Vintage French randonneuer's and porteurs.

[juvela]

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While browsing the Daniel Rebour files produced by @HeikoS69 (many thanks), I came across an article that piqued my curiosity.

This article published during the 1956 summer in Le Cycle was titled:
"A French bicycle for President Eisenhower. Intelligent and opportune initiative of the Fédération Française de Cyclisme."

Here is the translation by HeikoS69:
"The plate (let's not talk about a brand) decorating the head tube of the bicycle offered to "IKE" by the Fédération Française de Cyclisme (French Cycling Federation) represents a very simplified map of France, bearing in the centre the "arms" of the Federation, cock on a blue-white-red shield and bicycle wheel, and the inscription: F.F.C. AU PRESIDENT EISENHOWER.

This bicycle is of the "city" type, enamelled by LAPIERRE in "France" blue with white and red threads, white sleeve and tricolour rings, chrome-plated fork ends, headlugs and fork head.

The frame, with lugs from the Franco-Swiss company "Sté Franco-Suisse d'Emboutissage" and SIMPLEX dropouts, was built by the Dijon specialist, Mr SCHMIDELY; the chrome plating was carried out by SIMPLEX, and the assembly of the bicycle by Mr JUY.

Note the MAVIC rims, Etienne PERRIN hubs, J. MOYNE freewheel, HUTCHINSON tyres, BRAMPTON chain, "JUY 543" type derailleur and SIMPLEX quick releases, PEUGEOT fenders, chaincase and luggage rack, STRONGLIGHT dural crankset, LYOTARD pedals, H GAUTHIER saddle, light metal A.V.A. handlebars, MAFAC brakes, CIBIE lighting, MISTRAL pump. It should be noted that the headplate, representing a stylised France, bears the arms of the F.F.C. and the inscription: F.F.C. AU PRESIDENT EISENHOWER; on the horizontal tube, the initials in white: D. E."

View attachment 1005252


The article unfortunately gives no details about the reasons that motivated the FFC to offer this gift to the American president at this precise moment.
The Marshall Plan which allowed European economies to bounce back quickly after WW2 has been completed for 5 years and President Eisenhower, elected in 1953 for the first of the two terms he will complete, did not directly participate.

Perhaps the French officials saw there an opportunity to show the American authorities the know-how of the French bicycle industry in the hope of accessing their market at a time when their outlets were significantly reduced by the arrival in force of popular cars and especially mopeds (the Vélosolex and Mobylette have taken their toll).

President Eisenhower was not known as a cyclist, his favorite sport was golf.
He had just suffered a serious heart attack (6 others will follow before the end of his terms ...) and even if his cardiologist was a fervent bicycle advocate, he never managed to convince Ike to get into it.

So I wonder what happened to this bicycle.
The Eisenhower Presidential Library informed me that "unfortunately, our museum does not have this particular bicycle in the collection. We have reviewed our gift files in the archives and did not find any information on the French Cycling Federation of bicycles."

Apart from the article by D. Rebour, the only documents that I found that testify to this event are a set of photos (without date or caption) showing the presentation of this bicycle to an official couple (?) by three men, two of them in casual attire.
These photos are stored in the USA’s national archives:
https://catalog.archives.gov/search-within/18463478

Here is a zoom on this beautiful bike:
View attachment 1005275

...suspect that research may bring up some connection to Dr. Paul Dudley White who was one of President Eisenhower's personal physicians and a keen advocate of cycling

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Dudley_White

possible bicycle may have gone into the Eisenhower Presidential Library

https://eisenhowerlibrary.gov/

U.S. presidents all seem to establish a "presidential library" in their name upon departing office

these institutions are open to the public as a form of museum

presidential papers and records are there housed for researchers & historians to study


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[Guinessisgoodforyou]

The last posts have shown we have some very clever and dedicated members. Thanks @Filochard @HeikoS69 @juvela
I will read properly when I get back.

