LBS used for 5$. Pretty everything on this bike came from ebay or the caves of some LBS.

ampalabike

I guess so....I think they are illegal here too meanwhile but i live in a small town and know all of the policemen her personally, so they do not bother stopping me. According to german regulations the bike is not street legal at all, lacking front, back and wheel reflectors and using a non approved lighting system. But would you put those kind of things on a bike like this?
I see those kid's saddles all the time mostly on oldtimer car swap meets. Usually I do not have to pay much these. The one on the bike is the only one i found in leather, all the others are made of plastic (rubberlike). I did not find the foot suppports yet. If you are interested drop me a line and I will see what i can find.

dougb

The inside diameter of my bars is 19.5. I know Tektros are supposed to fit, but they don't. The 188s aren't even close. Perhaps I have the wrong bars for this project and I have to try something else, but before I do that I'm going to try to hunt down some velosolex levers.

Grand Bois

I don't know anything about Tektros. My levers are Dia Compe and they were designed for upright bars on city bikes, not drop bars on road bikes.

dougb

I have Nitto Promenade bars. I knew when I got them that they we're skinnier than, say, albatross bars, but I thought if I had them drilled out a bit, bar end levers would fit. It was an experiment. It didn't work, but I still like the bars...just have to find an acceptable brake lever solution.

Grand Bois

They are 7/8" od, right? Do you mean they have thicker than normal walls? That's odd.