Goeland 650b Date Mystery Solved

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Nola Wilken

When I first purchased this Goeland in 2013, I was told by the seller that he thought it was all original. Later, I discovered photos of this same bike on the web, but with a different, and apparently much nicer wheelset – Maxi car hubs on Rigida Chrolux rims – instead of the heavily corroded no-name set that was shipped with the bike. The seller insisted that that wheelset was just an idea for a rebuild and that the bike he shipped was likely all original, but that he wasn’t sure of the manufacture date.

I photographed the bike, then began disassembly in the summer of 2013. I noted that there were a number of “41’s” stamped on the bike – on the rack tang, on the steerer tube, and on the bottom bracket. But, since the seller was fairly sure that this was NOT a date code, I proceeded with my assumption that the bike was a late 40’s or early 50’s model. And, there was also a 305 code stamped on the drive side drop-outs, front and rear. In retrospect, it is interesting how one can ignore the obvious.

When I purchased the bike I knew it needed a few small frame repairs. Since I hadn’t yet made up my mind about how to proceed on that front, I set the project aside. Then, the seasons passed. Finally, the right moment came so I turned my attention first to the funky looking wheelset. Right away I noticed some unusual features. First of all, the rims are actually painted yellow, inside and out, with parallel black stripes running along the spoke bed. When I removed the braided rim protector, I noticed a starburst pattern on the spoke nipples, and the use of washers. I then noticed that the spoke heads bore the same pattern. Then, to my surprise, I noticed that the spokes were double-butted! As I was handling the wheel I became aware of how light weight it was, even though made of steel – in fact, I had to use my magnet just to confirm this for myself. The unbranded hubs are very nicely machined, although the chrome plating is now rusted and pitted. I started to work on removing the corrosion from the hub’s outer surfaces, and on trying to remove the crud and corrosion from the rims.

I tried all kinds of products, and ended up using Menotomy’s oil with some super fine steel wool (Grade 00000). As I was patiently (sort of) working away at the corrosion, I spotted what looked like some lettering, and started to feel a sense of excitement as I gradually rubbed away enough gunk to make out the writing: Rigida DECO B Fabrication 1940-41!!!

I had to do some research on the web to confirm that DECO was indeed a Rigida model, and that it was Ridiga’s practice to put a date of manufacture on its rims – both things turned out to be true. The rear wheel has what I think is a Cyclo model 3 speed freewheel, but I cannot make out the model name, nor the engraving on the spoke protector:

Meanwhile, the work on the rims is coming along. They will never look great, but they will have an interesting “patina” and the hub cones and axles are definitely salvageable.

And, it was fun to bring the frame back out to look at it again and to appreciate its build quality. I had forgotten about this nice finish work on the seat lug and mixte seat tube stays:

I ended up concluding that the “305” code stamped on the drive side drop-outs is the serial number. One idea is that they used a simple sequential numbering system, but I don’t have a way of knowing how many frames per year the Goeland company would build. I haven’t been successful at finding any information about Goeland serial numbers.

1941 Goeland 650b Mixte

But now that I know the date of manufacture, I really am impressed by how well this bike has survived, and now feel more motivated to bring this project to completion.

1980’s Peugeot 650c Conversion

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Nola Wilken

I came across this Canadian Peugeot on eBay. Before I converted it to a 650c city bike, it was equipped with a mix of Shimano 600 and 105 components, and even sported some brifters, which of course had failed some time ago. Probably, the bike was garaged after this and that is why it was in pretty decent shape. Thank you, Shimano.

There was a little bit of rust in the bottom bracket shell, so I decided to treat the frame with Weigle’s frame saver. It was nice to see the vertical drop-outs, and the cutouts on the lugs were a surprise. Most of the finish work is very good, except for the sloppy work on the seat stay brake bridge. Of course, the serial number is meaningless, except the “Y” makes me wonder if this was a PY model. Canadian Peugeot’s were manufactured by Pro Cycle beginning in 1978. The company used lug construction vs. the French models which were internally brazed. The frame and fork are Reynolds 531. The fast back seat stays and the unicrown fork, as well as the style of the Reynolds stickers (which are in French) made me date this bike to the mid-80’s. I’ve never seen a Peugeot in British racing green, but I really do like this color. There are even some gold racing stripes on the left side seat stay. So, it doesn’t look as French as it does British. (And, I guess that’s why it’s Canadian.)

I salvaged the nice Shimano 105 rear derailleur by inverting the b-screw, a la Sheldon Brown. That made it possible to use a 32 tooth cog on the rear cassette. For this city drive train I used a 45 tooth SR ring, a Velo Orange chain guard, and a 165 mm SR Signature crank. With this wheel size, that yields a gear inch range of 34-93 with the 12-32 7 speed cassette pictured. That’s just about right for any kind of city riding that involves hills. I used Tektro’s long reach brakes, which are what I use for all my 650c conversions, and 650c Terry Tellus 28 mm tires. These tires ride quite well and are virtually bullet proof. The wheelset is comprised of 28 hole Dura Ace hubs laced to Mavic XP12 rims in a 2 cross style. This wheelset came off of a late 90’s titanium triathlon bike. While this set may seem positively robust by today’s standards, I am a big fan of strong wheelsets with at least 3 cross lacing and 32 spokes front and rear. However, for a small and light-weight rider, which is who I designed this bike for, this wheelset should work just fine.

For the rest of the build, I chose an upright position using Velo-Orange’s Monmartre handlebar with reverse Dia Compe levers. I had some matching Shimano 105 shifters, so used those to complement the rear derailleur. They can be used in friction or index mode with this 1 x 7 drive train.

The standover height is 29 1/2 inches. The bike weighs 21 lbs as pictured, so it will make a very nice and responsive city bike for a small rider.

For sale now.

Peugeot 650b Mixte Restoration

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Nola Wilken

Spanning several years, my work on this restoration project is now complete. This 1930’s (or possibly 1940’s) Peugeot came to me like this:

The frame was pretty dirty, but seemed otherwise intact, with all the brazing in good shape and no serious dings or dents. It is made with Vitus “Rubis” tubing, a type used on higher end bicycles in the 30’s and 40’s. As many enthusiasts know, Peugeot serial numbers appeared to follow no rhyme or reason and cannot be used to successfully date older models. So, the main clues to its provenance are the “H” in front of the serial number, the tubing type, the decals, and the components. The drive side chain stay has a braze-on for a derailleur spring, but when I purchased the bike, it came with a Simplex Tour de France derailleur, a model which doesn’t use such a spring. I think this was a later upgrade to the bike, as these derailleurs were first introduced in the late 40’s.

Peugeot Serial Number

Vitus Rubis tubing

In two previous posts I documented the process used to create a rideable machine out of the original bike plus as many period-specific parts as I could source. I added 650b wheels, hammered fenders, a Henri Gauthier leather saddle, a polished aluminum stem, custom levers, and aluminum handlebar with wood grips. My final quest was to set up the lighting. I needed a full lighting system, and after going through a number of possible dynamos I finally found a Ducel fork mounted system that was NOS from the 50’s, that looked just about perfect.

Ducel fork mount dynamo

Ducel headlamp

Ducel rear lamp

Riding this bike is really fun – it is very comfortable with its super long wheel base and the 650b tires. It is quite the attention getter and conversation starter and was really rewarding to work on. Here is the bike now, and it will be up for sale in my new on-line store – coming soon.