calstar

60cm x 60cm as found





Pics of it now (below) after it was stripped, new cables, housing, tape, tires, saddle(early 70s Ideale, best I could do),bearings repacked, waxed, shiney parts shined Chips and nicks in the paint but I decided not to mess with 'em. Magistroni 5 pin cranks and bb, TA rings, Mafac Racers, Ambrosio stem and bars, Fiame red label rimss laced to Campy high flange hubs, modified Campy fd and rd, Campy headset, Campy dropouts, Balillia levers. No clue what the frame tubes are or who manufactured it, but I'm thinking its Italian built, no tube stickers ever came on the frames until he put his on.

Robert Alexander imported all separate components and bare frame, built them up and put his registered name, Desiree, on them. Sold only in Santa Barbara, CA, in the late 1950s to the mid 60s. His modified derailuers allowed the chain wrap needed for the gearing(this is 60-50-28 and 14-30 freewheel on this one!), he called it "mountain gearing". He fabricated the parts for the mods in his shop, fairly simiple but still impressive. Considering Schwinn Continentals were introduced in 1960 this guy was way ahead of his time for bikes in SoCal. This may be the only Desiree in existence, I've never seen another in the last 40yrs. in SB, and know only three long time serious bike guys who even remeber their(the bikes) existence.

The really cool thing is I had pretty much the identical bike as a 14 year old kid in 1959, same size and color frame that I bought from him for $135(money saved from paper route and a huge amount for me, double chainring bike for $125). I know I never rode it farther than 10 miles at a time, it was just a "10 speed" to me with the different looking mountain gears. I was pretty clueless! When I got mine all the Desirees came with tubulars, so there I was riding around on silk sew-ups, not having any idea how cool the bike actually was. I was a "shop rat", hanging around and doing non skilled tasks like counting loose balls for the headset and bb, counting out spokes in bunches of 36 for him to build the wheels with, etc. .

I got the bike on CL!!! REALLY!! I sat down at my computer and opend CL, it was the second bike listed so just posted, I just about sh*t the proverbial brick. I immediately emailed the seller(no phone #) telling here the bikes history, etc. but didn't hear back from here untill the following day, during which time I was stressing/freaking that someone else would get, not have any idea what they had, and part it out on the bay. All I can say is Karma kickback did its thing and I ended up with the Desiree. I will never part with it, great memories associated with it of a fun time in my life.

Thats the story, mostly, thanks for looking, Brian

No need for me to look for a grail bike, this will do it for me.

non-fixie 

Impressive transmission!

calstar

...a few more pics of the frame and components in process, some nice simple long point lugs. Flanged bb, anyone know why its like that?

unworthy1

beautiful, and unknown by me...what's that shield decal say: sold by Robert Alexander? You know any more of the history of this marque?

Velognome 

Pretty! But holy cow!!! With that small ring you could pull stumps on the weekends for beer money!

Chris_in_Miami

That's a beauty calstar, well done with the sympathetic restoration!

unworthy1

OK, I go and answer (almost) my own question, again: Looks like this bike has attachments to Santa Barbara, and was an importer's/shop brand for frames that may have come from Italy around the '50s and '60s. Seller (Maybe Robt. Alexander, you can tell us what that decal says) also sold bikes with the brandname Violette (he liked him the ladies, some) and he included a mixte frame in his offerings. Word is that he came up with the gearing and RD + FD modifications plus assist spring and that's how he sold them: so you could ride it up the San Marcos Pass(!). I'd love to know more, but this is all I can find...

ftwelder

Wow, that is really beautiful. It's new looking. I really like the gearing. No messing around. Not one low gear but many.

Machine flanges on the ends of bottom bracket shells and head tube on bikes that you want to use reduced wall thickness with no loss of function or durability.

airplane stuff.

unworthy1

I'll add one more juicy tidbit: one guy who saw some Desiree/Violette frames from this shop commented that they looked very much like Masi frames from the same period...and that was from a guy who should know something about the subject: Brian Bayliss.

I can't say if there's a Masi connection, but....interesting, no?

calstar

I was still adding to the post regarding Santa Barbara so more info is above in my first post. I will say the springs came from Otts Hardware, about 5 blocks up State St. from his shop, I know because I would walk or ride up there and buy them for him. He did race in Europe in the 50s, thats what he said and I no reason to doubt him, he did have the most muscular legs I had seen as a kid. As far as riding the pass, his biggest sales pitch was being able to ride up California St. hill, next to the now gone St. Francis Hospital, the steepest in SB.. I believe Robert left SB in the mid to late 60s for NorCal, thats the last I heard of him, I'd say when I hung out as his shop he was around the 30-35, but being a kid everyone looked really old. Oh yeah, he also sold bongo drums he imported from Brazil at his shop, wore sandals and not surprisingly was known as a "beatnik" among locals.

