1925-ish Frejus
 

Why use derailleurs? Overrated.

More pictures here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/681231...57683670331953

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/868/3...41c1aaa5_h.jpgFrejus 01 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/903/3...a58497ac_h.jpgFrejus 06 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/822/4...ca6cb4ae_h.jpgFrejus 10 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/890/2...a68916d8_h.jpgFrejus 24 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/851/4...d2f5f5ea_h.jpgFrejus 44 by iabisdb, on Flickr

In all the years I've been on BF that has to be one of the nicest bikes I've seen. Congrats and enjoy!

Thanks. It rides nice. I wish the stem was a bit longer. but it would be difficult to find a replacement.

The bike is really cool with all that wonderful patina. It really is amazing how long a steel frame can last.

Hot dang! That's purty!

Wow, what thinned lugs this bike has!


Didn't know that Frejus went back that far.


Is that t normal 70mm Ital-threaded BB?


Just too cool.


I might lose the modern housing ferrules, or shorten them(?).


And you actually rode it!

Fantastic bike and great job on the clean up! I assume that is a spare Frejus saddle in the detail pictures?

Good morning, iab!

Another great one! I really like the bikes you've got albums for in flickr. Do you keep most of them around, or just the favorites?

I have a question you would be able to answer, if anyone can... On the old bottle cages made from the heavy-gauge wire, like the Simplex one you've got, are they heat-treated and springy like later cages, or easily bent out of shape? Thanks!

Amazing bike and I think it’s cool that you still ride it. A really special century in 7 years would be epic.

And frilly lugs are for fancy lads. That's a manly bike there. Great find!

Those wheels are gorgeous! Very cool bike.

WOW! I'd love to hear how this came to be...

Very cool bike, iab!

Great bike!
Now I understand the quest for that pair of hubs.
Brent

Really nice bike, iab.

Is that a fixed/free setup?

Also - just noticed what looks like an offset spoke setup on the back wheel.

The spokes look modern. Do you find you have to true the wheels very often?

Yes, a nicely made bike. Good craft is not only a modern thing. Frejus was founded by Ghelfi in 1896, sold it to Bozzi in 1946. Yes, a regular Italian 70mm BB with the "wrong" threads. I'll check period pics of of ferrules. Now you got my ocd going. Bastard. :p

Me actually riding the bike.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/812/27...7a10a8_c_d.jpg

The spare is the rider saddle. Obviously the original (so cool that it is original) is unrideable. It is a Rudi #189.

My albums are organized with the bikes I still own on top, rides/events I did in the middle and bikes I sold on the bottom.

My Simplex cage is spring steel.

Definitely crossed my mind. But the date is only a guess. Square lugs are definitely prior to 1930, but no real date code anywhere. I say 25-ish because there is a 25 stamped on the BB shell, but who knows what that means.

Damn straight!

But straight lugs are a stress riser and more likely to break over carved lugs. Hence the switch back in the day.

Thanks. obviously not original, but the we are fairly certain the wheels that were on the bike are not original either.
CBItalia rims with 2.0mm straight gauge stainless spokes on 20s flip flop (giroruota) hubs. The hubs were a tough nut. I "had" to go to a swap in Milan to find them.

Long story short, a friend sold it to me out of the blue. He knew I was looking for a long time. Completely unexpected as he doesn't sell anything. He found it 30 years ago in an antique store. We figure whoever emigrated to the US brought their bike.

It is fixed/free. But I could ride it fixed/fixed. The spoke holes are drilled at an angle, front and back. Modern spokes because I don't have a death wish. With wood wheels I give them a spin on the truing stand once a year.

Love the simplistic look

Probably earlier than I could ride, my hands just would not be able to grasp the brake levers.

Any idea on what the boss, (threaded?) on the outside of the drive side seat stay was for?

Mucho neato. And to think even though gear selection devices were available, it wasn't allowed in the TdF until a decade or so after this bike was produced. Man, those racers were tough!

Given that, curious of the dropout configuration. Was this design also for derailleur option?

Fenders.

Brakes are surprisingly good and easy to use. Although that rear caliper shifts and causes rub. Currently I'm using some safety wire to hold it in place until I figure it out.

That's a really neat bike, and a great set of pictures. Thank you for sharing this.

I get all excited about braking systems for some reason. What are the brake blocks made of (they look like some sort of foamish rubber)? Also, the brake calipers (in your Flickr album) appear to bolt to the fork/seat stay bridge, but ALSO have clamps to the fork tines or seat stays? Am I looking at those correctly?

I enjoy seeing this stuff to see how much really hasn't changed in the history of cycling, at least with the fundamentals (like the concept of a twin triangle frame), a fork with an offset, heat/seat angles, etc.

Nope. No derailleur option in Italy prior to 1930. Dropouts are to accommodate different gear sizes on the flip flop hubs.

They are Bowden Touriste Corsa calipers. They only clamp on to either fork blades or seat stays. The bike is not drilled for "normal" calipers. This is another way to date it prior to 1930. They started drilling for calipers in the late 20s.

Blocks are composite cork I made from 0.5" sheet stock.