Daveyates

Here is a new bike i picked up a couple of days ago.
It seems to be from around the 1950s and is a Cyclosportif.
A bit like a randonneur / fast tourer type of bike.
I think this bike is one of the best built bikes i've had along with the Routens i previously posted about.
The frame builder is unknown at the moment but i have a serial number on this one.
So it's a case of waiting for another bike with a similar style serial number and with original decals to turn up to identify it.

Here are some photos

Very nice lug work











Scalloped forkends.





Mephisto A Bloc aluminium rims which were used by the very best builders of the time.



700c Martele aluminium hammered fenders.
The front fender has a beautiful curved section to allow room for the dynamo.
The brakes are Lam Grand Sport.

Daveyates

Riders view showing the beautiful aluminium bars, Lam brake levers, Radios lamp.








Huret derailleurs which i fitted because the bike had plastic 70s Simplex when i received it.
Nice original slender crank arms.





This rear derailleur won't cover all the of the 5 speed freewheel and so will be changed for maybe an Huret Allvit later.














So voila thats the bike.
It all seems to be in very good condition except the rear rim has a small split near a spoke hole.
I think due to the rarity of the wheels i will add a different pair to ride with.

non-fixie 

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful ...

Edit: did I say it's beautiful?

rootboy 

Woo wee! Another French mistress. Love that vintage bar tape. Looks like it's been shellac-ed, eh? And the twin box lining.
Cool as all get-out, as they used to say.

bikemig 

On est jaloux; big time. That is one cool bike.

3speedslow

Good idea about switching out to rider rims. Keep the others for show time.

So... I take it the frame fits you ? Hoping it does, it kills me when a nice one is grab-able and then realize it's the wrong size.

Great score there. How did it come about ?

Daveyates

Yes it's a size 59cm and so is ideal for me.

How it came about is because i also got another bike this week and i was searching online for parts for it.

This is the bike and it is a mid to late 1940s cylosportif.




It has 700c size wheels with Jeay brakes, i've never seen those brakes with that wheel size before!

Anyway i was searching adverts trying to find some Martel fenders in size 700 for it and i noticed that bike in an advert.
From the photo it appeared to be just an ok bike and so i went to get it just so i could use the fenders.
The second i saw it though i was like wow! I noticed the alu wheels and looked straight away for a Mephisto decal.

3speedslow

Daveyates,

Really, both those bikes are steller examples of that genre ! Lots of nice bikes you have there, lots of bikes to see that I had no idea even existed ! Are you going to use that green one for a doner bike !!

Keep them coming Daveyates.

Daveyates

Thanks!
The green bike, although i suspect are a clean and polish it will be blue, is staying complete.
The gold one has been repainted and has a very rare crankset. A Cyclo Rosa aluminium chainring set on early Stronglight crank arms. This bike will be built up with parts when i can find them.
The crankset is going to a collector friend in the states as he has been searching for one for a long time.

The thing about French bikes is that Rene Herse / Alex Singer are very well known, but there were many small scale frame builders that were making equally as good bikes which are not known about.
I'm planning on doing a website highlighting these small time builders and bringing them to a wider audience.

3speedslow

The crankset is going to a collector friend
I'm planning on doing a website highlighting these small time builders and bringing them to a wider audience.[/QUOTE]

Dave,

Quite the lucky friend !

Please let me know when you have this website up. I really enjoy seeing all the unknown framebuilders and their bikes ! The decades between the 40's to early 60's hold a particular fascination with me.

Regards, 3SS

allysdad531

wow........simply a treasure ! lucky lad !

northbend 

mmm just wonderful

i like this one alot. the color, the fine frame details..

If there was ever someone's collection of bikes I'd like to see in person it is yours, Dave

poprad

Bien fait Daveyates. I'll be looking for that website! I'd love to see some detail shots of the gold bike too, especially the brakesets.

mparker326

Will you try to remove the rust?

You should definitely do a website or a book on the small makers. I wonder if you could collaborate with Jan Heine.

bibliobob

More great scores...

big chainring 

That bike has the slimmest head lugs I have ever seen. Almost looks lug-less with adornments.

So there ARE large framed old French bikes around. Everything I see on French ebay is small sized.

obrentharris 

Beautiful bike! The lugs are indeed very nice, very slim, with fillets it appears.
I'm looking forward to your website.
Brent

gnome

Yet another nice find. I look forward to your website detailing all these obscure but very nice french bikes.

Ed in Toronto

You guys have some nice rare bikes. Beautiful...

spacemanz

Both bikes are awesome. I'd love to learn more about those earlier French bikes, and Italian bikes too, for that matter. Honestly, I had never even heard of either Frejus or Bertin, before going to look at ads, and those are my 2 best bikes. Sometimes it pays to be curious.

unworthy1

Wow indeed!
Decades later these would be called "bikini lugs"…and we would think they are something new…wrong, wrong again!