Velos à la francaise

Feel free to post pictures of your French bikes here. Until then, look at some of the beauties here:

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/France/France.html

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on April 21, 2010 at 1:21pm

My Robust, with a shot of its amusing head badge. I have not been able to find any information at all on this bike, and I have never seen another. If anyone knows anything. . .

Permalink Reply by Mike Bullis 5.5-6.5 miles on April 22, 2010 at 9:58am

Here is my only ridable velo francais:

It is an early 70s Gitane. No idea of the model but I believe that it is a bit towards the upper end of the range with Simplex dropouts and BCM(?) lugs. The nasty fork is a Schwinn, 700 rims with cross tires, and a Shitmano Alfine rear wheel. French parts are the BIM 39 saddle, Mafac brakes, Atom front hub, Rigida rim, Zefel Fenders, and Soubitez Genny and lights. My winter commuter that hangs from the rafters from April to October.
I've no pics of my late, lamented Mercier Velux. That bike was totaled in a car-bike crash but I keep its mangled frame hanging on my garage wall as a reminder of who wins and who loses in such things.

Permalink Reply by Kelvin Mulcky on April 28, 2010 at 10:51am

Here's my Juenet Franche Compte

Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on April 28, 2010 at 11:25am

You are a brave man, indeed, to do any loaded touring on a French bike. I love how you left the Simplex shifters on the downtube, even though you replaced the derailleur with a Shimano XTR.

Kelvin Mulcky said:

Here's my Juenet Franche Compte

Permalink Reply by Kelvin Mulcky on April 28, 2010 at 12:11pm

Unfortunately, The only loaded touring this bike sees are during trips to the grocery and back. I just replaced the rear derailleur this weekend, and it with it's strong spring action, it has made a significant improvement on the shifting and generally quieted the ride.

I think the simplex shifters and the fenders are about the only things left French on the bike though.I been replacing things as they stop working.

Moc Artsy said:

You are a brave man, indeed, to do any loaded touring on a French bike. I love how you left the Simplex shifters on the downtube, even though you replaced the derailleur with a Shimano XTR.

Permalink Reply by John Casey on June 25, 2010 at 9:40pm

Here's a photo of my Peugeot P6 Circa 1984. Local bike shop managed to fit a modern cassette to the original derailleurs. I ended up gaining a gear. Now its a 12 speed.

Permalink Reply by SlyRed on August 5, 2010 at 5:06pm

Just bought a 1983 Peugeot PB14 off Craigslist. I'm pretty happy with the bike. The only departure from the standard parts is an upgrade to Campagnolo brakes. No problem there, except I need new (expensive) Campy hoods. Merde!

Permalink Reply by Kelvin Mulcky on August 5, 2010 at 7:11pm

That bike looks sweet! is that crank drilled?

SlyRed said:

Just bought a 1983 Peugeot PB14 off Craigslist. I'm pretty happy with the bike. The only departure from the standard parts is an upgrade to Campagnolo brakes. No problem there, except I need new (expensive) Campy hoods. Merde!

Permalink Reply by SlyRed on August 5, 2010 at 7:18pm

Yeah, it's a Stronglight Aero 101, 40 x 52T.

Permalink Reply by SlyRed on August 5, 2010 at 7:26pm

Here's the new handlebar wrap. I'm staying with the red and yellow color scheme. I have a Selle Italia yellow saddle on the way.

Permalink Reply by Kelvin Mulcky on August 6, 2010 at 10:29am

Cane Creek makes Campy brake hood copies, and they're pretty cheap.

Permalink Reply by Don P on August 11, 2010 at 7:25pm

This is my 1971 Peugeot PX10, which I got in the early 80's. It was a special TdF model, made for the German market, with sew-ups, and a 'gold' package. It was upgraded to late 80's aero, but I kept all the parts to revert back to the original build. The geometry is very comfortable, and this was my Prairie Path bike in the 80's and 90's, until I got my Serotta CSI in 2003. I recently found my extensive build notes, and will post them if anyone is interested. See my other photos for additional detail, and a list of the major components.