Meanwhile in a Paris museum (photogravure heavy)
08-08-11, 03:33 AM
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Meanwhile in a Paris museum (photogravure heavy)
Spent the weekend in Paris, ghost city in august, bought some funky bar tape and went to see an expo called Voyages à velo, du vélocipède au Vélib (Vélib is a semi-public network of rental bicycles with drop-off points all over the city). Expo documents the history of the bicycle, cyclo-touring in particular. Lots of posters, pictures, press clippings etc plus 16 bicycles. This one was made by Nicolas Barra in 1949. That's 1 9 4 9 (just after the invention of the spoon).
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08-08-11, 03:44 AM
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Pining for the fjords
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I went back the next day with a camera, and the people of the Mairie de Paris kindly let me take a few pictures. Lighting conditions where far from ideal, and you'll have to do with this one for the Herse tandem, 1952 if I remember correctly.
08-08-11, 04:14 AM
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Last one. Lionel Brans was a French artisan-constructeur who used to take his finished bikes on a little ride, like to Calcutta and Saigon.
08-08-11, 05:21 AM
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awesome bikes. Barra's are so cool, autogenously welded alloy in the 30's, inconceivable. One of the top frame builders in the Netherlands had one in his shop and made some comments how freaking hard that technique is.
08-08-11, 07:07 AM
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This Lionel Brans bike sure has a lot of interesting things going on. Is the seat post adjustable, or fixed in place? What's the doodad on top of the stem? Is the rear rack brazed onto the bike? The rack looks super long and I see it has some sort of shelf on the bottom. I think the way he connected traditional brake levers to the guidonnet levers is really interesting. Speaking of levers, the levers have a really interesting shape. The carrying handle on the seat tube is really cool, I have seen clamped on versions but not brazed on like that. Now that bike is COOL!
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08-08-11, 07:21 AM
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The seatpost is fixed and I'm not sure about the rack but I guess it is too. The stem contraption: eager to find out. Is that a carrying handle? I thought it was meant to increase stifness.
08-08-11, 10:57 AM
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Those bikes pain my loins, in the very best way.
Looks like integrated rack - my Bertin has one, so it's not that uncommon.
Looks like integrated rack - my Bertin has one, so it's not that uncommon.
08-08-11, 11:06 AM
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That's amazing - I guess if the bike is only for one person, what's the point in having a seatpost?
I like the rear cluster ala GT 40 years later!
I like the rear cluster ala GT 40 years later!
08-08-11, 11:43 AM
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Spent the weekend in Paris, ghost city in august, bought some funky bar tape and went to see an expo called Voyages à velo, du vélocipède au Vélib (Vélib is a semi-public network of rental bicycles with drop-off points all over the city). Expo documents the history of the bicycle, cyclo-touring in particular. Lots of posters, pictures, press clippings etc plus 16 bicycles. This one was made by Nicolas Barra in 1949. That's 1 9 4 9 (just after the invention of the spoon).
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08-08-11, 11:46 AM
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These photos are great. Thanks so much for taking the time to shoot them and share them. Really inspiring and beautiful stuff.
08-08-11, 12:47 PM
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So, where is/was this exhibit? I'm going to be in Paris the end of August.
You'll have to hurry: only till the 14th.
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08-08-11, 12:55 PM
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Crap...we must have walked right past that!
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08-08-11, 01:03 PM
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The stem contraption is a ball and socket tripod head for a camera. It's clearly got the old standard 3/8" thread, used long before the current 1/4-20 standard. Very cool bike indeed.
08-08-11, 01:56 PM
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The stem contraption is a ball and socket tripod head for a camera
08-08-11, 02:46 PM
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Nice pics. Its interesting to note that Barra and Brans both have what appear to be threadless stem adaptors and that modern GT's have Brans 'triple triangle' design.
08-08-11, 03:45 PM
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08-08-11, 04:25 PM
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thanks for sharing those photos. simply incredible bigs. extreme utility with plenty of style.
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