Caminade Carminargent - 1st time I've seen one of these
 

Met up with the Lightweight Lovers group for a ride and a drink yesterday. We met up in a very good coffee shop in Nihonbashi, the standard 'centre of Tokyo' that distances from Tokyo on motorway signboards are measured from. To get there from where we live means passing the Imperial Palace, always an impressive sight.

We sat around drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and looking through a magazine that one of our number had contributed an article and photos of his collection of English cycles from the 30s to 60s to. Another of our number had come on his Caminade - what an extraordinary machine:

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7...160c70b6d0.jpg Untitled by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/6...6055e7508c.jpg IMG_9284 - Version 2 by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/7...998c715877.jpg Untitled by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7265/6...e8679ba955.jpg Untitled by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

Absolutely beautiful! It's very cool to see that it's actually getting ridden (assuming he rode it...,) even though it's a museum-worthy bike.

This is (smoking) hot (sorry I couldn't resist). Cool bike.

Fascinating bike, from the '30's ?

Killer post as usual, Dawes-Man. Thanks!

From Classic Cycles in Bainbridge Island, WA

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6...b2bba292_b.jpg
P4220764 by CV6Enterprises, on Flickr

I remember seeing one as a kid, the owner didn't know what a rare bicycle he had, used it as a commuter. It was so strange I still remember it after 40+ years.

Another very cool bike, Dawes-man! Thanks for sharing.

So, it seems quite apparent, but I have to ask anyway: Are these bikes able to be dissembled for transportation/storage?

Interesting hexagonal tubes. Do know what type of tubing was used?

Btw, is the chain tensioner on the Classic Cycles/Bainbridge example installed incorrectly?

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

very neat! Its great that he's riding it.

very neat.

I don't believe these were "demontable" (sp?), and I'm pretty sure that chain tensioner is not installed correctly - doesn't look right, and that's not the way I've seen others installed. Wish I could remember the details of the Classic Cycles bike (owner Jeff Groman showed it to me this spring) - there are a couple of funky things, and he's choosing to display it as found. IIRC, it has some drillium in the tubes, and may not be safe to ride.

They are, however, definitely cool works of industrial art. Sorta steam-punkish. If Jules Verne were a cyclist . . .

I see it has a Prior hub on the front... gorgeous but very hard to find and super-expensive. Like the machine...

For a moment, I wondered if this wasn't the machine now in my friend's possession, but no.

Yes, he rode it. I had the pleasure of riding behind him after the coffee shop. The guy has a collection of very interesting bikes, none later than 1940'ish. He doesn't know how many. He also has a collection of pre-war and wartime Leica cameras.

Here are some 2 other machines of his:

A French machine of unknown make, circa 1941:
[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6...d9ae64516e.jpg IMG_0225 by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

A 1930s Hetchins:
[IMG][IMG]http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6001/5...9ee614a767.jpg IMG_6275 by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

The TriVelox RD on the Hetchins:
[IMG]http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6137/5...a94152a981.jpg IMG_6283 by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

holy ****!

Awe, man, this is so cool!

Thank you for documenting this.

And for making me crave a Guinness.

You took the words right out of my potty-mouth :D

It's a pleasure! I post this stuff because I like it and know that others, like yourself, do too :)

Sorry about the Guinness but FWIW it's better in Ireland... unless you get one of those cans with a widget inside - amazingly they taste very like the draught they sell in Ireland.

I have had the Guinness recipe brewed in Jamaica or Africa smuggled into the States, and those my friend, are some very heavy brews unlike the ordinary Guinness on tap around town.

Dawes -man that is such an amazing bike I posted twice to thank you for sharing these photos.

I don't know but I think it's from the 40s.

(The Guinness you mention above is Nigerian, I think. V. strong.)

That's a real beauty, and that chain ring puts my Biopace to shame!

I wonder if I could interest him in a trade for some old Contax cameras? :)

The Caminade Carminargent is just amazing, the Hetchins is lovely too! Your fortunate not only to see the Carminargent but on the rode is special indeed! Thanks for the post.

Wow, now that you've mentioned it, I see the holes you're talking about - ouch! Although those tubes look pretty beefy, I bet it's actually still fairly safe to ride, though it definitely makes good wall art as well!