Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Fin.
Vintage French randonneuer's and porteurs.
- Thread starter Guinessisgoodforyou
- Start date
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
1950s Royal en Vendette randonneur. Twin headlights 
Owners translation below.
As soon as I saw it, I said to myself that it might not be a low end bike, for a number of reasons.
The finesse of the fittings, the front derailleur lever on the seat tube and a second chainring that allows you to climb steep inclines made me think of a beautiful randonneuse.
The handlebars have been cut and need changing, and the front derailleur is missing.
Given the fixing which derailleur would be the right one?
Cyclo crankset
Professional’ engraved cranks
Rear derailleur and lever: cyclo
Le Simplex front derailleur lever (missing)
Le Martelé de Lefol mudguards
Hard aluminium chaincase
Dunlop saddle
On the hubs there is a drawing engraved, like an eagle it seems to me....Which brand?
I haven't found anything about Royal en Vedette but the En Vedette brand does exist. Do you think it's plausible that it's an En Vedette manufacture with a luxury label given the ‘Royal’?
Owners translation below.As soon as I saw it, I said to myself that it might not be a low end bike, for a number of reasons.
The finesse of the fittings, the front derailleur lever on the seat tube and a second chainring that allows you to climb steep inclines made me think of a beautiful randonneuse.
The handlebars have been cut and need changing, and the front derailleur is missing.
Given the fixing which derailleur would be the right one?
Cyclo crankset
Professional’ engraved cranks
Rear derailleur and lever: cyclo
Le Simplex front derailleur lever (missing)
Le Martelé de Lefol mudguards
Hard aluminium chaincase
Dunlop saddle
On the hubs there is a drawing engraved, like an eagle it seems to me....Which brand?
I haven't found anything about Royal en Vedette but the En Vedette brand does exist. Do you think it's plausible that it's an En Vedette manufacture with a luxury label given the ‘Royal’?
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Fin.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
A very nice low mileage 1970s Motobecane randonneur. Owners translation below.
Here's a tourer that I identify as a Motobécane Fédéral. It would therefore be a bicycle made in the Pantin workshop.
Here are a few details:
Frame with Huret dropouts, tubes maybe Reynolds but no sticker, Bocama fittings, frame number 1563
Super Champiuon aluminium rims on Normandy hubs with Huret Luxe butterflies
Michelin racing tyres 700-32
Steel handlebars with Pivo stem and Lightrace headset
Mafac Racer brakes
TA 48*35 crankset with 165 mm cranks
Huret Allvit rear derailleur
1981 Huret ClubII front derailleur
Atom 5-speed freewheel 14*16*18*21*24
Lyotard 36 pedals
Lionrone 71 saddle on Ruby chromed steel seatpost
Novi Dynamo with Soubitez headlights
The bike must have been ridden very little. The tyres and half hoods also need changing, as does the front derailleur.
I couldn't find a date on the equipment, but I date it between 1973 and 1975 approximately. See the extract from the 1973 catalogue.
Here's a tourer that I identify as a Motobécane Fédéral. It would therefore be a bicycle made in the Pantin workshop.
Here are a few details:
Frame with Huret dropouts, tubes maybe Reynolds but no sticker, Bocama fittings, frame number 1563
Super Champiuon aluminium rims on Normandy hubs with Huret Luxe butterflies
Michelin racing tyres 700-32
Steel handlebars with Pivo stem and Lightrace headset
Mafac Racer brakes
TA 48*35 crankset with 165 mm cranks
Huret Allvit rear derailleur
1981 Huret ClubII front derailleur
Atom 5-speed freewheel 14*16*18*21*24
Lyotard 36 pedals
Lionrone 71 saddle on Ruby chromed steel seatpost
Novi Dynamo with Soubitez headlights
The bike must have been ridden very little. The tyres and half hoods also need changing, as does the front derailleur.
I couldn't find a date on the equipment, but I date it between 1973 and 1975 approximately. See the extract from the 1973 catalogue.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Restored.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
A nice original Tendil. Owners words below.
Hello,
I'm sharing this lovely Tendil randonneuse with you. I recovered it in Briançon, now I'm restoring it and I'm looking for some more information about the years of manufacture, the components and the value it could have now.
Thank you
Hello,
I'm sharing this lovely Tendil randonneuse with you. I recovered it in Briançon, now I'm restoring it and I'm looking for some more information about the years of manufacture, the components and the value it could have now.
Thank you
What do the springs on the brakes do
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Return springs to open the caliper.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
1981 Meral randonneur bought from the original owner. Owners translation below.
Hello,
A few photos to show off my Meral, which I bought earlier this year from its first owner, a cyclotourist who seems to have ridden it a lot.
He's not a great tourer but I fell in love with its colour, its condition, its history and the fact that it was sold in Cholet, the town where I was born, just one month after the order was placed!
I've cleaned it up a bit and serviced it so that I can use it as a velotaf. In particular, I repaired the rear mudguard, which was cracked.
I still have to change the tired freewheel, find a slightly larger chainring and take a closer look at the rear derailleur, which has a weak return force. The handlebars too...
The 26-tooth chainring is explained by the fact that its previous owner towed a home-made trailer to travel with his son. He had also taken the Maxicar small flange hubs as an option.
Hello,
A few photos to show off my Meral, which I bought earlier this year from its first owner, a cyclotourist who seems to have ridden it a lot.
He's not a great tourer but I fell in love with its colour, its condition, its history and the fact that it was sold in Cholet, the town where I was born, just one month after the order was placed!
I've cleaned it up a bit and serviced it so that I can use it as a velotaf. In particular, I repaired the rear mudguard, which was cracked.
I still have to change the tired freewheel, find a slightly larger chainring and take a closer look at the rear derailleur, which has a weak return force. The handlebars too...
The 26-tooth chainring is explained by the fact that its previous owner towed a home-made trailer to travel with his son. He had also taken the Maxicar small flange hubs as an option.
Last edited:
How come that design went out of fashion
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