chickendrumsticks
Senior Retro Guru
That is nice. At the very least it's sorted out that slight slackness of the chain...
Vintage French randonneuer's and porteurs.
- Thread starter Guinessisgoodforyou
- Start date
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Wills late 1930s randonneur. Built in St Etienne. A rare and beautiful bike. Owners translation below.
This is my latest touring bike, recently discovered and brought home by 4 good Samaritans, after a half-tour of France.
It's a touring bike from the second half of the 30's, which has already been restored by the previous owner and is in good condition although some details bother me, which I will try to remedy.
My eye was attracted by the very special front light, which I had never seen before except on a 1936 cycling magazine with this advertisement.
The dynamo is integrated in the front light and is applied to the tyre by means of a knob on the side of the light, which is screwed on.
The front light must have a place for a battery because there are 2 bulbs, one must work with a switch that is no longer present on the bike.
Note also the rear light, quite special.
In fact, the dynamo body almost completely fills the light.
There is no room for a battery, as I thought, the 2nd slot for a bulb must only be used to place a spare bulb as there is no connection provided.
I started to work on the defects of this bike.
First of all, the handlebars which have been painted with imitation chrome paint, are a real horror.
It has taken on a blistered aluminium appearance due to the rust that has returned under the paint.
So, I had to remove it and discover the problem.
Note the brake lever attachments welded to the handlebars.
I put a detail picture of the brake because I found the same one in a spare parts catalogue from 1937.
The front light's second bulb is actually a storage space for a spare bulb for the rear light.
The system for changing the rear light bulb is original and practical. You lift the cap which is held by 2 springs.
This is my latest touring bike, recently discovered and brought home by 4 good Samaritans, after a half-tour of France.
It's a touring bike from the second half of the 30's, which has already been restored by the previous owner and is in good condition although some details bother me, which I will try to remedy.
My eye was attracted by the very special front light, which I had never seen before except on a 1936 cycling magazine with this advertisement.
The dynamo is integrated in the front light and is applied to the tyre by means of a knob on the side of the light, which is screwed on.
The front light must have a place for a battery because there are 2 bulbs, one must work with a switch that is no longer present on the bike.
Note also the rear light, quite special.
In fact, the dynamo body almost completely fills the light.
There is no room for a battery, as I thought, the 2nd slot for a bulb must only be used to place a spare bulb as there is no connection provided.
I started to work on the defects of this bike.
First of all, the handlebars which have been painted with imitation chrome paint, are a real horror.
It has taken on a blistered aluminium appearance due to the rust that has returned under the paint.
So, I had to remove it and discover the problem.
Note the brake lever attachments welded to the handlebars.
I put a detail picture of the brake because I found the same one in a spare parts catalogue from 1937.
The front light's second bulb is actually a storage space for a spare bulb for the rear light.
The system for changing the rear light bulb is original and practical. You lift the cap which is held by 2 springs.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Plus.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Fin.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
1950s Follis randonneur.
What a colour. If it had twin laterals in white I'd sell my kidney
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
When is a Meral not a Meral? When it's a Sidemm. A mid 1970s randonneur from a great builder in amazing original condition. After a bit of research we find this translation below.
Sidemm was an assembler/distributor.
Xavier Maugendre has been one of the most important players in the world of motorcycling for three decades. Legendary importer of Kawasaki in France, his name has radiated beyond the borders of France and Europe.
Nothing predestined him for such an extraordinary destiny. Following classical studies, he suddenly developed a passion for motor sports. Changing direction, Xavier Maugendre passed a C.A.P. in mechanics and a technical certificate in aircraft mechanics. He began his career at Citroën, at Volvo and then at Honda. In 1967, having learned that Kawasaki was looking for an importer, Xavier Maugendre founded Sidemm which later became Kawasaki Motors France. Leading the establishment of the brand and his passion for competition at the same time, it was not long before he came to the Grand Prix with the creation of the Kawasaki Baranne team in 1970. The following year, the Kawasaki Cup was born, which will remain as the most beautiful promotion formula and will reveal many great French riders.
Sidemm was an assembler/distributor.
Xavier Maugendre has been one of the most important players in the world of motorcycling for three decades. Legendary importer of Kawasaki in France, his name has radiated beyond the borders of France and Europe.
