welcome to the island of misfit bicycles

2010-11-17T18:20:00.003-05:00

I'll sort these images later, but for now here are some detail pics of the Campagnolo "Paris-Roubaix" mech.

2010-11-14T11:38:00.003-05:00

Shifting the Campagnolo Paris-Roubaix - close-up. I added the markings to the parts to make it easier to see everything moving.

Shifting the Campagnolo "Paris-Roubaix"

2010-11-14T09:48:00.002-05:00

Shifting the single-lever Campagnolo cambio "Paris-Roubaix"

2010-11-14T09:11:00.002-05:00

No longer available on wooljersey.com, I've decided to move my video showing how to shift the Campagnolo cambio "Corsa"

Black-Out Light, But Is It Luxor?

2010-02-20T20:31:00.004-05:00

Here's a bit of a mystery... Looks like this was designed to be a black-out light for use during WW2. But is it a Luxor? Nothing about the design or construction looks familiar. Note the unique mounting bracket at the bottom... I wonder what size this is? The slot says "Agree____ Luxor", but does that mean the maker was Agree, and the model name is Luxor? At first I thought the black-out hood was bent, but note how the bottom cuts-in to allow more light to reach the road in front of the wheel. I may try to buy it (French eBay), since it would make a fanciful addition to the collection.

Galmozzi pics

2010-01-24T14:19:00.005-05:00

I bought this Galmozzi at Cirque du Cyclisme a few years ago, but haven't done much with it yet. I don't know any of its history, and I can't tell for sure what era it was built... based on equipment and build details we were guessing late-1940s to early 1950s. We think it was built by Galmozzi Sr. A recent auction on eBay of a supposed Galmozzi with cambio Corsa shifters left me scratching my head, as that bike was no where near as nicely finished as this bike. These pics aren't great - bike is dusty and dirty, but I'm trying to learn how best to photograph old, damaged chrome. I post better pics as my quality improves, but for now, here are a few pics.

More Taillights From France

2009-12-20T11:04:00.003-05:00

French eBay sellers "motosavoy" and "rhclassics" have included these interesting taillights in recent auctions. From top to bottom - a. Radios fender-top lights with top-mounted indicator (missing indicator lens); b. same again, but side view, with inidicator lens in place; c. Radios C 134 with central radiator-shaped reflector; d. unkown manufacturer with reflector in base and white lens on back of top red lens (probably for illuminating license plate on moped/motorcyle); Jos "space capsule" with ring lens and central round reflector - this one sold for almost $300!

Luxor La Paon 50 and Matching Taillight

2009-12-01T10:49:00.002-05:00

Another lovely example of a Luxor 50 "La Paon" pattern headlight and matching taillight. I got outbid on these, but won a La Paon reflector... can't (afford) to win them all!

Campagnolo Cottered Bottom Bracket

2009-12-01T10:42:00.002-05:00

Always a surprise to those new to collecting vintage bikes and parts, Campagnolo DID produce a cottered bottom bracket set. I rarely see these in used condition - perhaps they are still spinning along in high-end bikes. When NOS units show up, you can expect to pay $250 to $300. I'd love to have one in my '53 Learco Guerra, but not until I can find a good used example.

Luxor Light, LeFol Fenders, & Curvy Struts

2009-11-30T17:01:00.003-05:00

Here's a lovely set of LeFol mud guards complete with Luxor headlight (probably a type 50), unknown taillight, and curving fender struts. Note the interesting mount for the headlight... looks like the builder added a hole to each side of the shell, then bent some aluminum rod to form a support for the light and forward struts for the mud guard.

The rear strut is even fancier, curving past the top of the taillight, then up to a third anchor point on the fender. Go ahead, ask me if I'm gonna copy this! ;-)

Luxor Stubby with Rectangular Lens

2009-11-29T21:16:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Gunnar for the "heads-up" on this one. Several of these have appeared suddenly on eBay-France and eBay-Germany. Smooth stubby shell with slight flare at the bezel opening, and an entirely new-to-me lens with rectangular marble-style reflector in the center. I wonder how much light made it our the back... certainly would like to try one to see.

Luxor Smooth Stubby Taillight

2009-11-29T21:05:00.002-05:00

Here are three nice views of the Luxor stubby taillight, this one smooth. I also have one with a two-step rib down the top center - pics later. Note how the shell flares out slightly on this one where the bezel/lens assembly goes in. Not all of them have this flare.

Luxor 65 Smooth with matching Stubby Taillight

2009-11-29T20:57:00.003-05:00

There have been a plethora of Luxor headlights and taillights on French eBay lately. This lovely smooth 65 and matching stubby taillight were no-sale items at $65 BIN. Headlight lens looks shot, but the shell is very nice.

The stubby taillight has a different angle were it attaches to the fender - it mounts a little lower than the normal Luxor taillight, about halfway between it and the normal reflector location. I've recently acquired a number of these stubbies, so I'll post some comparison pictures soon.

Unknown Possibly-Luxor Headlight

2009-11-29T20:52:00.002-05:00

Seller on French eBay says this is a Luxor... looks like there's a badge on top, but no other pictures where included with the auction. Shell shape is similar to the teardrop Luxors, but I don't have any other info on the model.

Luxor No 104 Headlight

2009-11-29T20:45:00.002-05:00

Here's a new one - a Luxor 104 headlight. The mounting bracket is a Radios, but you can read the Luxor lettering at the bottom of the lens. Note also the typical Luxor mounting mech at the bottom of the shell and bezel. Switch at top may be for changing from battery to dynamo power.

Motobecane Rack & Tool Boxes

2009-11-29T20:40:00.002-05:00

Slightly different take on the rack/tool boxes idea. This seems to be from Motobecane (see M at base). Boxes and rack both appear to be steel. Nice rectangular loop at the bottom for attaching panniers or other straps.

Vitalux Headlight & Dynamo

2009-11-29T20:28:00.002-05:00

I've always loved the graphics on the Vitalux boxes - the cyclist and car set against a blue background with yellow triangle. This headlight is very pretty - art deco top ornament is non-functional, but beneath it there's a red indicator lens. Note the vertical line on the front lens. The nut on the bottom is for securing/removing the lens bezel.

Radios 119 with Switch

2009-11-29T20:14:00.002-05:00

A NOS Radios type 119 found on eBay-France. Note the switch for changing from dynamo to battery power. Size suggests it is about the same as a type 18.