Unworthy: "I can't say if there's a Masi connection, but....interesting, no?"

Yes, very. Where did you find the Violotte info, I'd really like to see it. You may have jared my memory of seeing a Violette in the mid 70s in SB, seems like that is familiar to me somehow, like seeing a mixte with Desiree gearing and saying to myself WTF!

Here's the badge





fd mod parts

unworthy1

great to read the new additions to the story: what a great find and now the bike has a happy home, too.
Here's a partial quote from Brian Baylis I culled from the old CR list archives:

"That's exactly what the owner of the bike said. It was purchased in
Santa Barbara by him in 1961. WhenI first I looked it over it looked
almost exactly like a Masi Special looks from that period..."

Best thing is for you to read them all yourself (only 13 total, and some aren't relevent) and draw your own conclusions:
https://search.bikelist.org/?SearchSt...ssicrendezvous
(hope the link works)

unworthy1

OK, last post on this subject: here's a pic of one frame that got the experts at CR (including Baylis) speculating on the Masi connection, this from the Velo Rendezvous gathering in California in 2003
https://classicrendezvous.com/Events/...R_03_pics8.htm
got to say, I do see some similarities!

Edit for housekeeping: I should credit the photo as copyright Dale Brown (Omnipotent Tyrant of the CR list and Cycles d'Oro), used without permission, but I'm certain he will approve when he reads the story .

calstar

^^ Read all the info on the links, to bad no one has a pic of the Violette, or another Desiree for that matter. Thanks for your input. Brian

Edit: I just went to the link and didn't click the thumbnail, I can't believe its anything but a Desiree, really glad another one still exists!! The cable routing is exactly the same as mine, pump pegs the same, and with the gearing mods what else would it be. I do have a pic of an early 60s Olmo a friends dad had with the gearing set up bought from Robert Alexander, but the frame is not the same.

Wildwood

Nice lugwork.

rootboy 

Super cool bike. And story. This bike was destined to fall into your arms, Calstar.
Nice catch.

rootboy 

Love the name.

mkeller234

Wow, that is a jaw dropper. Congrats on re-gaining a piece of your childhood.

auchencrow

This is my favorite shot - those fabulous long lugs and decals proclaiming it was sold by a beatnik.

As a kid, I remember thinking beatniks were cool - all in black, with bongos goatees and sandals. - And I think your bike is cool... In fact, I think it's everything plus, daddy-o!

unworthy1

[QUOTE=calstar;15324506I can't believe its anything but a Desiree, really glad another one still exists!! [/QUOTE]

Me too, but the odd thing is that the pic is titled "Violette.1" and that's what some people who were at the event called it based on the owner's recollection. It may be that Robt. Alexander used both names (Desiree and Violette) interchangeably, or that owner didn't recall clearly...long time between 1961 and 2003, right?

PedalTraveler

Just gorgeous, a truly impressive machine in amazing condition.

dbakl

I guess the 60 tooth chainring was for coming DOWN San Marcos Pass, but I always just coasted...

Cool modifications.

Ciufalon

Great story and a beautiful bike with unique qualities. I love it. One of the coolest bikes I've seen!

calstar

I'm not kidding you, he did have a goatee, and I remember him wearing black and almost always sunglasses outside.....beatnik, and was a very cool guy as far as treating us kids and his clients(which were probably not mainstream) well.

Debakl: "I guess the 60 tooth chainring was for coming DOWN San Marcos Pass, but I always just coasted..."

60t chainring story. I saw this occur several times,at least the start part. At that time(1950-1970) a highway coming through SB had several blocks of stop lights. Robert and his bud would wait at the last light heading north and get behind a semi, lights green, they are gone heading north, flatter that direction. I don't know how far they went or how fast but probably spinning the 60t while drafting a semi would most likely mean pretty far and pretty fast. Robert told me that why was he had the 60t chainrings, that and flying down San Marcos Pass. The fact that this bike has a 60t is unusual in that almost all the Desirees sold, at least when I was around, had 52 or 54t chainrings.

mkeller234

Importing frames, odd component choices, memorable character..... sounds a lot like an early Grant Petersen.

mkeller234

That is what I figured. Going downhill, fast enough to need a 60t chainring.... I don't know if I am that brave!