Early 50s La Gazelle - Eau-de-Nil 🛠️ The Merlot Aftermath 🍷

Simplex rear gear lever, down-tube mount. Again, model and date unknown.

Lever is a bit stiff, but it all appears it works as it should. What will I expect when I start to take it apart - just something straight forward with some friction bushes / washers or 3 million tiny ball bearings that will fall out?

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If Woz has a Stella bike, I'd be very careful around it when Mickey is about. He gets twitchy when someone fondles his missus.
 
The rear mech - the icing on the cake with the Simplex drop-out and lovely wheel position thingy-ma-jigs

@Mickeyspinn has sent me some reading matter. What I'm not getting for the moment is if it's 4 or 5 speed since there was no wheel set with the bike.

I've seen on a blog a guy in Australia built a NOS one up from a Simplex spare part box, and looked like he was using a 5 speed.

Is it best to measure the rear spacing and chain width to find the right answer? Would also like to know what kind of maximum sprocket size it could work with it. It's hilly as fook around here.

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Crankset will probably be easy to identify and date. Fluted steel Stronglight affair. I'm a really sucker for three arm spiders. 5 arm too.

Modern 4 arm are wrong wrong wrong on every level. 😠

Not gone into the zone yet; but the bottom bracket looks top quality and still runs smooth - hollow cottered spindle. 🥰

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Woz said:
Crankset will probably be easy to identify and date. Fluted steel Stronglight affair. I'm a really sucker for three arm spiders. 5 arm too.

Modern 4 arm are wrong wrong wrong on every level. 😠

Not gone into the zone yet; but the bottom bracket looks top quality and still runs smooth - hollow cottered spindle. 🥰

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Crankset looks really nice. 3 arms have that extraterrestrial crop circle look to them, and it makes me long for home. Up there. Days of probing and groping.
 
Christoph toe clips mounted on Lyotard pedals - even as a youth I remember this combination was an old favourite amongst the club riders.

Like the fact there is a little oil port on them. Pedals will need a full strip down service, one is a bit rattly. Really happy about the overall condition they are in, I see umpteen bikes with destroyed steel cage pedals.

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