Ah, recycling week! Gotta love it...

Our neighbouring city, Delta, held it's Trash Trade this week. Picture the world's biggest yardsale and all of it free! I grabbed my younger son and went out a couple of evenings to have a look. We did pretty well. I got a couple of kickstands and a very good chrome fender that's going on my Triumph, along with a decent rattrap. He scored a huge self-propelled lawnmower. (He does small motor repairs and mows lawns. He already went to work with the thing this afternoon.)

Yesterday, I had to go out there to do Nature Club at one of the elementry schools. I took the bus because I wasn't sure how long it would take to ride. Good thing. On the way back, I decided to nip down a sideroad for a quick peep at the piles. I spotted a couple of guys just putting out a bike. My score?

Old Venture Caprice classic ladies 5-speed, in extremely good shape. Hardly a mark on the paint, perfect decals, great rims and fenders, oiled and clean chain, great brakes, derailleurs and gears, one flat tire, but the tires themselves are fine.

My theory is, someone rode it for a few months, got a flat and left in in the garage for a few years. Whoohoo! I do love the old style bikes, too, so it was a perfect score for me. Yeah, I know, Venture, but hey, the price was great!

"Only the French would engineer a crankset where the outer chainring is integral to the crank! "

I think the Japanese got there first with that particular innovation. Not sure, tho, but I see it on Lower-end Japanese bikes now and again, models earlier than I've seen said crank type on Pugs. If the crank is marked "Peugeot" it should take a standard 22mm puller. By 1980 the stock cranks on all Peugeots took the standard puller, even when the cranks were made by Stronglight. If it doesn't, likely is an old Stronglight puller, 23.35mm. Or maybe a TA. If the dust caps on the crank have an "S" it is a stronglight.

"I know nothing about vintage bikes, but I came across this Magneet at a thrift store"

I've got a Magneet. Still have yet to do a thing with it. Interesting bike, mine has Campy shifters and mechs, nothing hi-end. Yours looks like Simplex from the shifters. What little I've been able to find indicates Magneet primarily made euro city bikes. They were absorbered by Batavus, a larger Dutch maker, around 1970, though Batavus manufactured bikes under the Magneet name at least until 1972. That is the whole extent of my knowledge on the Magneet.

Cranks say Peugeot, dust caps say Stronglight. I tried threading the puller in last night, but got little slivers of threads coming off when I attempted it. Wanted to make sure I didn't destroy it before continuing. Thanks

"Cranks say Peugeot, dust caps say Stronglight. I tried threading the puller in last night, but got little slivers of threads coming off when I attempted it. Wanted to make sure I didn't destroy it before continuing. Thanks"

Take a very good look at the threads on the crank before proceeding. They may be stripped or damaged already, which may result in the slivers. I had a similar one lately; I placed some oil on the threads and very carefully threaded in the puller, which re-tapped the crank. Your standard crank puller will not even thread into the older stronglight and TA cranks; it will just drop in as it is too small. The Stronglight and TA size pullers are the only other two french sizes I am aware of, both are bigger in diameter than the standard.

check to see if your dust caps'll thread into a japanese crank. If so a regular puller should work on the stronglight cranks. If not, you'll have to find a stronglight puller (LBS?)

that's why we all love the french bikes, btw. They're always soooo challenging. Not as bad as old English. Each company seemed to make their own wrenches and fasteners there.

I tried the reverse. Sugino dust covers thread on nicely. Guess I just need to take it slow and careful with the crank puller. Since the Follis is definitely French thread, and it has cotters, I think I'll just take it to the LBS for an exorcism. :D

here's what I know:
Magneet was established 1909 in Amsterdam by
Alexander Velleman and Abraham Gompert Verdoner.
they moved to Weesp, Netherlands after a fire.
They were one of the first Dutch framemakers
to offer a Cross frame (ca. 1935) (no not cyclocross, see below)
Up to this time they built mostly citybikes and workbikes.
In the late 30's they build a track frame for Cor Blekemolen
a well known professional. This helped Magneet
pioneer light touring and recreational bikes in the Netherlands.
During the 2nd world war Magneet(the company) was dismantled
by the Wermacht due to Verdoner's being Jewish, he goes into
hiding for the duration of WWII, his factory is converted to
produce Fokker aeroplanes.
Verdoner died in 1947, never returning to bicycle manufacturing.
The company moved into an old chocolate factory and set up
a modern bicycle manufacturing process.
In the 60's Magnet was the importer of Peugot work bikes.
Due to changes in the industry in the mid to late 60's
the firm merged with Batavus in 1969, by 1976 Magneet
no longer existed in any form.
That's all I have on Magneet, all in all a large
builder but not known for high end bikes.
If that one was mine I would keep it and not
use it as beater, its pretty unusual to say the least.

Below is copy of Advert from 1937. The frame on the
left is the cross frame, of which the most modern
form is the mixte.

Marty

sorry to hog the catch thread with the above but I
couldn't resist.

Might move it if enough folks complain!

Marty

Yes, I've been keeping the Magneet simply because it is so darned odd. They have very good paint, BTW, better than anything of like vintage from France or Italy. And what the heck, it was only five bucks. Here's a photo or three:

I just received this picture of a 1934 Magneet racer
from the owner of a dutch lightweight site.
The bike is currently in a Dutch cycling museum.
cool stuff.

Marty

My Motobecane's a few years older than your Peugeot, and it's got a Sugino crank -- that says 'Motobecane' on the arms.

Cool - and weird. But... now I have a Peugeot that has the crank arms removed!! Helps if you don't rush when you use the tool.

Now I wanna go see the Dutch museum... really don't mind if this thread wanders a bit, sort of gives it a nice flow and ebb. It's part discussion thread, part discovery thread and that's fine. Let it move where it will, as long as it avoids politics, religion, and other non-bike hot-button topics. One of the things I like most about this board is I know where everyone stands... on old bikes, which is why I'm here.

Motobecane used a lot of Japanese parts long before the other French manufacturers. Most all of the motos I find are at least partially equiped with them. Some later Peugeot cranks (badged Peugeot) were also Japanese manufacture, but I've never taken the time to find just who made them. Earlier Peugeot badged cranks are almost all Stronglights, but w/o the 23.35 crank threads, instead the common 22mm.

Dutch Bikes? its a whole nother world.
can you say almost a hundred different cross-frame
designs?
Dutch builders were a bit behind the times in terms of
lightweights, but they absolutely shone when it came to
citybikes and work bikes.
If you want more info (web sites etc.) let me know...
Marty

Yes! My Velox is sooo sweet! Just had the LBS wrench check my chain length (seeing as how I'm an idiot), and compilmented me on my ride and the beaty that is a vintage Campy rear derailleur!

Another junk yard find. This is one of two bikes I rescued from the metal heap today. It is a Trek Mt Track 220 Girls bike. I cleaned it up and all it needs now is a new chain.

Chromoly frame, weinmann aluminum rims, shimano SIS, grip shifters.


I think I might give it to my sister in law who is short, or I might sell it. It wont fit my daugther for a few years yet. If I sell it, what do you think it is worth? I was thinking about $100.

I'd go with more like $75, but I'm no expert.

Totorn sold a schwinn woodlands friday for 100.00 bucks looked just like yours but the make.

Gee, most all of mine are bargain basements, lets see, last summer I bought my schwinn racer 2 spd kickback for $10 at a garage sale, It has some surface rust on the rims, but it works.
Last spring I bought a trek 950 at the st vincent (thrift) for $15. It had a stationary bicycle seat and post in the seat tube wth the waterbottle pin holding it in place.

why did this post twice?

Got a 1970 Raleigh Grand Prix (yeah, I know -- three's enough) off Craigslist for $10 yesterday. I had to buy it though -- it was making the '72 I'm selling look overpriced. ;)

I was given one of those in perfect condition to use for parts (to help out an ex addict). I'd let it go cheap to someone that can really use it. Everyone needs Karma.

I found a Trek 6000 (mountain bike) that I guess is about a 2000 model in a thrift store for $20.97. It looks like it has barely been ridden. It had saddle bags that included all of the manuals, original h2o bottle, etc...not a bad deal!!! I used to race back in the early to mid 80s. I'm looking to get back into a little racing. I see myself showing up on some old gear, getting laughed at and serving some crow pot pie in the next year or so. Now I'm on the lookout for that $20 Moser, Gios Torino, Merckx, Rossin, Ciocc, etc...steel frame with Campy.

Not really vintage, but a lot of folks like Grant Peterson's work. Here is a Bridgestone RB-2, very nice Ishiwata triple butted frame, lugged. Complete with one Time shoe, 40$. Too bad it is not an RB1, but still a really nice bike. The top tube is a bit long and the bike seems to fit me (I usually take a 62cm, this one is 58) so I think I may fix it up-- what little needs be done to it-- and ride it about for a while before I decide if I want to sell it. I currently need another bike like I need a hole in the head, but I've decided to actually sell a couple of the ones in my size soon (no, Tyson, not one of the PXs, sorry.). I've always wanted to try a Bridgestone, though, like a pauper like me could ever afford a Rivendell. From what I've heard of mister Peterson, he'd probably be horrified I'd consider riding a smaller bike. Oh, well-- if he doesn't like it, he can build me a proper one for free to save me from myself. Nearly pristine condition, needs new rim strips and a truing. The shoe is not my size (bummer).