French Barn Find - Buckets of Patina!

[Woz]

What???????? :shock:

How on earth does that work and what's it supposed to be achieving? :?

More here Peachy including a superb restoration to enjoy over morning coffee:
https://forum.tontonvelo.com/viewtopic. ... ilit=rubis

 

[Peachy!]

What???????? :shock:

How on earth does that work and what's it supposed to be achieving? :?

More here Peachy including a superb restoration to enjoy over morning coffee:
https://forum.tontonvelo.com/viewtopic. ... ilit=rubis

My "O" level French was always pauvres at best :facepalm: , but the pictures are great... that rim!

 

[Woz]

A bit more surfing reveals it is a rather clever two speed system - Hirondel patent 1902.

No levers nor gear mechanisms, one continuous length of chain and no need to mount or dismount to flip the wheel over.

To go in the high gear, you pedal forward (normal) and to go in the low gear you pedal backward.

http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/201 ... irect.html

 

[The History Man]

What???????? :shock:

How on earth does that work and what's it supposed to be achieving? :?

Double the power? Hi lo torque? Both sides of the chain power the rear wheel.

 

[26er]

To go in the high gear, you pedal forward (normal) and to go in the low gear you pedal backward.

Excuse moi... aber HTF do you go up the Tourmalet peddlin backwards!!?

:shock: :facepalm:

 

[Woz]

To go in the high gear, you pedal forward (normal) and to go in the low gear you pedal backward.

Excuse moi... aber HTF do you go up the Tourmalet peddlin backwards!!?

:shock: :facepalm:

Physically, out of the saddle on the hoods of course. Mentally, don't think too much your
pedals and BB may loosen and fall to bits before reaching the summit. :mrgreen:

 

[Woz]

..... and if you are lucky pedals are all etched/engraved with De Dion Bouton..... Barry

I have one destroyed De Dion Bouton pedal rusted solid to a bent crank. So full on unlucky. :facepalm:

Not sure if this is like the ones you are taking about. The brand name is cut-out in the cage, fancy, but not a strong design. Photo's here for history sake.......it's going to the tip on Friday.

 

[Woz]

Will add while I'm on the branding of rusty parts the mudguards must have been nothing short of a work of art and very costly to make. Sadly I have no photographs as the details were extremely faint.

The rear was embossed De Dion, painted yellow with blue box lining, and the front was embossed Bouton and painted blue with yellow box lining.

After too many successive glasses of wine it struck me what was going on - the rear tyre would have been blue and the front tyre yellow colour (see earlier pictures). This elaborate fan fair of rear - front inverted colours may also explain the oddity that De Dion Bouton is actually painted only once in blue on the yellow down-tube vertically central.

It seems you were meant to admire the bike looking from a close standing position, eye scanning top rear to top front. Completely unlike what is common today; a lower perspective eye scanning side rear to side front.

Obviously I can not be 100% sure, but it does make some sense. I think.

 

[Woz]

....Original wheel rims and hubs are quite hard to come by, nearly every other one I have seen is missing them, a dealer here in the South East (not Colin) had one for sale as a path racer without the original hub/rims for £2000 !!!......Barry

I think I know which hubs you are talking about - the ones with the knurled outer lock-rings?

For a start I really cannot say if the wheels I have where original to the Dion Bouton. When I found the bikes, there was one wheel on one frame, and one wheel on the other. It's any ones guess really. What I can say, the hubs are not the ones you are most likely talking about.

I have not been able to identify the hubs despite trawling the web. There are no markings, and look fairly modern in appearance - you would be hard pushed not to confuse them with something from the 60s, 70s, 80s...

However, they are ancient - they are made from what appears one single block of steel. The nickel coating is the best clue to the date. All threads obsolete French. Simply cannot say if they are from the De Dion Bouton factory or something from say St Etienne.

Compared to the faff I just had redoing a XTR M900 rear hub, this 100 year old or so hub is a pure joy to work with.

The design, material quality and engineering precision is simply outstanding. The picture can do the talking.

 

[26er]

Are you sure it ain't Campagnolo. That thing in the middle reminds me of my racing days' SR hubs...