Recent content by non-fixie

Frame made by Martens in Zwevezele, circa 1980 I'd say. Very nice! A bargain indeed. If the size is right I'd at least take it for a spin before making any decisions.

St Anthony of Padua church in De Hoef, Holland. That'll be Fernando on the right:

Don't worry. Inner tubes are very strong and very flexible. They'll happily fit themselves into any space allotted to them. ;)

Before making any decisions, read this first: Road Test/Bike Review (1986) DAWES Imperial It's all about the frame, so if you want to keep it build it the way you like it best. If you want to sell it, use the exact content posted above. (Without the last two sentences, of course. ;)) Me, I...

I am no specialist in legal matters, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt putting the words "registered trademark" on a sticker has any real significance.

WRT the OP's identification quest: having a browse here may yield some clues: Fastback Seat Stays

Manufrance is/was an actual brand of bicycles from St Etienne: Manufacture Francaise d'Armes et Cycles de St.Etienne.

Very much a racing machine, and a nice one at that, by the looks of it. Whether it will suit you will depend on the kind of riding you want to use it for. For long days in the saddle you may want the extra comfort and stability that generally come with a slightly longer wheelbase, like...

The tubing is imperial. Not that it matters much to me. Until I find evidence of the contrary I believe that Swift decal is just a generic one, much like these:

One exception I am aware of, and which may be relevant here, is that there were Belgian builders that used 70mm shells with BSA threading. @juvela may know which builders were involved.

As it happens, I have ridden the bike I posted above for quite a bit with 28mm Paselas as well, and the main difference I found is that, while it already was a responsive bike that handled quite well, it now feels even more like a precision instrument. As always, YMMV. This is how it looked...

What @bikeworkshop said. That is a beautiful machine! Lovely build, great colours. Right up my alley. 🥰 Given its size I would expect the tubing to be SP. Without mudguards you *may* be able to squeeze in 28mm tyres, which I find to be a good compromise for allround use, including light...

Among other things, yes. The best resource regarding this subject I have found is St Sheldon's article on tyre sizing: Tire Sizing

27" is 630mm, except for 27 x 1 1/2, which is 609mm and 27.5", which is marketing speak for 584mm (and is called 650B in France). Confused? You should be! 😁 Anyway, 622, 630 and 635 are all close enough for inner tubes labeled 28". Just check that the width is somewhere near what you need.

The SV17 will work, although I prefer the slightly narrower SV16, as it is a bit lighter and will stretch to 32mm as well. And anything labeled "622" will work just as well on 630 rims.