Specification:
- Serial No: 557656 (to be confirmed – markings not clear). From some point in the 1940s, the first two digits of Helyett frame numbers represented the year of manufacture. The evidence is that this continued until 1962, after which the numbering system changed – another frame likely also from 1963 has surfaced and that too has a number that does not contain the year of manufacture. Frames from 1962 have serial numbers starting with 62….
- Frame: Metric Reynolds 531 butted tubing, forks and stays; Seat Tube: 59cm ctt; Simplex dropouts
- Crankset: Stronglight 63; Chainrings: 52t/45t
- Pedals: Maillard (later)
- Gears: Simplex Prestige front and rear derailleurs; Huret gear levers; 5-speed freewheel.
- Wheels:
- Brakes: Mafac Racer
- Handlebars and Stem: Pivo
- Saddle and Seatpost: Brooks saddle on steel post
Notes:
This bike is assumed to be from 1963 on the basis of the Stronglight 63 crankset and the new Simplex Prestige derailleurs, largely manufactured from Delrin, introduced that year. Copied at the bottom of the page is an advertisement from the November 1962 issue of Coureur Sporting Cyclist which states that Jacques Anquetil used this gear in the later stages of the 1962 Tour de France which he won.
The seat tube transfer carries a picture of Jacques Anquetil as used on Helyett cycles since his 1957 Tour de France win. In 1963 Helyett did not sponsor a team and Anquetil rode for Gitane, so it is perhaps surprising that Helyett continued to use his image. It is not known when they stopped (or were prevented from) using his image.
The wheels, pedals, gear levers and saddle on this bike are non-original but it is considered quite possible that the other parts are original or as originally fitted. The Huret gear levers would likely have been fitted because the originals broke or because they were just considered to perform better.
There is a certain mystery surrounding Helyett bicycles built in 1963. The company supposedly went bust towards the end of 1962, but a few 1963 frames keep popping up and one person owns one with Campagnolo dropouts which show every sign of having been fitted when the frame was built. My guess is that there were a lot of parts left over and that there was some arrangement that they would be used up and bicycles sold until there was nothing left. These 1963 frames are almost exactly like previous ones except for minor braze-on changes and a completely new numbering system. 1962 frames carried on the tradition by starting with 62. The numbers of this frame and others come to light do not conform.
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