Originally Posted by Jan Heine

Every detail was reworked in search of a few grams saved. The front derailleur was made from aluminum, with a shortened lever. The cranks and chainrings were filed and reduced to an absolute minimum. Pedal cages were cut away, brake levers filed and even the pump was shortened to save weight. Because the extremely thin lower pump peg bends easily, the pump was mounted upside down! A superlight aluminum low-rider rack hel the bags for the 4 kg (8.8 lbs.) of luggage the bikes had to carry.

The frame was made from superthin 3/10 mm Reynolds 531 tubing (standard is 7/10 mm), fillet-brazed to eliminate the weight of the lugs, with a special twin-plate fork crown and ultra-thin dropouts. Even the derailleur spring was shortened. The saddle was modified extensively, and it bolts directly to a special seatpost. Of course, all bolts were machined from aluminum. The result was an impressive machine weighing just 7 kg (15.4 lbs.). The bikes were weighed without tires and innertubes to level the playing field, because lightweight tires were available only on the black market so shortly after the war. The complete bike therefore weighed about 7.9 kg (17.4 lbs.), including fenders, lights, rack and pump.

To prevent riders from riding too gingerly on the rough roads, speed counted in the results. Rene Herse assembled a team of fast, but careful riders. The result was a convincing victory, with the first four places among the men, the first place among the women, and the best tandem all going to Herse.

It is amazing that a machine from the 1947 technical trials has survived almost completely intact. A few parts have been changed and replaced, but essentially, the bike is as it was ridden in 1947.