Updates

Mercier Getting Close

A couple of years or so ago I took a punt on a bike on eBay that was very badly described and that had no more than a non-drive side overall photograph. But Mercier and Campagnolo were mentioned by the vendor who read the names off the fork crown and headset.  The price only went up to about £80 and I became its happy owner, having to drive 75 miles to pick it up.

What I found was a rather drably painted bike with brazed-on saddlebag support, dynamo and lamp brackets.  Closer inspection revealed drilled Campagnolo dropouts, a racing number tab under the top tube and a first generation Super Record rear derailleur, Record crankset and Record brakes.  I had struck gold!  Clearly this was someone’s much-loved racing bike and rather than sell it and buy a touring frame, he had it converted into a tourer.  The standard of workmanship was very high and the cost cannot have been much less than a new frame – it even had a 1″ steerer fitted in place of the 25mm one so that a modern headset could be used. It should also be pointed out that the workmanship on the basic frame was superb too with nicely filed lugs – definitely “Fait Main”, definitely “Service Des Courses”

But my passion is racing bikes, so I stuck the bike in the loft to await restoration back to racing spec.  The first obstacle was that nobody was making reproduction decals at the time. A set of OEM decals came up on eBay but I missed out.  Then Cyclomondo started offering them but they did not have the narrower lettering on the seat tube decal as used on team bikes in the late 1970s and the head tube decal was a bit out of shape. So I patiently waited for a Mercier frame with the correct decals to come up on eBay at a reasonable price so that I could get the decals copied (the things we do for our hobby!). I ended up buying two – one for the head tube decal, one for the other decals (both will go on sale soon, so let me know if you are interested) and got the decals copied by bicycledecals.net.

Roll on another year while I was preoccupied with other things, then I dropped the frame off at Atlantic Boulevard in Bury together with the other Mercier frame for colour match.  And a couple of days ago I called by there and saw my frame with all its touring bits removed and a new coat of paint – and it looked gorgeous.  It still needs its decals, but then it will be full steam ahead to build it up as the real racer that it once was.  I can hardly wait.

1955 Viking Severn Valley Added

1955 Viking Severn ValleyI have just added details of a 1955 Viking Severn Valley.  This was an extremely competent factory racing bicycle, although not Viking’s top model at the time – that was the Viking Tour of Britain model that was introduced following Ian Steel’s victory on a Viking in the first Daily Express Tour of Britain in 1951.  The Severn Valley model had an only slightly lower specification than the Tour of Britain – both were made from Reynolds 531 butted tubing – and being at a lower price point was more popular.

Viking discontinued the Severn Valley model in 1956 and then in 1957 they discontinued the Tour of Britain model and reinstated the Severn Valley as the top tier model with Nervex Professional lugs, which is how it remained until the original Viking company ceased trading in 1967.

Gino Bartali

I have just uploaded a page for Gino Bartali with a copy of a magazine, the whole of which is dedicated to a retrospective of Gino Bartal’s career.  He had a remarkably long career, mostly riding for Legnano, but ending on his own brand bikes, and won two Tours de France, with the longest ever gap between them – the first being before the Second World War and the second in 1948.  And there was this great rivalry with Fausto Coppi that had Italy divided.  Altogether an amazing racing cyclist.

Wolsit Page And Parts List

I have just added a page for Wolsit with just a few details about the company.  I will add more when I can dig out my notes and collate them.  Also added is a circa 1950 Wolsit parts list.  This includes parts for all Wolsit models, a couple of which are racing bicycles – Mezzo Corsa (literally Half Race) and Corsa (Race)

Motobecane Tour de France Model

I have just added some photos and bits of information on a recently acquired Motobecane Tour De France model frame.  It is a production frame that looks very much like the 1970-72 Bic Team bike frames. but I need more information in order to be able to say whether it is from that era or later.  I do know that Motobecane used the same decal style on later models, but I have not seen them on a later racing frame similar to this.  The jury is out.

Motobecane do not seem to be as well-documented as some other bicycle brands, so I would appreciate any information that anyone can provide – catalogue scans would be especially welcome.  I would be very pleased to receive anything that I can post on this website.

Alberic (Brik) Schotte

I have just uploaded an obituary of Brik Schotte, who died in 2004, on the Belgium page.  I found it in my files and thought that I really should include this sort of information on great factory racing cyclists.

I am not sure how this will turn out.  It started as a bicycle website, but there is just too much associated information of interest to leave it there, but I do not know where it will end.  If this site is primarily about factory racing bicycles, then information about the factories that produced them clearly has a place, as do the people who rode them.  Perhaps there needs to be some information on the components too.

1962 Coppi by Fiorelli

I have just added details of my circa 1962 Coppi to the website.  I had not ridden this bike since shortly after I purchased it a couple of years ago.  I then took off the “wrong” components – the wheels, bars and stem, brakes – and put the frame up in the attic and put it out of mind.

Then, with this website, I thought I should build it up, photograph it and take it for a spin.  I built it up with what I had to hand – all appropriate parts that I had previously mounted on a Legnano frame now sold – and I took it for a ride.  CLICK HERE to see it.  It really does ride very nicely.  Coincidentally I just found a picture of a similar bike – same colour – on flickr with very similar components and with the finish in better condition.  That one had a Reynolds 531 sticker, so that is probably what this is.

I think I may need to sell this bike to make a bit of space, but if I were to keep it, I would definitely have it refinished and I have already got new “Coppi” medallions for the fork crown.  This bike was clearly meant to flash and gleam in the sunlight which, for me, takes precedence over preserving what is left of the original finish.

1977 Gitane Added

I have just added details of my 1977 Gitane.  I really like the fact that this bike is virtually new and similar to the machines that won the Tour de France in 1976 and 1978.  Gitane has a great racing history beginning in the early 1960s when Anquetil won 2 of his 5 Tour de France victories on a Gitane.  Since then they have picked up loads more Tour, Classics and World Champion wins.  One of the all-time great marques.

Just Added A Wolsit

I have just added photos and a specification for a Wolsit – a once quite famous Italian brand that has just about faded into obscurity.  I want to add some details about the history of the company when I have found out more.  The name itself is curious and is a combination of Wolseley (the British car manufacturer) and Italiana – it being a joint venture to build Wolseley-based cars in Italy.  There is/was a giant-engined “Wolsit” being campaigned in Vintage car racing in the UK – a sort of Targa Florio type car I believe.  I am not sure how original it was, but it certainly looked very impressive.

It has become a slow job adding bikes because I am taking measurements as I go along and having to sort out photos, so they will probably be added at the rate of only one or two a week.