capnjonny 

Happy Holidays Cats and Kiddies.
After watching it sit in the back room at the Bike Exchange for months I finally got pemission to do "my thing" with this frame and fork.
I have been busy decaling the Pinarello Montello and the 58 Lenton and probably don't need yet another major project but I find it hard to resist a rare vintage frame.

Below please see pictures of what I have. I did download a catalogue scan for 1958 and I think it might be the Champion de France model.
It looks like it has been repainted ( did they do metalic paint back then?) .
I have lots of old french parts in the shop and would like to keep it somewhat period correct. Any help on original equipment would be helpful .
I read through the french language catalogue and have some idea of what was used but not certain.

I have a cottered Stronglight crank, Ava stem, and a couple Hurret derailleurs as well as some old Campi bits . I have a nice set of Rigida Cromolux wheels with Campi high flange hubs but was going to use them on the Lenton. Wondering if super champion aluminum rims would be acceptable.

One unusual detail, note the seat stays with shaped ends as they wrap around the seat tube. Have not seen that before. looks like they are filed to that shape.

Did they use 700 c rims back then or 27" Aluminum or steel? what color frames, Decals?

I would love it if anyone can post some pictures of a Follis contemporary to this one.

Lastly (for now) any Idea on value if restored to semi original condition?

non-fixie 

Nice find! The paint and decals are definitely not original, so the first thing I'd do is carefully strip the paint and see what's underneath, especially in the seat cluster area.

Congrats on an interesting project!

noobinsf 

Wow, what an interesting frame! The head tube is outrageous.

cb400bill

Thread moved from C&V to C&V Appraisals.

cb400bill

https://anciensveloslyonnais.weebly....el-follis.html

juvela

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arrestors would likely have been Bebo roller sidepulls



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3alarmer 

....while this came to me as a rusty sort of complete bike, I don't know how much of the components were original. Not sure if they did much in the way of metallic paint on bikes then, but they definitely did flamboyant colors, which is sort of how I repainted this one. All the chrome on mine was pretty bad, so I de-rusted, primed, and painted over it. It took quite a while as a project. I finally ended up putting white fenders on it.

I went with 27" rims and tires. But I don't think it matters which you choose. The French bikes were all over the place back then, with 650b and such.

This one came to me from some guy who pulled it out of a house (shed ?), where he had "done some work" for someone. He transferred it to me near San Rafael, but I got the impression he'd found it in that old house somewhere farther south. The rear derailleur I used is not period correct, but it was close enough for my purposes.

This one yielded those colors with self etching primer / white primer / silver metallic / semi-transparent red (blue) the same way you do candy colors painting a car. Then decals and clear 2K over all of that. The scheme is more or less what seemed to be left on the original. This decal lettering was my own design, but Greg Softly has the correct decals for this at Cyclo Mundo, if you decide you want to invest that much in your cosmetic restoration.

3alarmer 

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...no idea on value for something like this. Probably less than the costs to restore.

3alarmer 

capnjonny 

Well, the 1958 Follis Champione de France model 309 is finished.

I decided to keep the blue paint and just touched up the dings and clear coated it.

Received as a frame and fork, I didn't try to find the original unobtaniun hardware, choosing instead to outfit it with somewhat period correct bits from my personal stash with the goal of making it a nice rider rather than a museum wall hanger.
Parts included:
AVA bars, GB stem, Mafac levers and brakes, Stronglight cranks, Lyotard pedals, 5 speed Hyperglide copy 14-28 freewheel, Suntour front derailleur and down tube ratchet shifters, Alvit rear derailleur, Super Champion rims on Campi hubs, and a Brooks style vintage leather saddle which could be a Wright or something French, I can't really tell.

capnjonny 

bikemig 

Very nice job. Too bad it lacks the headbadge.

Wildwood

Hey @capnjonny - most excellent follow-up and refurbishment. That's the way I do it, parts bin as close to era as possible, maybe a component to purchase. Bought a '59 German bike and assembled with era Campa GS drivetrain, Universal brakes. After a few rides I modified gears & brakes to more practical for a rider in hills. Riders over lookers, when lookers cost bonkers. YMMV

mods - put this thread back in main C&V, please.