Category Archives: Vintage bicycle restoration

Are we dating?

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Dunlop Le Pneu 700A tire with “290” code

One of the things I enjoy about working on vintage bicycles is the sleuthing necessary to determine a bike’s provenance, and the thrill of discovery when all the clues come together.

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Griffon steerer tube with builder’s mark plus a “9” code

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Griffon bottom bracket cup with “9” code

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Griffon wheel axle with “9” code. Note the felt seals enclosed in steel covers. 

While disassembling and cleaning the components of the 1920’s Griffon I am restoring, I kept finding the number 9 (or could it be a 6?) on various components – the steerer tube, front and rear axles, and bottom bracket cups.  I also noted that the Dunlop Le Pneu tires had small numeric codes on each tire – 290 and 295.

Meanwhile, I have been researching the history of the Griffon Bicycle Company, and found references to their absorption into Peugeot in 1928.

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Peugeot freewheel and fixed cog

When I removed the rear wheel I was elated to see this astoundingly pristine Peugeot freewheel, and its fixed cog counterpart for the fixed/free gearing on this beautiful old Griffon.  The freewheel has a small oil port with hinged cover, and with some cleaning and lubrication, the freewheel spins smoothly and sounds great.

Based on this evidence, I suspected that this was a 1929 machine.  But, I wasn’t completely convinced of my conclusion, so I continued with my research.

henri gauthier saddle 1920's catalog

1920’s Henri Gauthier Catalog

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CCS Seatpost clamp, closed top steel seatpost

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Henri Gauthier Glorieuse Model 76 Saddle

The bike’s Henri Gauthier Glorieuse Model 76 saddle was in such great condition that I questioned whether it was original to the bike.  However, I discovered this 1920’s catalog on the French Ancien Velos Lyonnais website.  This doesn’t mean that this saddle wasn’t manufactured for years hence, but, it does help to build my case that this is a 1929 bicycle.

The steel seatpost is well machined and is closed at the top.  The steel seatpost clamp is labeled “CCS”.  Both are of higher quality than similar seatposts and clamps of later eras.

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The size of the bottom bracket shell provides more clues.  It is 70 mm wide, with a 46.6 diameter. French shells are typically 68 mm wide, even those from the 1940’s on.

Also, you can see the pin in one of the tubes – showing the method of brazing.  In the early days of frame brazing, bicycle tubes were pinned, rather than tacking the lugs with brazing material, before heating and brazing.  This technique is actually still used by Mercian and possibly some other frame builders who use brick hearths to heat the frames before brazing.  This technique helps to eliminate the possibility of overheating the main tubes.  It was nice to see the bottom bracket looking free of rust, with all the threads in good shape.  For a bike that is almost 90 years old, that is amazing.

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So, most of my evidence indicates this is a 1929 Griffon.  But, I’ll keep an open mind as I continue the restoration work on this great old bicycle.

When Vintage Components Fail

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While there is no question that the quality of many vintage bicycle components is superior to that of their modern day mass-produced counterparts, vintage components do fail.  Some failures are caused by design flaws, some are simply the result of fatigue and use over the decades, some are caused by improper adjustment or retention, and some by corrosion and exposure to the elements.  How can you determine when it is safe to continue using a vintage component?

Lyotard pedal thread and spindle failure, compared to newer version with longer spindle and more threads.

1950’s Lyotard pedal thread failure, compared to newer 1970’s model on the right.

Sometimes, you can’t.  While I was removing the 1950’s Lyotard Marcel Berthet pedals from a recent project, a small chunk of the threads from the left side pedal spindle simply fell to the ground.  This was after I had taken a test ride, before overhauling the pedals.  What if the spindle had broken during my ride?

Before I disassembled the pedals to examine them, I did some sleuthing.  I wanted to know how one can spot flaws and weaknesses in components before disaster strikes.  I found a good overview of metal fatigue failure at Open University’s Component Failure Museum.  There is a  specific section on their web site for bicycle component failures, including some interesting and scary crank arm, brake, and steel frame failures.  Metal fatigue results in a sudden, catastrophic failure after the initiation and growth of a crack at a stress point.  Is it possible to diagnose such a crack with the naked eye?  Perhaps not if you are not a trained materials engineer.  But, with some basic understanding of cycling mechanics and physics, at least one can know where the highest stress points are for a given component.

In this case, I wanted to know the highest stress point for a pedal spindle.  And, I wanted to know if Lyotard pedals in general, and Marcel Berthet pedals in particular, have had a history of spindle failure.  As it turns out, the answer is YES and NO.  Some Lyotard pedal spindles (namely model 460D) appear to have a history of sudden failure where the spindle breaks in the middle of the thickest part of the spindle, with no warning.  This particular model was ubiquitous in the 1960’s and 1970’s – I have accumulated a number of these pedals in a shop bin.  Some of the cages of these pedals have come apart, or are loose, so I haven’t re-used them and keep them around for parts.  Their spindles all look great, but that, as it turns out, may mean nothing, because the design of the 460D pedals, with their flimsy aluminum cages, may be the actual culprit.  However, the location of the failure on these pedals spindles gives a clue as to their highest stress point, which appears to be closer to the crankarm side of the cage.  Fortunately, I have never experienced a pedal failure while riding.