Nothing predestined him for such an extraordinary destiny. Following classical studies, he suddenly developed a passion for motor sports. Changing direction, Xavier Maugendre passed a C.A.P. in mechanics and a technical certificate in aircraft mechanics. He began his career at Citroën, at Volvo and then at Honda. In 1967, having learned that Kawasaki was looking for an importer, Xavier Maugendre founded Sidemm which later became Kawasaki Motors France. Leading the establishment of the brand and his passion for competition at the same time, it was not long before he came to the Grand Prix with the creation of the Kawasaki Baranne team in 1970. The following year, the Kawasaki Cup was born, which will remain as the most beautiful promotion formula and will reveal many great French riders.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Fin.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
A rare lovely bike, the ergonomics of the fixed bar and brake levers would trouble me though.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
A delve into French bicycles never fails to delight me a 1940s Apparcel tourer, I confess to having a bit of a chubby on when I saw the (Hollow!) cranks 
Owners translation below.
This is a late 1940s bicycle bearing the mark of a small shop in Grenoble which in the 1900s was the headquarters of the Magnat-Debon brand.
This bicycle, built for tourism, is very light. It is equipped with many elements in dural, mudguards, luggage rack, stem, handlebars, pedals, light, front derailleur aid.
I can't wait to put it back on the road, but I don't have enough time.
Note also this amazing trouser guard which, by its shape, must be used to help the passage of the chain on the small chainring by guiding the tip of the shoe.
In this case, it requires the use of a footrest to help pull up the opposite crank while the right foot is pushing the chain.
The manipulation only works in one direction, to move the chain up to the big chainring, you still have to put your fingers in...
The interest is not to lose momentum before the climb and to gain the weight of a front derailleur.
I didn't know about these Duprat hollow cranks
Were they made for a long time?
Concerning the front shifting (here with the shoe), some bikes after 1945 were not equipped with mechanical chainring shifting, mainly by saving a derailleur. Here, it also makes the bike lighter.
When the rear fender reflector was removed, there was a piece of paper stuck to the bottom of it with the words "Grenoble" written on it.
This paper was glued to white paint, the remains of which are still present on the rear of the mudguard.
The mudguard was painted white during the German occupation, I suppose?
Was the indication "grenoble" a kind of registration?
Mystery. The bike might be older than assumed: maybe late 30's early 40's.
The rear light and the reflector must have been replaced after the war by more modern ones, to adapt to the new regulations.
Here it is, everything is finally up.
The lightness of this bike really amazes me.
So I took the scale: it weighs only 10.5 kg, which is not much for a bike of this appearance that usually weighs between 15 and 16 kg.
I did a small road test: extraordinary!
This bike reacts very well, it's very responsive and adjusted to my size, it's great to ride.
It could be described as a tourer because of its behaviour, its weight and the quality of its equipment.
I still have to make some small adjustments to the Cyclo derailleur and it will be perfect.
Owners translation below.This is a late 1940s bicycle bearing the mark of a small shop in Grenoble which in the 1900s was the headquarters of the Magnat-Debon brand.
This bicycle, built for tourism, is very light. It is equipped with many elements in dural, mudguards, luggage rack, stem, handlebars, pedals, light, front derailleur aid.
I can't wait to put it back on the road, but I don't have enough time.
Note also this amazing trouser guard which, by its shape, must be used to help the passage of the chain on the small chainring by guiding the tip of the shoe.
In this case, it requires the use of a footrest to help pull up the opposite crank while the right foot is pushing the chain.
The manipulation only works in one direction, to move the chain up to the big chainring, you still have to put your fingers in...
The interest is not to lose momentum before the climb and to gain the weight of a front derailleur.
I didn't know about these Duprat hollow cranks
Were they made for a long time?
Concerning the front shifting (here with the shoe), some bikes after 1945 were not equipped with mechanical chainring shifting, mainly by saving a derailleur. Here, it also makes the bike lighter.
When the rear fender reflector was removed, there was a piece of paper stuck to the bottom of it with the words "Grenoble" written on it.
This paper was glued to white paint, the remains of which are still present on the rear of the mudguard.
The mudguard was painted white during the German occupation, I suppose?
Was the indication "grenoble" a kind of registration?
Mystery. The bike might be older than assumed: maybe late 30's early 40's.
The rear light and the reflector must have been replaced after the war by more modern ones, to adapt to the new regulations.
Here it is, everything is finally up.
The lightness of this bike really amazes me.
So I took the scale: it weighs only 10.5 kg, which is not much for a bike of this appearance that usually weighs between 15 and 16 kg.
I did a small road test: extraordinary!
This bike reacts very well, it's very responsive and adjusted to my size, it's great to ride.
It could be described as a tourer because of its behaviour, its weight and the quality of its equipment.
I still have to make some small adjustments to the Cyclo derailleur and it will be perfect.