Unknown French Headlight with Faceted Lens

2009-11-29T20:10:00.003-05:00

I have no idea who made this headlight, but I like the faceted headlight. Looks like some running lights from cars in the 1920s. Bakelite shell and bezel.

How Many Angels Fit on a Chainring?

2009-11-29T20:05:00.003-05:00

Anyone else see a different recognizable pattern to this chainring? All I can see are three Angels. No idea what bike this came from, but an interesting graphic.

Luxor 50 La Paon

2009-11-22T10:34:00.004-05:00

Here's another new-to-me Luxor variation from eBay-France: a Luxor 50, their smallest headlight, with the ribbed "La Paon" (peacock) finish. This one is set-up for the domed base as opposed to having two feet on the bottom. Looks like the lens is cracked - a shame, as I've yet to see a replacement lens for Luxor 50s or 65s, and this is the rarer smooth lense without the vertical lines.

More Luxor Taillights

2009-11-01T20:52:00.002-05:00

A few more Luxor taillights will be making their way to Ohio. This batch includes a smooth side mount with spherical lens, smooth stubby fender mount, smooth long fender mount with stepped flute, Le Paon (peacock) long fender mount, smooth long side mount, smooth long side mount with extra rings, smooth short side mount, and a couple of clamp-on models.

Another Luxor Pattern - Smooth W/Single Center Flute

2009-10-31T11:45:00.004-05:00

Oops! Yet another variation on the Luxor headlight. This is a No.50 with smooth shell, but with a flute down the top center.

2009-10-31T11:02:00.004-05:00

This dilapidated 1940s Olmo recently showed-up on eBay-Italy (blue bike). Poor photos reveal little except the toothed dropouts for a Campagnolo sliding hub shifter, and a Universal front brake with qr. What a mess... first one I've seen that was in worse shape than the one I bought a few years ago (green bike in last two pics, before and after overhaul).

The red seattube panel is interesting... no hint of color other than blue on the headtube. The seatstays and chainstays clearly had about six inches of chrome... the fork is too far gone to be certain. The fork crown was probably chrome, although the headlugs were not.

My bike is almost certainly a respray. The headlugs and crown are chrome, but the ends are not. I really should get some better pictures of the green bike... sun is out, so maybe today?

Camel on French eBay

2009-10-26T17:21:00.005-05:00

This Camel bike appeared on eBay-France. Local pick-up only, but look closely... "Knobbly" fenders, and honeycomb w/ribs Luxor #65 headlight and taillight. This fender pattern would match those knobbly Luxor lights (http://aldoblog2008.blogspot.com/2009/02/knobbly-luxors-post-polish.html)

Interesting to see how the front fender brace passes through the holes in the headlight mount - I'd wondered about the holes. Also note the white plastic spacer at the bottom of the mount - so now we've seen these in white and medium blue.

Luxor Taillight Shopping Guide, Pt.1

2009-10-25T11:58:00.004-05:00

The story so far... still missing the smooth shell, fluted, and zeppelin models, but here's a summary of the four shells and two lenses I've obtained so far:

Top to bottom - honeycomb with attached lower keel spacer, honeycomb, honeycomb with flutes, and knobbly.

Left column - with ringed lens. Right column - with diamond lens.

Green-Anodized JOS!

2009-10-17T15:53:00.003-05:00

This surprise popped-up up on eBay-France - a JOS 513 headlight with the eyelid visor, and a green-anodized shell. I've only obtained one other colored aluminum French light, a red-anodized 65mm of unknown manufacturer. I wonder if JOS did a complete spectrum of gold, blue, and black anodizing? Same seller had an unknown headlight with interesting top crest, and a SELF dynamo.

Odds-n-Ends Lights From Both Ends of the Bike

2009-10-15T21:10:00.003-05:00

Various lights found on French eBay. The first one is a nice, rare "SELF" with visor. Second light looks like a Radios with replacement lens from an old car. The "ROB" at the bottom is probably from the same people who made Ducellier.

Calcium Carbide Luxor Lights Catch-All Collection

2009-10-15T20:58:00.005-05:00

Once in awhile I find images of lights which, although outside my normal focus, are really quite fascinating. Here is a selection of images of Luxor carbide lights I've found on eBay-France.

Back To Buying Luxor Lights

2009-10-14T17:45:00.003-05:00

Finally had a bit of luck again on eBay... won auctions for three French reflectors, a hammered Luxor taillight with the little filler wedge (Hi Gunnar) on the bottom, and an extremely rare paring of smooth (no pattern) Luxor taillight and #50 (small) headlight.

Shave Your Cat

2009-10-13T07:31:00.003-05:00

A Song For People Who Have Developed An Allergy To Their Pet Cats
(music and lyrics by Aldo Ross, © 2002 StormFrontMusic)

Shave your cat everyday
Keep that cat fur at bay
Shave your cat, shave your cat,
Everyday

Shave your name in his side
So when he passes by
People know he's your cat
And you shaved him like that

Small goatee, Fu-Man-Chu
One eyebrow, or maybe two
Perhaps sideburns would be
Just the thing

Shave his tail like a fox
Give him little argyle socks
Shave your cat, shave your cat
Everyday!

Bobet's Bobet Bicycle - 1955 Tour de France

2009-08-16T08:25:00.006-05:00

The cover of "Vous Fait Revivre: Le Tour (1955) has a nice image of Bobet and Gaul. It is probably "colorized", but they were pretty good at getting the correct colors in the right places (fans were probably just as picky then as they are today). Bobet's bike is yellow with blue seattube panel, and World Champion stripes in several places.

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Another image (b&w) shows a three-quarter shot from the drive side. Note his mechanic is still mounting the rear qr lever on the drive side. Not a perfect print, but I'll leave it large for details - you can even make-out the lacing pattern on his shoe!. Note the head lugs and fork crown details. Someone will have to remind me who built Bobet's personal bikes.

Click pics for larger images.
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Winter Training with the Pélissier Brothers, 1931

2009-08-12T20:46:00.004-05:00

Charles, Henri, and Francis Pélissier out for a bit of winter-weather training, March of 1931. Plus-fours for Charles and Francis on the bicycles, breeches for Henri on the moto. Note the single brake and lack of forward fender section on Francis' bike, splash guards to protect Henri's legs.

Charles "l'Elegant" (b.1903) raced from 1922 until 1939, and won a mixed-bag of races, from the French Cyclocross Natioinals to the Critérium des As.

Henri (b.1889) raced from 1910 through 1928, and was a multiple stage winner and one of the starts of the Tour de France in the 1920s.

Francis (b.1894) raced from 1919 to 1932, winning a number of French National titles on road and cyclocross.

From "Match l'Intran" No.235, 10 March 1931.

Click on pic for much larger image.

1922 Concours de Cyclo-Tourisme du Circuit d'Auvergne

2009-08-10T19:38:00.008-05:00

Images from an article about the 1922 Concours de Cyclo-Tourisme du Circuit d'Auvergne.

image 1 - Matheven on the Pas de Peyrol.

image 2 - On the final climb of the col d'Eylac.

image 3 - Lacolle on the climb of the Peyrol.

image 4 - Hubert and Grange go quietly on their way.

image 5 - The start: on the right, Miss Garnier; on the left, Desvages.

image 6 - Machine mounted with derailleur.

image 7 - Front suspension system.

image 8 - Machine of the "Moyeu" type.

Victor Linart, Stayer, 1928

2009-08-08T14:00:00.004-05:00

Victor Linart at speed behind a moto, 1928. Between 1913 and 1931 Linart won 15 consecutive Belgian National Professional Stayer Championships (interrupted by WWI from 1915 to 1918), along with four World Championships (1921, 1924, 1926, 1927).

Born 26th May, 1889 in Floreffe, Belgium, Linart became a French citizen in 1937, and died 23rd October, 1977 in Verneuil-sur-Avré, France.

Good view of the roller and its construction, and the complex fork assembly on the moto. Odd placement of the fuel tank places it in an interesting position. Must have left a few folks giggling.

From Match l'Intran No.102, 21 August 1928

Click on pic for larger image.

Comparison of Zamboni's bikes

2009-08-08T08:24:00.002-05:00

Where's Ivo?

2009-08-07T21:45:00.004-05:00

An aerial view of the 1935 World Cycling Road Championships, from Floreffe to Namur, Belgium. A few spectators are distracted by the low-flying airplane of l'Intran. Italian amateur Ivo Mancini and Belgian professional Jean Aerts won their respective races. Mancini would turn pro in 1936, racing as an independent for most of his career through 1947. From "Match l'Intan" No.475, 20 August 1935.

Click big for much larger image.

Critérium des Aiglons 1932

2009-08-06T20:39:00.002-05:00

Stage 1, Critérium des Aiglons 1932. Negotiation a closed level crossing required a bit of acrobatics. Note the variation in styles of race numbers on the bikes. Looks like a mixture of crudely hand-painted, stenciled, and neatly applied. Some are dark numbers on light background, and some are the reverse. From "Match l'Intran" No.310, 16 August 1932.

Click on pic for larger image.

Sunday Racers, 1931

2009-08-05T19:55:00.007-05:00

An assortment of French cycling clubs.

Henri Esders was the wealthy owner of a chain of Paris clothing stores. Besides sponsoring a cycling club, he provided cash prizes for the Critérium des Porteurs.

From "Match l'Intran" No.257, 11 August 1931.

Click on pics for larger images.

Benoît Fauré on the Tourmalet

2009-08-04T20:07:00.005-05:00

Stage 9, 1930 Tour de France, from Pau to Luchon. Benoît Fauré en danseuse on the rugged road to the top of the Tourmalet. The petite climber Fauré, one of the "touristes routiers" in that year's Tour, was first to the top of the Aubisque and Tourmalet climbs, and finished the stage in Luchon in 5th place (1st tour.-rout.), 8'12" behind stage winner Alfredo Binda.

Note the single bottle and cage, unusual for the time, and angled with the top to the rear (I couldn't find a single picture showing another rider using a single cage on that stage).

From "Le Miroir des Sports" No.548, 12 July 1930.

Click pic for much larger image.

Two More Views of Bulla's 1931 Bike

2009-08-02T17:06:00.003-05:00

Here's a blow-up of the rear brake area shown in the first picture, and a picture of the front of the same bike for comparison. The front view helps show the line of the side-pull brake calipers. I'm posting these two pics without any touch-up in hopes it will help ID the mystery part.

Mystery Part on Bulla's Bike

2009-08-02T12:01:00.002-05:00

Austria's Max Bulla was the revelation of the 1931 Tour de France, winning three stages and finishing 1st among the Touristes-Routiers, and 15th overall. One of three riders in a breakaway on Stage 2, Bulla won the sprint into Dinan and took the Yellow Jersey by 1'47". On Stage 3 he was caught off the back with a group of unhelpful Independents, and lost 26 minutes and the Yellow Jersey. Bulla won again on stage 12 from breakaway companion Catalini, finishing 2'07" ahead of the next rider and over 20 minutes ahead of the yellow jersey group of Antonin Magne. Bulla's third win came on the mountainous Stage 17, from Grenoble to Aix-les-Bains, over the Lautaret and Galibier climbs.

Of the 40 Independents who started that year, only 7 made it to Paris.

Seen here on Stage 4, from Brest to Vannes, Bulla has flatted his rear tire just before the finish, and burst into tears. Sympathetic spectators watch from the convertible. Note the Oscar Egg jersey, long arms on the rear brake caliper, large single-arm wing nuts on the rear wheel, and high handlebar position. What is the oval item between the seat stays, above the rear brake?

From "Match l'Intran" No.257, 11 August 1931. Click on pic for larger image.

Two Top Touriste-Routier at the 1933 Tour de France

2009-08-01T08:20:00.005-05:00

These two "touriste-routiers", Giuseppe Martano (Italy) and Vicente Trueba (Spain), had a big influence on the 1933 Tour de France. Martano (left) was a danger-man in the Alps, threatening the yellow jersey of Georges Speicher, while petite climber Trueba (right) became the first "King of the Mountians". In Paris, Speicher retained his overall victory, Martano was on the podium in third place, and Trueba a.k.a. "The Flea of Torrelavega" finshed 6th.

Note Martano's beautiful Frejus jersey, slices of rubber innertubes securing the water bottles, and what looks like hundreds of feet of cloth tape padding his drops, wrapping his brake lever hoods, and adding some grip to his brake levers.

From "Match l'Intran" No.361, 8 August 1933.

Click on pic for much larger image.

Lots & Lots of Bicycles - 1932 Tour de France

2009-07-31T19:07:00.004-05:00

Saturday, July 30th 1932. Stage 20, next-to-last stage of the Tour de France, from Malo-les-Bains to Amiens. Spectators line the embankments on either side of the road, Racers file up the left, official's Hotchkiss cars travel up the center, and look at the huge number of spectator's bicycles along the right edge of the road! What a dream it would be to peruse that collection of French two-wheelers.

Picture from "Match l'Intran" No.308, 2 August 1932.

Gino Bartali at the 1948 Tour de France

2009-07-17T06:20:00.004-05:00

July 17th, 1948 was a rest day for the Tour de France. Gino Bartali had just won two consecutive mountain stages and taken the maillot jaune from Louison Bobet. Bartali broke away on stage 13, from Cannes to Briançon, beating 2nd place Briek Schotte by 6'18". On stage 14, from Briançon to Aix-les-Baines, Bartali broke away again, finishing alone 5'53 ahead of Stan Ockers. And the day after the rest day, on stage 15 from Aix-les-Baines to Lausanne, Bartali would again finish alone, 1'47" ahead of Briek Schotte. Three mountain stages and three solo wins had moved Bartali from 2nd place on the G.C., 1'06" behind Louison Bobet, to the yellow jersey, 13'47" ahead of Bobet. On stage 16 Bobet lost an additional 21'20" to Bartali, who now lead 2nd-placed Schotte by 32' 20".

Note the cambio corsa shifter, single chainring, low saddle/large framesize, different color of headtube (is this the green and red bike?), rear-facing thorn catchers, and 8-panel cycling cap with small bill.

Vel D'Hiv, 16th July 1942

2009-07-13T05:31:00.003-05:00

Paris buses gather in front of the Vel D'Hiv during the round-up of the city's Jewish population.

Another Luxor Duo

2009-07-01T20:58:00.003-05:00

Yup... I found yet another version of Luxor twin headlights, this time they're mounted on a crossbar instead of the aluminum front platform/rack. This set is still bolted to a bit of front fender. Found, as you probably guessed, on eBay-France.

Michael Jackson Shoe Patent

2009-06-29T08:01:00.001-05:00

There's bound to be some sort of application for this in bicycling...

http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument;jsessionid=F71DA9D46B791EB634E7337BC8CE4A7C.espacenet_levelx_prod_0?CC=US&NR=5255452A&KC=A&FT=D&date=19931026&DB=&locale=

Land Rider

2009-06-29T07:07:00.004-05:00

I thought I had a lot of parts bolted on my bike, until Joshua Swain showed-up for the Cincinnati's Hidden Treasures tour with his distinctive bike. Accessories include: cellphone and holder, HAM radio, horn, tape player, CD player with dashboard speakers (playing some cool R&B during the ride), lights, lock, leather panniers, kickstand, derailleur guard, twin mirrors... he rides his bike on some major trips.

Luxor Banded Light Set

2009-06-24T20:56:00.002-05:00

Another version of Luxor lights, this time with a banded headlight and primitive teardrop taillight. The "bands", of course, are threads for attaching the headlight lens/reflector/bezel assembly (see third pic). These look older than the classic teardrop head and taillights. Shells appear to be steel. Note the dangerous-looking toothed bezel holding the faceted red glass in place on the reflector. Looks like the taillight lens is retained by a heavy wire loop spring.

1930s Wolber sew-up repair kit

2009-06-22T22:30:00.001-05:00

Another one from eBay-France... in fact, the same seller has two! Nice little tin capsules containing thread, thimble, cork, silk ribbon, needles, sandpaper, and patches for repairing tubulars.

Much better...

2009-06-19T09:01:00.002-05:00

Luxor Clamp-On Taillight

2009-06-14T09:10:00.004-05:00

Another new variation of the Luxor taillight. Found this on eBay-France (of course!). Smooth body, but this one has a complete shell and a clamp for mounting on the seatstay. All the others I've seen (so far) have had cut-out shells and mounting hardware for attaching to rear fenders. This one might look good mounted on a stalk above the fender, or perhaps behind the seat tube.

Handsome Helyett Gentleman's Bike

2009-06-06T21:07:00.007-05:00

This is currently (6/06/09) on eBay-France, but local pick-up only. Judging by the tires, it's sat awhile unused. Quite a handsome bike... nice color with matching green grips, nice aluminum lights and fenders, and just look at that rack with aluminum tool boxes!

Same seller has the ladies' "Super William" shown below. Again, a very attractive bike with all the hallmarks (lights, fenders, rack). Those wide hammered LeFol fenders are worth more than the entire bike is going for right now - 60 Euros!

The Genuinly Useful Velo

2009-05-31T08:41:00.011-05:00

We were in downtown Middletown yesterday for the Main Street Music Festival, watching popular Cincinnati group "Robin Lacy and DeZydeco"...
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...when a man rode-up on his rather "personalized" trike. Steering-wheel with bell, three mismatched tires, single front peg on one side of the front wheel & incomplete electric assist unit on the other side.
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He paused there for a moment, looked around at the stage and crowd, then did something I hadn't expected. Wheeling the trike around so the front wheel faced away from the stage he parked near the curb, stepped off, walked around to the back, and turned his trike into a rather comfortable looking chair.
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Talk about being "as one" with your machine... suddenly my bike didn't seem as "complete" as it had been before.
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First Roses

2009-05-28T05:33:00.003-05:00

Seems like it's been an excellent Spring for flowers. The tulips and iris did great, and the roses are going nuts. Here are a few of the first blooms.

The local fad is to name your rose bushes - "Glorias's Bounty" "Miss Miami Valley" "Passion Ruby". If the neighbors ask, I think I'll call these Manny, Yonkl, & Simche.

Aluminum Bottles Available Again!

2009-05-26T10:11:00.006-05:00

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(above: Jean Robic collects a few "Nescafé" aluminum bottles before a stage of the Tour de France.)

It's been many years since real aluminum bottles were available. Replaced beginning in the late 1950s by plastic bottles, the beautiful shining aluminum have been one of the Holy Grails of vintage bicycle parts.

An Ohio manufacturer has re-introduced aluminum bottles to the market. Decorated with printed logos (mostly blue in color) with mirror-finish aluminum details and spouts, these colorful bottles are sure to be a favorite among the retro crowd.

I can hardly wait to buy a couple and try them out!

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Back to the Front Rack

2009-05-25T19:45:00.000-05:00

(I'm reposting this because of errors in the original description of the "La Paon" rack.)

Time to turn our attention back to the Luxor front rack & twin headlights assembly. First, a recap...

This is the image we're probably most familiar with, from page 81 of The Data Book, showing Daniel Rebour illustration of a fully hammered combo at a bike show in 1947. Fully "honeycombed", smooth lenses.

Though rare, the rack does show up from time to time on eBay. Here's one from last year. The details are slightly different from Rebour's illustration above, but as I discovered with Luxor headlights, their product designs were not at all static, and were instead updated on a regular basis. This particular rack is in the "La Paon" (peacock) pattern. Note how the pattern is deeper toward the front of the headlight shells, narrowing and fading to the rear. Looks like this pattern is repeated on the deck of the rack, too. Note the revised two-part center opening on the platform, and closed edges on the side and rear openings.

Here's another example, cleaner and in better condition than the first, and in the hexagonal "honeycomb" pattern.

I requested that, if anyone found another one of these, to please let me know. It didn't take long for Richard Jenkins to contact me from Liege saying he not only found one, but was planning to part-out the bike it was on and I could have first dibs on the rack lights and fenders. Here's the donor bike, a Prima city bike.

Note that this combo, with its mixed pattern of hexagons and ribs, differs slightly from the otone above which is fully "honeycombed".

Next time: Details and Disassembly

Dilecta Women's Bike

2009-05-25T07:12:00.004-05:00

Found this is on eBay-France... a Dilecta women's bike. Wish the pictures were better - the bike doesn't look like much at first, but note the 650Bs, honeycomb fenders, Luxor honeycomb headlight (missing its lens) and taillight, bouble rear reflectors, and interesting rear rack with tool boxes. Seller says bike is from 1920s-1930s, but I'm guessing more like 1950s, or at least updated then. It's "local pick-up only", so we probably won't ever know for certain.

Rare Unhammered Luxor Taillight

2009-05-25T07:07:00.004-05:00

Finally! Spotted this on eBay-France. I knew there had to be one - a smooth Luxor taillight. Looks like someone has messed-about with the bezel, but no mistaking that shell and lens. Another empty pigeonhole filled on the Luxor family tree.

Häckel Headlight

2009-05-23T21:02:00.004-05:00

Small (child's?) headlight, not particularly attractive, but look at the great box! I'm guess this is from Germany. Graphics show the light (with different mount), large factory complex, and four youngsters relying on a bicycle and it's headlight to illuminate their nighttime march.

Luxor Patterns so far

2009-05-23T08:25:00.005-05:00

Everytime I think I've seen all the Luxor patterns, another pops-up somewhere. What's next? Polka dots?, Fishnet? Stone wall?

Anyway... here's the story so far. Missing from this picture, but seen elsewhere: smooth "50", peacock taillight, zeppelin "65". There's probably a zeppelin taillight, too.

First picture:
Top row: smooth "65", honeycomb "65", honeycomb taillight
Middle: honeycomb with rib "50", "65", and taillight
Bottom: peacock "65", knobbly "65", knobbly taillight

Second picture is a repeat of the zeppelin "65" for reference.

Three Large Headlights

2009-05-22T21:33:00.002-05:00

Possibly for velo or moto, these three lights appear as a group on eBay-France. The light center front is an aluminum"Self" with interesting cut-outs backed with red celluloid. I wonder if the light was visible from the side through these windows?

Luxor "65" Zeppelins

2009-05-22T21:14:00.005-05:00

Missed my chance for not one, not two, but Three of these Luxor 65s on eBay. It wasn't until after the auction that I really looked closely at what I'd lost... see the lines on the shell? These were "zeppelin" pattern Luxors - yet ANOTHER pattern!

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Another Lovely Vitalux

2009-05-17T17:54:00.002-05:00

Another attractive light from Vitalux, similar to the drum-shaped shell light, but this time with a shallow curved shell. Note the vertical lines and "Vitalux" script sand-blasted into the lens.

Edelko Twin Headlight Combo

2009-05-13T17:05:00.003-05:00

Just one picture, and not a great one at that, but here's another interesting twin-light combo from eBay/France, this time by Edelko. Looks like it bolts directly onto the top of the front fender. The bezel clasps at the bottom of the lenses look similar to those on Luxor headlights. I like the vertical lines and round central logo molded-into the lenses... too bad they're both damaged. These are pretty rare, so I imagine it is difficult to find good replacements.

2009-05-11T10:42:00.001-05:00

I moved daily coverage of the 1949 Giro d'Italia over to:

http://49giro.blogspot.com/

That Darned Ukelele (a short story based on a collection of photos I found in a junk shop)

2009-05-03T20:51:00.012-05:00

My brother's girlfriend Fern Olmstead is coming for a visit, along with her entire family. And look - Fern has brought her ukelele again.., how nice.

But wait! Looks like Fern's mom, Mrs. Olmstead, plays the ukelele too! Well, this is going to be a special occasion.

At least my brother Eli will get to spend some quality time with Fern... and her ukelele, of course.

Seems like Fern can't go anywhere without that darned thing. What are they, joined at the elbow or something?

Well... I suppose it is nice of her to let me have a go at the thing. :::plunk plunk plunk:::

Evening shadows may grow long, but Fern never seems to tire of strumming away.

Eventually even Eli has to gave it a try.

Sadly, Fern's brother Phinneas isn't musically inclined, and must find other amusements.

2009-05-03T16:59:00.002-05:00

Another unidentified headlight seen recently on eBay-France. Small (50mm dia x 90mm long) like the Luxor "50" and Jos "500" series, with a red plastic ridge down it's back. Possibly for a child's bike?

Aluminum Bag Support

2009-04-30T20:22:00.002-05:00

Found this interesting front bag and support combo on eBay France. Note the bent/formed aluminum support, which loops over the bars like the old Eclipse bags (and others?).

More leather washers

2009-04-28T19:45:00.002-05:00

Now in top-quality tack leather. Only color available so far is pink, but I should have some light grey soon.

Leather Washers

2009-04-17T20:23:00.002-05:00

Decided to try my hand at punching leather washers. These are handy for installing aluminum fenders - the leather conforms to the shape of the soft aluminum and keeps the fenders from rattling. Over time they flatten-out and loose some of their resilience, so a fresh supply will keep things quite and secure.

Snake Belly!

2009-04-16T14:16:00.003-05:00

Found another cool fender pattern on eBay France. What shal we call THIS one? I'm thinking snake belly for now.

Peugeot Rack and Tool Boxes Donor Bike

2009-04-10T17:15:00.005-05:00

Eric Meddaugh sent me the link to an auction for the same kind of bike that was the likely donor for the Peugeot rear rack and tool boxes. Thanks, Eric!

Bike is labelled Ruche and is described as "Exeptionnal old bike from the Peugeot Manufactures! Helium Series for Ruche's sellers! It seems come from the 1950's, the bike is fully working and in very good shape ( paint, chroms ans plastic are in very good condition). Of course, there is some rust and wear (usury) ! Everything on the bike is original only the tires who was too dry and we change it. Exeptionnal Parisian Gentleman Bicycle."

Wow. They could write copy for Happiness Go Fast Bicycle Company, Ltd. ;-)

Ready to Ride on a Rainy Gray Day

2009-03-29T16:17:00.004-05:00

The Assenmacher ready for a cold, rainy ride... why I love fenders.

DammitDammitDammit!

2009-03-26T19:14:00.006-05:00

I goofed... again! Messing-about with the new handlebar bag, I bumped the unattached Luxor rack, which slid off the front fender and onto the hard floor lenses-first. Only broke one, but it was the side with the special gasket and fitting to allow for two headlights powered by one wire. Pretty much no chance of finding a replacement lens assembly like this, so I'm gonna have to disassemble a "normal" Luxor 65 to steal the lens, then figure out how to roll the bezel around it. For now I can borrow a normal lens assembly from one of the other lights.

That lens is gonna be TOUGH to replace.

If you have one of these headlights BE CAREFUL, they are EXTREMELY BRITTLE! This makes two I've broken.

Dammit

Luxor Rack - New Front Strut and Reassembly

2009-03-25T21:38:00.009-05:00

Finished polishing the headlight shells and lenses. One lens has some spiderweb cracks from a previous impact, but luckily they're all below the surface and the lens is intact.

The original front strut has been bent, battered, and damaged over the years. It's soft aluminum and would be easy to straighten, but I didn't want to risk damaging it further. Also, the original fenders were wider than those I'm using, and I need to be able to place the front mounting bolts closer together, so I decided to make a new one from a piece of 6061 aluminum rod.

(No special tools or intelligence required.)

Here you can see the multiple bends of the front strut.

I haven't bought a tube bender (yet), but the aluminum is so soft, I was pretty certain I could bend it by hand. I dug through the junk pile until i found a piece of wooded dowel the right size for the bends. I started at ehe center and worked out from there.

First bends - I had to loop the strut beneath the vise screw to get the right length.

Next came the "S" curve which takes the strut around the fender. I need a narrower location for the bolts, so I deviated slightly from the original strut.

Using the dowel as a guide, I pulled the aluminum into a curve.

So far, so good... now the reverse bend.

Original (left) and hand-made copy (right)... not a perfect match, but close. I'll probably end up buying a tube bender and making another version, but this one will work fine for fitting the rack to the front fender and bike.

Here are all the parts layed-out.

The strut passes through a hole in the head of the the mounting bolts. The thick spacers fit over the bolt head and push against the strut to lock it when tightened. Clearance was a problem until I realized I could lean the strut forward to push the bolts through the holes in the rack.

Everything bolted-up fine. Note how the squarish bend of the strut helps support the center of the rack deck.

I'm a bit disappointed in how the rack looks with the long front fender, which clashes with the lines of the rack and lights. Not sure what I'd change... maybe an emblem bolted to the fender would interrupt that long curve?

Next time: drilling holes and bolting it all together.

Awful Pics of a Beautiful Bike

2009-03-21T08:31:00.003-05:00

My friend Ed bought this Chris Kvale a couple years ago, before I had a proper camera, so these pics are terrible. The bike, however, is absolutly gorgeous. I've contacted Ed to see about getting some better pics now that I have a real picturebox. I'll update these as soon as possible.

Paris-Tours, 1935

2009-03-20T17:26:00.005-05:00

Here's an old favorite from "Aldo's Pic of the Day"... French illustrator "Pellos" takes us along for another typical bike race with this collection of page headers covering 1935 Paris-Tours. From "Match l'Intran" No.512, 5 May 1935.

The linear version is much better:

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/aldoross/pd/1935PT.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1

Anti-Glare Panels?

2009-03-19T21:23:00.002-05:00

I'm beginning to wonder if this rack might be a problem on sunny days...

Lafuma Ensemble

2009-03-19T10:58:00.007-05:00

Well... the "too much red?" front bag dilemma has been resolved, as I just won this trio of faded brown 1960's "Lafuma" French bags on eBay/France. I consider today to be a very good day indeed :-)

Latvian Sardines and Sardinella

2009-03-18T22:03:00.003-05:00

Attention Jonny Hamachi... I bought these two tins at the local eastern european deli (what the heck are "sardinella"?). Should I bother opening these, or just chuck them in the bin?

Shiny Deck

2009-03-18T21:38:00.005-05:00

The deck is polishing up nicely. This is after just 10 minutes at the buffing wheel. Still a few scratches and some discoloration in the deepest areas of the hexagons, but another round of tripoli or white rouge, followed by some red rouge, and I think it will be finished.

I found a manufacturing defect in the right headlight which might shed a bit of light on the manufacturing process (see area outlined in red). The flaw is almost perfectly circular, and almost matches the size of the holes stamped in the front of the deck. Perhaps a stamped slug got caught between the form and the headlight shell during stamping???

Assenmacher Evolution

2009-03-18T06:47:00.007-05:00

The Assenmacher has had some interesting equipment over the past few years. Picture below shows the first build, with candy apple red Bluemels, Titan adjustable stayer (extra long) stem and matching steel bars, and skinny racing tubulars. The stem and bar combo weighed over 2-1/2 lbs! The Bluemels were pretty, but brittle in the cold, so I removed them to avoid destroying them on this active bike.

Second build - same as the first, but with Rivendell "Speed Blend" tires. Some folks loved 'em, and some folks hated 'em.

Things started looking serious when I installed the front Nitto rack. With front and rear "Campee" racks it was strong enough to carry my car. The wooden fenders were pretty, but with their flat profile and no side beads, the water just blew out the sides and onto my legs and feet, so they didn't help much on rainy days. They also acted like kites in the wind, messing-up the handling as well. So... soaked cyclist, swerving along a twisting gravel road, carrying about 200 lbs of camping gear - not as much fun as I expected.

"Jingle Bike"... I think this was the 2007 edition. Turning the pedals tilts the tree back & forth, creating a Christmas-ey jingle bells musical effect. Inspired by the story below...

Jingle Bike

by Aldo Ross

"T'was the night before Christmas..."Always a difficult time for those among us who live alone - the singles, the childless, those who have no close relatives with whom to spend the holidays. Some will spend Christmas Eve by themselves. This is the story of one of them.

He sits by the fire, sipping hot tea and watching the flames chase and frolic among the logs. At his feet, a warm pile of sleeping cats. Except for the occasional sputter from the fire, it's a silent night. The winter sun is already setting amid a few crimson clouds, leaving a starry indigo sky to the east. His room grows dim, lit only by the dancing orange flames.It's still early - a few more hours must pass before he makes his rounds.

Across the room, leaning serenely against the far wall, is a bicycle. Normally it would be stored for the season, waiting patiently for Spring rains to wash away the road salt, but this evening it stands ready for one last ride before it's winter slumber. Headlights are mounted, along with a single red taillight. Water bottles have been replaced by a thermos for hot coffee. Tonight will be a special ride - an honor reserved for the bicycle which has been favorite the past twelve months. Curious and unusual changes have been made to the bike. The toptube has been wrapped in cloth tape to protect the paint, and over this a split piece of PVC tube has been slipped into place. Twenty-four silver sleigh bells, arranged in three rows of eight, are attached to a strap of leather at each end of which is tied a length of wire. The strap of bells lays over the top tube, hanging down on either side of the frame, and the ends of the wires are attached to the pedal spindles in such a way that, when the crank is turned, the bells are pulled alternately up and down over the PVC sleeve, so that each revolution creates a "jingle-jingle" sound.

It's almost nine-thirty - the man begins dressing for the ride ahead. Wrapped in several layers of warm wool, he rolls his bicycle out into the chilly night.

Lights turned on, leg over the bike, feet into the pedals, and off he goes. First he rides a lap around his neighborhood. His breath turns to frost in the chilly air, but inside his woolen cocoon, smelling slightly of lanolin, he remains cozy and warm. The bells work as planned, jingling with each stroke of the pedals.

Most folks are already in for the night, so the roads are silent and empty - there is only the sound of his sleigh bells in the crystalline air.

He's lived in this town for many years, and it's neighborhoods well. He knows where many of the children live. Passing their homes, he bounces the bicycle up and down a bit to make extra jingling noises, but he is greeted only by colored lights and silence.

First loop completed, he turns onto the main road and heads downtown. He has only a few hours to cover all of the little neighborhoods, his small white light guiding him along the darkened streets.

During the ride he thinks about his childhood, and all those early Christmas nights when he lay awake, too excited to sleep. He remembers listening as his parents turned-off the television and went to bed. He recalls the low rumbling from the steel mill across town, where the machinery never slept, and the lonely whistle from trains rolling through the farmlands beyond. A sort of panic would build as sleep continued to elude him. He'd toss and turn, wondering what would happen - would he get in trouble if he couldn't sleep all night? And then he'd suddenly awaken on Christmas morning to a world full of magic.

Tonight he continues his ride, visiting one neighborhood after another, covering the entire town, the bells jingling all the way. But what if no one else can hear the bells tonight? Perhaps the televisions are still turned on, the kids are up late playing games on their computers, their exhausted parents having surrendered to wishes to open presents early.

But perhaps there is one house, one small room, where one child stares wide-eyed into the darkness... one little person is wishing for sleep to come, wondering perhaps what time Santa will come, and how He gets down the chimney, and how He manages to cover the entire world in just one night. Perhaps one small soul will think about the glass of milk and the little plate of cookies left on the table by the Christmas tree. And then, perhaps, they'll hear the gentle jingle of bells outside and rush to the window to see a dot of red light disappearing in the distance. And it won't matter if the light is at road level rather than flying over the roof tops - an amazing site, otherwise unexplainable - not a car taillight or anything like that, bobbing slightly from side to side as it crests the hill and vanishes.

It's three hours later, and the rounds have been completed. The bike rests once more against the far wall. The fire is now only deep red embers. Sitting by the fire, with three happy cats sleeping in a pile amid the warm wool.

He thinks about this night's work, reflecting on all the Christmas Eves he's spent alone, and probably will continue to spend alone, and how life isn't always what we expect it to be.

And he's only a little surprised to find that, on the table beside him, someone has left a glass of milk and a small plate of cookies.

Rack Details

2009-03-16T20:11:00.014-05:00

Here's the rack that came from the bike in Belgium, dirty and lightly scratched, but nothing that won't clean up.

Note the ribs pressed into the headlight shells and rack deck. I wonder if these helped add a bit of stiffness, especially to the deck?

The steel look at the front is badly corroded. Looks like it was never really symmetrical, either.

Here you can see the layout of the struts and deck. The front struts are made from a single piece of aluminum rod, held in place by the same bolts which attach the headlight shells to the deck. I'll made a new front strut assembly from some 6061-T6 round stock.

The rear struts are also made of one piece of aluminum round bar, which attach to the fender. The deck is attached to the rear struts by crimping the edges over the rod. No good way to replace the rear struts, since the aluminum holding them in place is thin and would possibly tear if I tried to open the clips and then bend them back.

The wire between the two lights allows them to be illuminated in parallel (or is that series???).

Here you can see how the front strut passes through a hole in the headlight anchor bolt. Mounting hardware is all steel.

The headlight shells are secured with crown nuts, which allow use of a screw driver to teighten them in this partially-enclosed location.

One headlight has this special attachment for wiring the lights in (parallel? series?? someone help me out here).

Luxor La Paon Headlight

2009-03-14T14:32:00.003-05:00

The Luxor "paon" (peacock) pattern headlight has arrived. I haven't had time to do any polishing yet, but here are two quick pics. The yellow bulb makes the lens looks more yellow than it actually is. Note that this is the smooth (no ribs) lens - only the second one I've gotten so far... I broke the first one at the buffing wheel, so this one gets extraspecialcautiouscareful handling.

