S.I.F
- Thread starter al
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one-eyed_jim
Old School Grand Master
I'm gonna say circa 1960, but five years either way would be quite possible. Much later, and you start to see more plastic in the fittings, and the vogue goes from curves to straight lines.
Lots of lovely, idiosyncratic French features - the LeFol Martelé mudguards, guidonnet levers, racks that double as mudguard stays (or mudguard stays that double as racks), that kitschy chainguard, and the demi-ballon (650B) tyres. Four-speed freewheel?
You still see quite a lot of this type of bike in use in France. If you want to see one in its native setting, watch "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" - a French musical of the mid sixties set a few years earlier. Guy, the protagonist, a garage mechanic, rides something quite similar.
Lots of lovely, idiosyncratic French features - the LeFol Martelé mudguards, guidonnet levers, racks that double as mudguard stays (or mudguard stays that double as racks), that kitschy chainguard, and the demi-ballon (650B) tyres. Four-speed freewheel?
You still see quite a lot of this type of bike in use in France. If you want to see one in its native setting, watch "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" - a French musical of the mid sixties set a few years earlier. Guy, the protagonist, a garage mechanic, rides something quite similar.
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one-eyed_jim
Old School Grand Master
So what's this oh-so-French bike doing in Cornwall? It's not a style that was ever really popular in Britain, and it must have been a real pain to keep in tyres for fifty years.
One interesting point: the brake levers seem to be installed backwards. You normally see them curving forwards to follow the line of the handlebar:
One interesting point: the brake levers seem to be installed backwards. You normally see them curving forwards to follow the line of the handlebar:
I knew there was something wrong, I just couldn't put my fingers on it!!!
I'm available for weddings and stag do's.
The bike was left many years ago at my LBS,so i have had my eyes on it for ages. Made an offer the owner couldn't refuse,job done.
Now I'm off to sort those levers out.
Al.
I'm available for weddings and stag do's.
The bike was left many years ago at my LBS,so i have had my eyes on it for ages. Made an offer the owner couldn't refuse,job done.
Now I'm off to sort those levers out.
Al.
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Very nice .
