French Barn Find - Buckets of Patina!

Woz

Old School Grand Master
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It's ages since I've done a build thread, so here goes.

The back story:

A neighbor who knows I'm into tinkering with bikes asked me if I was interested in two old bikes found in a barn attic he's clearing out. When I asked "just how old", I get the smart arse answer "when a Frenchman was winning the Tour de France".

Now I've been here long enough not to get any hopes up of finding a pristine Hinault TVT frame with a full Campag gruppo hung on it and thought it best to edge my bets safely on a pathetic Motobecane copy from the Anquetil era to avoid any disappointment. These types of bikes are 10 to the penny around here and I have very little interest in them.

So, as for the barn owner, originally from Paris he is now almost 90 years old; the only way into the barn attic is by an outside ladder and according to him he hasn't been up there since moving to Burgundy 40 years ago. Once up the attic, and with a flash light, I can make out a little pile of "bikes" in a state I've never witnessed before. In a bad way.

There and then I convinced myself there would be no way I would be drawn in and they are going to the tip without guilt. However....in daylight and after three consecutive days of WD40 soaking and squirting what should be moving parts I think it's "game on" after today's effort. :facepalm:
 
Holy shit. :shock:

You got some work ahead of you.
I'm just re-reading Tim Moores Gironimo at the moment. Is one of them a Hirondelle #7? :LOL:
 
Wheel detail - after a quick going over with a wire brush. Part of the rotting attic floorboard came
up with the rear wheel. One butterfly nut broken. One spoke missing. I'm a sucker for flip flop hubs.

I really don't know what to say about the front tyre or whatever it is/was.
 

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firedfromthecircus":36w65enf said:
Holy shit. :shock:

You got some work ahead of you.
I'm just re-reading Tim Moores Gironimo at the moment. Is one of them a Hirondelle #7? :LOL:

Yup. Now you see, normally I don't think there's a place for a lump hammer, breaker bar, cold chisel and hacksaw in a bicycle mechanics tool box but these rudimentary tools are still more precise than an angle grinder :LOL:

Neither of them are a Hirondelle #7.
 
Re:

The "I could not resist" mock-up.

We've all been there. Surrounded by bike parts, a choice of two frames and a nagging voice
saying "surely with all this old shit you can rustle up something decent" :idea: ➡️

Got to say I was first drawn to the frame of Lot #1; lugged, ample tyre clearance and moustache bars, plus it was relatively easy to get parts off. The potential ended in tears when I discovered an horizontal crack along the top-tube. On closer examination it looks like the majority of the tubes are rolled with a seam of some sort.

All that said, the headtube badge is intact and cool -Vérité - The Truth. It's going to be stripped further for parts.
 

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Re:

With Lot #1 dismissed, Lot #2 came under the spotlight - much worse off and clearly had been raided for parts, but
it did have a chain.

Getting all the broken mudguards, rack, brakes (only the rear), etc. off was nothing short of a pain. Rust on bolt heads often
meant no spanner could fit, and when they did fit the bolts sheared anyway. Saddle cannot be salvaged. Seat-post
and stem eventually moved with some huffy and puffying. I need to check the frame over in more detail, but right now
my main concern is getting the odd damaged pedals and crank off because the bottom bracket is loose and floppy.

Even in this state with some parts from Lot #1 it's looking something like it. Just happens it's my size too :cool:
 

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Crank detail; WD40 hopefully doing something.
 

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