Help ID a French/Swiss Randonneur frame?
10-17-21, 08:43 PM
#26
Junior Member
Thread Starter
The first model I mentioned (Berufsfahrer Modell - 'Berufsfahrer' roughly translating to 'Professional Rider' - their top model) is the 65L you see in the catalogs.
As for the pump peg, that is something that moved around depending on the year, but also something that wouldn't necessarily match the catalogs 100%.
You have to keep in mind that around this time (1956-1958) Express was cutting jobs, the management that failed to foresee the drop in demand of bicycles and motorcycles (in favor of cars) had resigned and the interim management was in place. Instead of adjusting to the new market conditions, they doubled down on investing in bicycle production. All of this meant that the workforce morale and confidence in management was pretty low. There are documented stories of theft of parts/components, with employees smuggling stuff out of the factory and assembling at home, then selling the bikes privately.
Anyways, here's a 1958 Berufsfahrer Modell with the pump peg attached to the top head lug
Not that you need more eye candy that will balloon your budget but this crank would be a nice addition
:
As for the pump peg, that is something that moved around depending on the year, but also something that wouldn't necessarily match the catalogs 100%.
You have to keep in mind that around this time (1956-1958) Express was cutting jobs, the management that failed to foresee the drop in demand of bicycles and motorcycles (in favor of cars) had resigned and the interim management was in place. Instead of adjusting to the new market conditions, they doubled down on investing in bicycle production. All of this meant that the workforce morale and confidence in management was pretty low. There are documented stories of theft of parts/components, with employees smuggling stuff out of the factory and assembling at home, then selling the bikes privately.
Anyways, here's a 1958 Berufsfahrer Modell with the pump peg attached to the top head lug
Not that you need more eye candy that will balloon your budget but this crank would be a nice addition
:
