gugie 

Fellas, I went off the deep end, and got this guy:


More pics from the eBay listing

If I were to modernize it, I would burn in bicycle hell. I'll keep it as vintage as reasonably possible. Biggest issue is finding a 4 speed freewheel and a rear derailleur right now. Mafac cantilevers have recently gone sky high in price, that'll be a challenge as well.

If I can find some vintage fendors, I'd crap my pants. I trust the local go-to wet painter to do it right.

Guidance from the village elders much appreciated.

bikemig 

That is a very cool bike.

David Newton

Start by not painting it.

iab 

RD is easy, a Simplex or Huret TdF. Easy to find and somewhat cheap. You could also get away wit a 3-speed freewheel instead of the 4. French ebay has plenty of those. But iirc, Atom 4-speeds are pretty common too.

Cool frame, have fun with the build.

gugie 

Click on the eBay photos, let me know what you think. I haven't unpacked it yet, I'l start with rust removal and see where it goes.

repechage

Only the French can do color breaks like that and make it work.
A formidable project. It could be quite rewarding when complete.
This one could be very costly though. I would have to really consider how to go about it.

rhm

I agree (having looked at the photos), mainly because it's going to take a while to find suitable components, and many of them will have a certain "patina." If you start by painting the frame, you will restrict yourself to new looking components. Find your components first, build the bike up, make it into something you can ride, and then consider the thing as a whole.

Can you get all the correct decals? I rather doubt it, but no harm in trying. If not, start documenting what's there: measure, draw, photograph. Can you make the reproduction decals yourself? If not, find someone who can. And don't destroy the originals until you have decent reproductions in hand.

If there comes a time when you have new (ish) looking components and all the decals you need, then you can consider painting it. Until then... start by not painting it.

bertinjim 

gugie-

What a neat looking project. Bikeville in Philadelphia has stocks of old, period parts that will help you. Try them here and email for specifics.

daf1009

First...very cool frame...it will be fun to watch as you get this one together! It should be an OUTSTANDING and unique project!

I concur with most of what has been said...take your time, get your components...hopefully as many period correct(ishness) as you can...

And...for once with me, I am actually in favor of painting here. After the components...to know how "blingy" it should be...but...I think that this particular frame would look great without the patina...and I am, generally, a "leave it as is" type person. Not sure why this particular frame calls out to me for fresh paint...but it does.

gugie 

UPDATE: Found a picture of what I'm looking for. The 2 bolt attachment is for a Simplex Grand Tourisme:


If you look closely at the rear dropout, you'll see the derailleur attaches with two bolts. I finally found a picture of a similar bike with the derailleur attached:

rhm

You can get French derailleurs for that mount made by Simplex, Huret, Cyclo, and perhaps others. English versions from Cyclo, Resilion, Trivelox, and others. They turn up on eBay regularly; you can find nice shiny clean ones for $100-$400 any day, and you can find cruddy rusty ones for $10-$30 occasionally. I recommend the latter, but for the former, this one may be worth it; This one is not..

I presume you have cable stop near the bottom of the chain stay to match the one near the top of the chain stay?

You can use a regular claw-mount derailleur if you prefer. The old pull-chain type rely on a rigid arm that tends to get bent when the bike falls over (parallelogram derailleurs just move out of the way). Once bent, they are easy to shift into the spokes, much to the detriment of both derailleur and spokes.

crank_addict

Neat project! I'm in agreement some of the others and leave the original finish. Although would take a very close look at any deep corrosion areas. Choose your method but would certainly do whatever to prevent further damage.

Nice matched hubs and chainguard. Beyond the frame preservation, I'd just go for some old parts and ride the devil out of it. Have fun!

David Newton

I don't even see any live rust to be concerned with.
"Rust removal" dipping in oxalic acid bath, makes bare metal, and then will want paint. If you begin by rubbing the entire frame with paste wax, not automotive wax with abrasive, it will remove grime over the paint & decals in a gentle manner, and seal the unpainted spots from rusting.
You only get "original" once. Everything else, especially on a vintage bike, is "too bad, wouldn't it be great to see it as it was".

gugie 

No paint until I get it all built and rideable, then decide.

Thanks for the info! I took iab's advice, found one on French eBay with "beausage", and put a bid on it.

As for cable stops, I believe you mean the seat stays, correct? Yes, they are there, along with the spring braze-on bit under the drive side chain stay.

The hubs are engraved "Rochet", and are in excellent shape. The bottom bracket is serviceable, but the headset feels like it has sand for bearings. I'll disassemble and check them all out.

Now on to search for rue libre, 4 vitesse.

Mon francais ne est la merde!

rhm

Yes, of course, that's what I meant. I forgot to ask about the hook for the spring.

For laughs, here's the Trivelox derailleur I have on my Fothergill. Like yours it has a long spring under the chain stay for chain tension; but I don't have the original spring. I've had a hard time figuring out just how much chain tension it wants. But it shifts fine. I just use it for two cogs, having the three speed hub as well.

Big Block

from the same seller as your frame
Four speed Packson Freewheel

gugie 

Merde!

I have sent a message to William at reperagevelo to see what else he is hiding from me! Really my fault, I should have asked him earlier.

gugie 

Score!



Got a post at my flickr site that made me think more about not painting. If I did paint, vintage parts would look odd, then I'd have to look into re-chroming parts, etc. Now I have to figure out how to "age" a set of rims properly, and find a source for zinc plated spokes.

rhm

Lovely crank! Is this one of the ones where the chain ring is threaded onto the spider? Such a cool system.

I don't think the zinc plated spokes will be that hard to find; but I wouldn't bother. Stainless spokes have been around for a long time, and are nice to work with anyway.

To "age" the rims, ride the bike and don't polish the rims afterwards. Works every time!

gugie 

Not sure yet about the chain ring, when it arrives, I'll answer!

If stainless is period correct, no problem going that way, but I'm much too impatient to wait for patina on the rims.

Grand Bois

Stainless spokes are not period correct, but I'd use them anyway.

non-fixie 

Subscribing! Still haven't dared to touch mine yet. Made easy because it's very decorative in its current state. I kept it in the living room for six months ...

clubman 

Chrome plated spokes were around in that time frame as well. I do have an extra Cyclo 3 speed gear with the 2 bolt mount but I think it's missing the long spring. Maybe the shifter is around as well. PM if you consider it, I don't want a lot for it.

rhm

I don't know when your Rochet was made, and I don't know what spokes it came with, so I don't know if stainless spokes were an option for it.

They certainly were in use at the Raleigh factory by the late 30's.


1939 Raleigh Bicycle Catalog from RetroRaleighs Page 15

gugie 

More pictures, please! I don't have very much to go by, yours would be a great guide!