 

[juvela]

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as regards the possible location of the "Ike Bike" there are potential legal snags forgot to mention

there are very detailed U.S. federal laws regarding gifts to the president

since the bicycle was not a state-to-state gift from the description it is possible that the laws governing the gift may be less strict than those governing a state-to-state type gift (have zero legal knowledge meself)

readers who follow the news may recall that this came up recently when the state of Qatar gave a luxury personal aircraft worth millions to the U.S. president

the White House made announcement that it would remain federal property until the president left office

the legal term for gifts of this type is "emoluments"

if one wished to investigate the whereabouts of the "Ike bike" one place to begin would be with his presidential library

if not there a librarian would be able to refer as to where to ask next


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[Filochard]

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...suspect that research may bring up some connection to Dr. Paul Dudley White who was one of President Eisenhower's personal physicians and a keen advocate of cycling

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Dudley_White

Yes, the cardiologist I was talking about is indeed Paul Dudley White, often photographed on a bicycle.

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as regards the possible location of the "Ike Bike" there are potential legal snags forgot to mention

there are very detailed U.S. federal laws regarding gifts to the president

since the bicycle was not a state-to-state gift from the description it is possible that the laws governing the gift may be less strict than those governing a state-to-state type gift (have zero legal knowledge meself)

readers who follow the news may recall that this came up recently when the state of Qatar gave a luxury personal aircraft worth millions to the U.S. president

the White House made announcement that it would remain federal property until the president left office

the legal term for gifts of this type is "emoluments"

if one wished to investigate the whereabouts of the "Ike bike" one place to begin would be with his presidential library

if not there a librarian would be able to refer as to where to ask next

Thank you for these clarifications.

As I said, I contacted the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum at Abilene, KS as well as the Eisenhower National Historic Site at Gettysburg, PA : both kindly replied that they had found no trace of this bicycle in their museum collection.

Same response from the National Archives.

I will start again from the source by addressing my request to the French Cycling Federation hoping that their archives are easily accessible..

 

[Woz]

@Filochard

One of the most fantastic posts ever here. I almost feel like doing selfish replies, but is not necessary.

You listed via Rebour the menu a la carte from the 1950s for everyone to be aware of.

Good luck and all the best wishes in your continued research.

Bicycles and statues from Denfert-Rochereau are clearly very close in comparison to make a diplomatic and enduring statement

I'm really taken back for several reasons. A lot very personal considering today.

@Guinessisgoodforyou will be over the moon.

 

[juvela]

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Fin.
View attachment 1001561View attachment 1001562View attachment 1001581View attachment 1001565View attachment 1001566View attachment 1001567View attachment 1001568

the grey grip appears to be a FELT from the south of France

the black one is a pattern unfamiliar to me, wonder if it may be a FELT as well...

cannot recall seeing previously a Beborex guidonnet lever

appears more robust than either the MAFAC or CLB examples

the Lyotards be model Nr. 25bis

DURAX chainset as ever

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[Woz]

cannot recall seeing previously a Beborex guidonnet lever

Unfortunately I lost some links and can't find them again. There's very little to find related to the legal entity and history for producing Bebo, Bebolux, etc.

All I know the head office factory was in Dijon (not too geographically far from Simplex), along with a proper a AL foundry, rather physically small, that could survive almost exclusively via Peugeot contracts. The only physical picture of the foundry I found was Ebay.fr on a vintage postcard for sale.

From what I read via sources like tontonvelo et al, the company then got in trouble when the price of AL went too high, where most AL was diverted to defence and aviation. And at the same time Peugeot being more aggressive internationally related to price points.

They eventually posted bankruptcy (I could find the date if needed). The little I have had in my hands was always very well made.

It seems to me, having understood this, at a very very similar "round the corner" period comes the dreaded Delrin from Dupont in the French bike industry. The bean counters would have flagged the company health the moment they knew and sort of "dumped" the problem to engineers and new cheaper materials available.

 

[Filochard]

These brakes were made near Sochaux, fief of Peugeot, not Dijon

USINE DE PETITE MÉTALLURGIE BELEY-BOURQUIN

 

[Woz]

These brakes were made near Sochaux, fief of Peugeot, not Dijon

USINE DE PETITE MÉTALLURGIE BELEY-BOURQUIN

That's the one! Excellent read.

No, not Dijon (probably got confused Terrot ).

It's a few years ago I had a chat with an Ebay buyer looking for Bebo levers.

 

[Filochard]

@Woz

Like Dijon, Sochaux is also in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.

And indeed, this company had to cease its activity due to lack of resources to adapt its production tool, like many other manufacturers of bicycle components at that time.