The print on the inside of the crank not only says "Grand Luxe", but there's also something else: two letters in a circle, I think. HF?

Seat cluster:

The frame was apparently made for touring. There is evidence of a generator having been clamped on the left fork blade ...



... and a wire for the rear light is routed through the frame. In from the generator via a hole in the down tube ...



... routed through the BB shell, using some sort of housing ...



... and out again at the rear on the bottom of the left chain stay, to be taped to the mudguard stay, and finally connected to the rear light:

A previous owner probably drilled the wiring holes in the frame as the hole edges aren't painted.


Neat frame, and built with higher level of care than your typical lower end model.

Well, "lower end" may not have been totally accurate. While it was a cheaper model (I think) for Metz, it would still have been expensive, compared to an off-the-shelf bike.

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Odd that there is no evidence of grommets for the wire holes. Perhaps they were there originally and deteriorated to the point where they fell away. One downside of having the wiring pass through the shell is that it makes it difficult to employ a seal.

Delighted to see that apparent headcup divot was indeed simply schmutz.

Was slightly surprised to see that assembler had routed front mech cable under the BB.

Look forward to a report on any steerer tattoos.

Hermesse hath proven difficult to research. Search engine logic wants to return all the hits for the Hermes fashion house of Paris. Tonton says name has never occurred thither.

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EKLA notes -

Discovered that there was once a "Simplex Ekla" chainset. Encountered in the catalogue of Fonteyn Co. Ltd. on page eighteen of 1939. Seen on two mounts displayed at classiclightweights.co.uk. Appears to have been offered at least from the late thirties through the early fifties of the past century.





https://www.peterbrueggeman.com/cr/ca...onteyn1939.pdf

Paris Galibier - 1951

Jack Green

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Talk about fashion! That 1939 Fonteyn catalog contains some cool examples, like the "racing vests", apparently named after a track racer called Lacoste, judging by the accompanying artwork. I'll bet his name was Ronnie.

BTW, the grommets were once there. You can actually see the remnants of the downtube example in the picture of the BB shell:

The one thing that does hurt a little bit is the broken spindle. Apart from that missing bit it is in excellent shape.

[QUOTE=non-fixie;19673086]Talk about fashion! That 1939 Fonteyn catalog contains some cool examples, like the "racing vests", apparently named after a track racer called Lacoste, judging by the accompanying artwork. I'll bet his name was Ronnie.

And evidently not "l'alligator."

Whilst thee are in the vicinity, timewise, ye might enjoy a stroll over to Brown Brothers...

https://veterancycleclublibrary.org.u...20Library).pdf

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One can only hope that Springfield experienced this injury in the course of storage or transport. If it took place while he was being piloted said pilot would have been in urgent need of a parachute...

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[QUOTE=juvela;19673155]Thanks! That VCC library is a true treasure chest.

BTW, had I already mentioned that the freewheel is a Cyclo 64?

[QUOTE=non-fixie;19673180]That is what I had assumed from this earlier image:



Get one correct ever' month or two...

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"...that non-fixie be slipperyer 'an eel! 'e failed to menshun to us 'e already 'ad an Hermesse chainset on one o' 'is JOCO mounts."



"...'ere be one fitted to another JOCO, once again paired with a Verot Competition BB set."

https://www.flickr.com/photos/41284201@N05/8181920018

set on a Jan de Reus fiets -

Forum van Vereniging De Oude Fiets ? Toon onderwerp - Cycles Jan de Reus - jaren vijftig? Zestig?

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It is nice to see other people getting interested in less than top of the line bicycles. It took me a while to learn that even a lowly Torpado Luxe or Bottecchia Model Special can be lots of fun to find, build and ride. That said, I always fit my oldies with tubular tires, these days. To heck with those steel rim 27" wheels. They just don't cut it when ride quality is the concern...



This old Torpado falls into the entry level bike shop class, and it is a heck of a nice bicycle to view and ride, in my opinion...

Looking good! The paint job isn't tired it honestly just needs wax. I've yet to see anything low end about this bike despite the thread title. Lots of goodness though. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be Columbus. 26.8 was a common seattube diameter for old Columbus tubing. The dropouts as well don't look low end to me, they just look old.

I think some polish and wax would really bring the paint back to life. I implore you to do a couple hours of strenuous work and take pictures so that I can nod my head almost imperceptibly and say to myself "yep, I was right".

What is the rear derailleur? Looks like a record or Gran Sport.

Will make a nice bike for someone out there. I'd definitely put some mileage on one of those if I had one. Wonder what the frame tubing is..?

Record. Front Record as well, with housing stop.

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From this image steerer, at least, be not from A.L. Colombo -



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I don't think I'd call that low end. I'm not sure why you do? Perhaps it was a notch down from the very top of the line, but perhaps it was not.

Considering the time period, a steel cottered crank was a legitimate choice for a top shelf bike. It was only later that steel cranks were found on lesser models.

Regardless, it's a cool bike for sure. The wire holes are slightly unfortunate, but since they're there you may as well use them.

BTW Lacoste invented that type of collar. I'm fairly certain that's what the ads are referring to. By Lacoste I mean René Lacoste the tennis star that invented the alligator shirts.

I used the term "low-end" because, besides the Universal 61 brakes, the stamped drop-outs and cottered cranks were what stood out in the ad. And those inevitably led to the label "low-end" on this forum. Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy with this find.

I don't think the wire holes are unfortunate, but actually a welcome feature. Quite common on all European touring bikes. No touring without lights in these parts, and the internal routing gives extra protection and a much cleaner look.

I'm familiar with René Lacoste, hence the referral to "his British cousin on a track bike" as "Ronnie". OK, it was a pretty lame joke.

BTW, tomorrow there's a C&V ride in Haarlem, the town where Willem Metz had his shop. I'm hoping to run into a few other Springfield owners, and maybe get a lead on who built this frame. I'll probably be riding one of my other Springfields:

Awesome! Does that mean we get treated to more great non-Dixie pics of European Marques?

Yes, there are many photos out there of number-plated racing bikes in races set up with steel cottered cranks. In racing if you don't finish you don't win, so a more resilient but heavier part was often not displaced by a newer and lighter one, until it was regarded as proven.

A few European bikes did not have top tier tubing but got good geometry and decent appointments.
I always like them. An interesting bike. All looks appropriate to provide good no nonsense service.
Scary spindle failure.