Any ideas what this is?

[hotbuns]

Can anyone identify this bike? I reckon it's French, but of course I coulc be totally wrong. The fork seem pretty distinctive, maybe 1950's?

 

[hotbuns]

photo of bike

Here is the photo of bike in question

 

[hotbuns]

Front end

Look at the forks

 

[bagpuss]

Have you tried here?
http://classicrendezvous.com/France/France.html

 

[hotbuns]

I've had a cursory glance there, yeah, there's heaps to trawl through!

Just hoping someone would recognise the forks in particular, seem pretty distinctive. Thanks for the link.

 

[lewisfoto]

Some close up pics of the lugs would help, also if you can determine what the bb thread is that would help too. I have never seen that unique fork before but the bike's relaxed angles and older looking lugs suggest a 50s or 40s era machine. Most of the parts are replacements, and man that crankset is hurting my eyes, but the frame could be an old path racer which is nice.

Steven

 

[Excel]

Can anyone identify this bike? I reckon it's French, but of course I coulc be totally wrong. The fork seem pretty distinctive, maybe 1950's?

the forks are certainly interesting and makes you wonder the reasoning behind the design but in the era that this was most likely built there were a lot of radical designs being introduced in frame building all of them purporting to aid the speed and comfort of the rider ie: Bates Diadrant forks, Hetchins curly stays etc., a quick test to determine its provenance would be if you have a Vernier gauge to measure the stem insert as French models differed in diameter being slightly narrower from the normal British Standards 22.2 also on the bottom bracket are there any markings on the underside as the head lugs look rather like Chater lea lugs from the 1930's.....

 

[hotbuns]

More pics soon with the lugs, I think I have a frame number - N822091R on the seat tube left had side near the top.