To have you smile and I cannot find another section to post it 
its a roadie but not designed for speed :facepalm:
I wonder as this type of bike is very french, if they were some comparable machines in the UK or Germany ?
Here in France, these machines were mostly for deliveries in big cities ( you also have the butcher bike !)
some of these being designed for Newspapers deliveries which happened , several times a day as they were more than one daily edition.
You could alo use it to go to work
Most would have a front cantiler brake and and a rear coaster brake with a torpedo hub . Most were singlespeeds but you could find a duomatic or even machines with derailleurs but much more rarely
They were designed to carry loads up to 40 to 50 kg !
Herse or Singer did some tasty machines ( a few of them very light for such a type of utilitarian bicycle )
a 50's herse type
a 60's Herse type
a more classy machine
http://www.reneherse.com/RHporteur.html
and they were even some races with possibly lighter machines
http://www.blackbirdsf.org/courierracin ... x1950.html
The model presented here is from Motobecane , the french maker . It is from 1964 ( dated thanks to its Torpedo rear hub) A singlespeed with canti brake in the front.
The restoration work was fortunately limited thanks to dry storage
Good cleaning
Replace the broken rear light
change the front wheel axle whose theading was dead
Rectify the right crank which was twisted
Find some period red cabling and good condition period handles
Change the bell to a Motobecane one
Replace the front light broken plastic glass
Paint touchups but overall I was lucky as it was in very good condition
and to put icing on the cake, find a 1964 claret wooden box as a carrying case :idea:
It was tricky but I managed. Had to do with Saint Estephe though even if Pauillac or Margaux woud have been more to my tastes :mrgreen:
And finally a Motobecane stamped leather tool pouch
It is heavy indeed but actually pretty nice to cycle with - the ratio being pretty well thought
BEFORE
AFTER
its a roadie but not designed for speed :facepalm:
I wonder as this type of bike is very french, if they were some comparable machines in the UK or Germany ?
Here in France, these machines were mostly for deliveries in big cities ( you also have the butcher bike !)
some of these being designed for Newspapers deliveries which happened , several times a day as they were more than one daily edition.
You could alo use it to go to work
Most would have a front cantiler brake and and a rear coaster brake with a torpedo hub . Most were singlespeeds but you could find a duomatic or even machines with derailleurs but much more rarely
They were designed to carry loads up to 40 to 50 kg !
Herse or Singer did some tasty machines ( a few of them very light for such a type of utilitarian bicycle )
a 50's herse type
a 60's Herse type
a more classy machine
http://www.reneherse.com/RHporteur.html
and they were even some races with possibly lighter machines
http://www.blackbirdsf.org/courierracin ... x1950.html
The model presented here is from Motobecane , the french maker . It is from 1964 ( dated thanks to its Torpedo rear hub) A singlespeed with canti brake in the front.
The restoration work was fortunately limited thanks to dry storage
Good cleaning
Replace the broken rear light
change the front wheel axle whose theading was dead
Rectify the right crank which was twisted
Find some period red cabling and good condition period handles
Change the bell to a Motobecane one
Replace the front light broken plastic glass
Paint touchups but overall I was lucky as it was in very good condition
and to put icing on the cake, find a 1964 claret wooden box as a carrying case :idea:
It was tricky but I managed. Had to do with Saint Estephe though even if Pauillac or Margaux woud have been more to my tastes :mrgreen:
And finally a Motobecane stamped leather tool pouch
It is heavy indeed but actually pretty nice to cycle with - the ratio being pretty well thought
BEFORE
AFTER
