Atomicb

Bought this Jacques Anquetil bike on the cheap, but the seller couldn't tell me anything about it, and it doesn't seem to have a serial number. I've looked around but haven't found much information.

Could anyone tell me something more about it: year, model...?

Thanks!

non-fixie 

Welcome, @Atomicb! That's a good-looking machine! It seems to be pretty much original and complete. The decal style puts it somewhere in the seventies, I think. There might be date codes on some of the parts, that would give good indication of when the bike was assembled.

It doesn't need much apart from a lube and a polish. If it were mine I'd wrap some new cotton tape and mount a leather saddle and take it for a nice long ride.

non-fixie 

BTW, there's quite a bit of information on this forum about Anquetil bikes.

Atomicb

Hey! Thanks for the information! I'll check those links and also see if I can find some information on the bike parts about the year it was made.

John E

We sold a few of those for about $125 in the early 1970s at Bikecology, when Peugeot UO-8s were in short supply. Yours looks nicer than the yellow enamel ones we stocked.

canklecat

Check inside the tubes for the secret compartments to stash amphetamines and champagne. That's the sign of a genuine Anquetil.

Insidious C. 

@Atomicb congrats, that's a pretty bike. You say no s/n... are there digits stamped on the non-drive side rear dropout? Do you know which threading is used in the bottom bracket? And for grins I would measure the seatpost and seat tube O.D.s - I have seen a similar frame with butted 531 main tubes.

John E

Those two dimensions are definitely worth taking. I mentioned the similarity to a UO-8 without noticing the aluminum rims, which move us up to PA-10 level, although the PA-10 had forged dropouts and an integral derailleur hanger. Even with the stamped dropouts you may have a 531 frame -- both of my Capos (probably a decade older than your Anquetil) have those attributes.

juvela

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wrt dating -

the inner face of the inner cage plate of the rear derailleur will be marked with a date.

question for our Jacques experts: is this a Cizeron built example?

T-Mar

The rear derailleur is an S001. They came out around 1976 and survived into the early 1980s. However, they were entry level, typically 2nd from the bottom of the line. Most of the other indicators, such as the stamped dropouts, steel handlebar, steel seat post and steel cottered crankset also point to entry level. The red herring is the aluminum rimmed 700C wheelset. As previously suggested, the definitive indicator to the level will be the diameter of the seat post, in conjunction with the seat tube diameter.

As for the source, it's not Cizeron. It clearly states Cycles France-Loire on the head badge.

Atomicb

Thanks everyone. I'm learning lots of new stuff from this thread, and also some English vocabulary refered to bikes. (It's not my first language)

I measured the seat post tune and the seat tube diameter (with a measuring tape, as I don't have other tools at the moment) and it looks like the measures are:
- Seat tube: 28mm
- Seat post: 26,4mm (although I'm not completely sure, it could be 26,6).

Couldn't find any serial numbers where you told me, but I'll keep searching.

T-Mar

An 26.4-26.6mm seat post in conjunction with a 28mm seat tube indicates high grade tubing and is typical of butted Reynolds 531 metric tubes, However, given the stamped dropouts, it is almost certainly restricted to the main triangle, with the forks and stays being hi-tensile steel.

Edit: Given the era, nationality and post and tube measurements, Vitus 172 would be another possibility that shouldn't be ruled out.

non-fixie 

Late seventies would fit in nicely with what the French were offering - at least in Europe - at the time. Often 3rd or 4th from the top in the line-up, there would be a bike with some sort of proprietary légère tubing, steel cranks and wheels with aluminum rims. Real-world weight would be 25-27 lbs.

I like these bikes. I have a few, and I'm finding that they offered excellent value for money. And still do. New, they were half the price of a high level bike, and these days they are even cheaper, as they're looked down upon by collectors.

juvela

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+1

Do find meself awonderin' as to just how those Notarios came to find theirselves fitted to un cycle de La France.

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