French Barn Find - Buckets of Patina!

[Peachy!]

C'est comme ça . Easy come, easy go.

I really wanted this to be a rider for the experience, so very reluctantly it is an ornament.

The learning, sharing bits of information having some great input and banter is still priceless

Good stuff while it lasted.

 

[Nabeaquam]

Project abandoned.....

This was always intended to be a background project, but over the last few days I have evaluated it and decided to not pursue it further.

There's too many issues getting the right parts together, there are two rust holes in the skinny chain stays, brake bridge is damaged. EDIT: Oh, the non-original replacement forks have a manufacturing fault: the steering column is not in a vertical plane. Have accepted it is about two sizes too small and my position is dreadfully cramped reach wise. The work time, potential ride time, life expectancy of the frame and space it takes up is hard to justify since I got something much more modern .

An interesting portion is kept back though for man-cave decoration, and a physical reminder of 1910s technological know-how. Now cut-up, I can see the wonders and tricks of the skinny lugless head-tube. The Dion-Bouton head-badge is a work of art, and despite the name being better known for motorised vehicles, is oddly the father of L'Auto magazine, the Tour de France and civilian road tourist maps made famous by Michelin.

Who knows, perhaps another Dion-Bouton may pop-up in the right size and in better condition.

View attachment 678907

Metaphorically speaking. Ring ring. Hotline Bonjour, OuI, oui dere monsenyour, Is dis da Dion-Bouton Hotline?, Hotline Yeah, whatca need, I ain’t got all day, I need all new parts so who has the best price today?, hotline sorry dere da COVERT bug put da parts factory outa bidness, oh jeez, hotline oh jeez. Click.

 

[New Mexico Brant]

I am sad to hear the bicycle frame got cut apart. Surely someone else would have loved to see that project through. The frame and fork alone would have sold for $800-1,000 (over here) in that condition; even as an unrideable example, it could have been displayed next to an early De Dion Bouton motorcycle or tricycle. It would have looked incredible next to my 1902 Hendee (Indian Motorcycle) bicycle.

 

[KermitGKona88]

Quick @Woz get the welder out...

 

[Woz]

Quick @Woz get the welder out...

Oh fcuk.

@New Mexico Brant - $800 USD for a wall mounted Dion-Bouton bottle opener sound any good? I'll put it on a oak board.

I see your point. Believe me this was not a rash decision. The original forks had a rust hole.

The price of these things here range from peanuts (un-rideable, requiring parts and a lot of work) to absurd money (pristine).