Helyett speciale

[Billcycle]

Re:

Hello Velo Fellow,

Is the size 23" centres or to top of top tube? If you are interested to to sell on the frame and save further work, please contact me.

I have just collected a beat up Helyett tourer with the nice French mudguards, Simplex touring gear and lots of rust. Will try to get the pics up here,

Billcycle.

 

[Billcycle]

Re:

 

[VeloFellow54]

Hi
Nice find ! This one has come from France originally - no question. My machine was sold by an importer in London (Helyett/Evian)
and had some English threaded bits - like the bottom bracket etc. Your machine is much earlier than mine I suspect. The frame number will, probably give you a date (mine is 59339 - that is 1959 - frame 339). By chance, I expect to collect the frame from the enameller this week. I added decals and lined out all the lugs in gold after he stove enamelled it and now he has added a clear topcoat over the whole lot.
I have all the components ready to build this one up and need to see how that goes. I most likely will sell it but it won't be cheap as it has cost me a lot to get this far and I know that there is a huge demand for the 'Anquetil' Helyett in France. I will post photos when it is done. It is a 23 inch frame.

 

[Billcycle]

Blast from the Past

Just found this ad from Cycling in 1959 in my papers... Influenced me at age 17.

Of course, Rousseau (a pure sprinter) was not on a Helyett H57UK, which was made for the British road market with BSF threading and UK dimensions.

 

[Old Ned]

Love those Rebour drawings. Better than the real thing!

 

[Little Al]

Re: Re:

I probably don't know what I'm talking about, since a) I'm not French, and b) I was still doing toilet-training while Anquetil was winning Tours de France, but it seems to me that the Helyett star waxed and waned with Anquetil's career. I cannot think of another example of a marque which disappeared off the radar so swiftly with the retirement from involvement of the rider associated with it, although there are probably other (earlier?) examples. For that reason the green Helyett is I guess immediately and uncomplicatedly evocative of the early sixties, unlike the Merciers, Peugeots, Lejeunes, etc., which continued through the sixties and into the seventies in their trademark colours.

I"m somewhat older & had completed my potty training there was always conjecture that Anquetils Helyett was a badged jobbie built by one of the St Etienne bike company's possibly the same as he rode before becoming a star He may have had Helyetts but I have a lurking brain twang that he preferred his earlier frameset/s so it could have been an earlier or present time build with "wrong un" decals At that time period the bike companys in St Etenne were such a mish mosh unless you saw your actual frame in build it was a calculated guess

 

[VeloFellow54]

I understand that the Nervex lugs used on the 'Speciale' frames were special supply and not used elsewhere. I am reasonably sure that Helyett disappeared when Gitane bought them. Anquetil won the TDF 3 times on a Speciale and twice on a Gitane (I think ?)

 

[VeloFellow54]

More on Helyett :
I have only recently learned that Helyett Cycles are being manufactured (albeit as limited editions) again in France. There is plenty of information on line about this. This was partly to commemorate 100 years since the formation of Helyett in 1919. The limited edition bike on offer is extremely nice - no idea of cost but I suspect that it will be eye-wateringly expensive !! There is also a very nice book on Helyett available. Published in France by crowd funding it seems it traces the history of Helyett. My copy has yet to arrive so the jury is out until it does. The on line translator is likely to be working overtime when it does though !!
As to who actually made the Helyett frames - this is another matter. There were many cycle makers in the St Etienne area and i feel sure that the business in France was as incestuous as it was in England (particularly around London as many frame makers were changing jobs, contracting work out or simply 'moonlighting' !) Hopefully the book will tell us more
I still have the 'Speciale' - 90% complete. I was waiting to get hold of a Juy 543 or Juy 51 at a reasonable price but none have appeared. I will most likely finish it with Huret gears now as it has been hanging around far too long. It will be sold eventually though as whilst I can ride a 24" frame - it is far from comfortable for me