Blocking the Peugeot Rack

2009-03-14T12:39:00.007-05:00

Okay... I've washed off some of the river mud, and taken a few more overall pics of the bike with the rack in position. In sunlight the rack doesn't seem quite so overpoweringly red. I'll be adding the Luxor front rack with lights (shown in the fifth photo) sometime soon. At the bottom is a picture of the tool boxes on Jim Cunningham's Alex Singer for comparison to the Peugeot boxes.

Too Much Red???

2009-03-14T10:04:00.003-05:00

I think this might be too much red... maybe I should try aluminum silver, or perhaps Assenmacher could paint the rack to match one of the two greens on the frame. Any other ideas? Comments and suggestions greatly appreciated.

Kippers, Anyone?

2009-03-11T20:19:00.001-05:00

Hmm... an almost perfect fit.

2009-03-10T11:53:00.003-05:00

First polishing. I started with the worse box of the two. The aluminum is pretty soft, so I may be able to work out some of the dents a wrinkles a bit more. A few deep scratches will need extra attention., but so far, so good.

Peugeot rack and tool boxes

2009-03-09T20:45:00.005-05:00

I was looking for a rear rack for the Assenmacher, something that would compliment the Luxor rack & lights combo on the front of the bike, and found this set from a Peugeot city bike on eBay France.

The rack is steel - I plan to make a copy in aluminum, but for now I'll clean this one and paint it red to match the stripes on the fenders. The aluminum boxes will polish-up nicely, but they have some dents - hopefully I can straighten them enough to be passable.

Reflectives

2009-03-09T10:12:00.002-05:00

La lanterne Bowden "Aurora"

2009-02-21T11:53:00.011-05:00

The Aurora light arrived from France yesterday, NOS complete with box and brochure, and still in it's original wrapping (photos #4, #5, & #6 are from the seller's original listing). The first thing I learned is that I had the manufacturer wrong - the model name of the light is "Aurora", and it's manufactured by the French branch of the Bowden company, "Anciens Éstablissements Bowden" of Paris (XVIIe) France (note address at bottom of brochure, photo #28).

Introduced in 1948 (see Rebour illustration, image #1), the Aurora appears to have been a top-quality light using expensive materials and excellent finish. The dynamo is installed inside the headlight shell, making it nearly waterproof. And with the mounting bolt above the wheel, there was less risk of the light or dynamo falling into the spokes in an accicent or if the pivot bolt should come loose.

The headlight shell is chrome-plated brass, highly polished. The leading edge of the shell is rather rough, and there are marks where the shape was drawn down to form the smaller diameter for the front opening. The red rib at the top is tranluscent plastic, and the top fin is aluminum. I think the function of the fin is to act as finger tab when engaging or disengaging the drive assembly.

The cast zinc mount for the drive assembly is attached to the bottom of the shell by two bolts and nuts. At the back, the heavy stamped steel mounting arm is attacked with a nut and bolt. on the right side, looking from the front, the drive assembly arm is pinned to the mount, with a spring pushing it toward the "engaged" position. A lever pivots at the center of the mount... pull against the spring to disengage the drive, or push down to release the arm and engage the drive wheel.

The drive arm is cast aluminum. It includes the streamlined guard (looks like the wheel pants from a Stuka dive bomber!). There is a grease fitting for lubrification of the drive wheel bearing.

A chrome tube runs from above the drive wheel to the shell. Inside this tube is the drive cable (I haven't taken everything apart yet, so I'm not sure what this looks like). The tube is not anchored at the bottom, but free to move in or out of the drive arm when the drive is engaged/disengaged.

Inside the shell, the dynamo is uncovered and entirely visible. It is attached to the shell by a nut and hollow bolt where the drive cable enters.

The clear plastic lens, plated copper bezel, and silvered copper reflector are inseperable (see image #21). The bezel fits very closely in the shell opening, much tighter than most headlights I've seen, which possibly helps keep water out of the dynamo. A small hole in the top of the bezel aligns with a very small pin in the top of the shell, and a spring clip at the bottom holds the lens assembly in place.

I was wrong about the red plastic band at the top acting as some sort of indicator - I ran the light with a power drill, and no light reaches the plastic, nor does the dynamo create sparks as I first thought it might (I guess that's motors, not small dynamos). I imagined the red plastic flashing with sparks in a aurora-like fashion, but it's purely decorative.

To provide power to a taillight, there's a wire entry hole at the bottom of the shell behind the drive mount, and a threaded wire attachment at the front of the dynamo (visible in photos #22 & #23).

Grilled Phare Velox

2009-02-16T17:57:00.002-05:00

Another fantastic grilled headlight on eBay-France, this time a "VELOX" with jeweled ornament, four-way switch, double bezels (one for the lens, one for the grill?).

Buy the Luxors, Feel the Luxors, Be the Luxors

2009-02-16T07:05:00.002-05:00

Seeing life through the eyes of a Luxor twin-65's front rack...

"We're in the Money"

2009-02-14T11:28:00.004-05:00

Well, I spent last evening examining available information regarding the coming Economic Relief Package, and after doing a few quick calculations, it appears I will soon be bringing home an additional $12 per week.

I intend to spend it all on luxury items.

Long Campy Front QR Lever

2009-02-11T10:40:00.004-05:00

Can anyone provide more information on the long Campagnolo front qr lever shown in the first photo? (A " normal" lever shown is in second photo.)

Yet Another Luxor Variation

2009-02-10T18:29:00.002-05:00

Uh-oh, found another one, and this time it matches Le Fol's "La Paon" (peacock) pattern.

Adding Storage Capacity

2009-02-10T13:08:00.003-05:00

Interesting combination from eBay France including nice rear rack, aluminum boxes, aluminum fenders, and aluminum Radios #18 headlight. The clip on the headlight is broken, but luckily I have a good condition replacement. Mostly I was after that rack and the tool boxes - they'll go on the Assenmacher.

Aslux For A Dollar Twenty-Nine

2009-02-08T16:58:00.003-05:00

I was a bit surprised to win this NOS Aslux light set for just 1 Euro. The aluminum headlight looks like it's about the same size as a Radios No.16 (about 50mm). The tombstone taillight looks like a copy of another Radios unit, and appears to have an indicator lens on top. I'll post better pics when it arrives.