The highly regarded Marcel Berthet pedals have steel bodies, and shorter spindles than the 460D pedals.  Based on my research, that means they are less susceptible to failure. Steel and aluminum can interact badly with each other over time in a process called galvanic corrosion, so steel cages with steel spindles are a plus.

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The above photo shows the early 1950’s spindles, compared to their mid-1970’s counterpart.  You can see that the manufacturing process changed, and that the newer spindle looks pristine.  On the older spindles, there is brass residue below the base of the cone portion, and I am not sure why.  There are also grooves and striation marks in the area between the brass material and the cone section, as seen below.

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What does this mean?  And, why did the threads fall off upon removal of the pedals from the crank arm?

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1950’s pedal spindle

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1970’s pedal spindle

I think I know the explanation for the thread failure.  The 1950’s spindle has a very deep angled inset at the threaded end of the spindle, whereas the newer version has a much less deep inset.  I think the threads failed simply because there is not a lot of material at the end of the threaded portion.  When the weight of the pedal pulled it down from the crank arm as I was removing it, the threads broke off.  I think the spindles may be just fine, and there are plenty of good threads left to allow re-use of the spindles.  Fortunately, the cones and pedal bodies are still in good shape.

Based on some additional research, I have decided to clean and polish the spindles before reuse, photograph them, then plan to overhaul the pedals with greater frequency and examine the spindles during each overhaul to see if there are any changes to the appearance of the spindles.  While this might seem paranoid to some, it’s my well-being and perhaps that of a future owner of these pedals that is on the line.

Last Sunday, I witnessed a cycling accident that involved a rider on a new (I learned) bicycle.  She was unaccustomed to the quick response and grabby strength of her new braking system – short reach sidepulls – which have a lot more mechanical advantage than pretty much most vintage calipers.  She needed to slow down quickly, applied her brakes, and was propelled over the front of the bike, headfirst.  She was not wearing a helmet, and was pretty banged up.  This was another reminder of the importance of understanding all the elements of the bike you are riding.  Cycling is not the same as driving a brand new high tech car.  All cyclists need to be alert to safety issues involving their components, frames, and riding styles.

1953 French Mystery Mixte Out on the Road

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I decided to take the 1953 French Mystery Mixte out for its first test ride today.  I headed over to Sellwood so I could start the Springwater trail from Sellwood Park, and avoid downtown traffic.  This year, Summer riding in Portland has been a mixed bag.  It has been easy to be beckoned by the dry weather, but the recent heat waves and high humidity have made it challenging to enjoy even my regular commute.  Although cool and breezy, today was more humid than I expected, so my single water bottle turned out to be inadequate.

I was anxious to see how the Challenge Strada Bianca tubular tires felt.  I even wondered if somehow the ride would be transformed by the legendary smoothness and purported supple sidewalls of tubular tires.  I was brought back to reality worrying that I might get a flat.  But, one upside to tubular tires is not having to carry a spare tube, patches, or tire irons.  I can’t imagine what it was like to actually have to carry an entire spare tire (or two, plus glue and a sewing kit).  So, I didn’t even bother with a pump, and just stuffed a few tools and my cell phone into a tiny seat bag.

As I got underway, I felt like I was riding an e-bike. Wait. The bike is long and tall, and  I was in a fairly upright position with the city style bars.  Yet I was positively rolling!  Could it be the tubular tires?  Well, it turned out to be a tailwind, which I discovered when I reversed direction to head back to my starting point on the trail.

After this moment of elation, I concentrated on what the bike was telling me as I sped along, passing nearly everyone:  responsive frame, comfortable saddle, smooth-as-glass hubs, easy shifting, and no lateral flex (thanks to the twin sloping top tubes of this mixte frame).  The tires felt fast, yet more comfortable than similar 30mm width tires that I have ridden, and handled the brief time I spent on hard packed dirt when I took a detour with no mishaps.

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The gearing is very high, and even moderate hills required a standing position to maintain cadence.  I ended up not using the highest gear, and rode the bike as a three speed.  Fortunately, the Simplex Tour de France derailleur can handle up to a 24 tooth cog, which means that the gearing could be lowered from its current 59-83 gear inch range, down to a low gear of 52.  That would help make this bike more versatile.  Even so, hill climbing will remain challenging.

A tubular tire oddity is that they lose pressure very quickly.  They will lose several pounds overnight, and a lot of air after a week.  That’s one reason you’ll see bikes with tubular tires kept elevated, so that no flat spots or creases develop in the sidewalls.  For this outing, I had inflated the tires the night before with about 85 lbs in the rear tire and 75 lbs in the front, but as I was riding I felt sure that I had lost pressure especially in the rear tire.  In the future I will plan to inflate the tires before each ride – which is a good practice anyway.

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I enjoyed using the old Lyotard Marcel Berthet pedals with their original clips and straps.  I hadn’t rebuilt them yet, and even so they performed just fine for this short trip, and were easy to get my shoe in and out of.

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The narrow braking surface of the Clement rims is imprinted with a pattern, theoretically to improve braking.  In practice, the rims emitted a high pitched whining sound whenever the brakes were applied.  While the noise did alert others to my presence, I want to find a way to make braking silent, so will be experimenting with some different brake pads.  I also still have friction in the rear brake cable, which I need to troubleshoot.

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1953 French Mixte at Tilikum Crossing

1972 Mercian

1972 Mercian

Yesterday, I had taken the 1972 Mercian out for a spin, so it was interesting comparing the riding experience of these two different bicycles.  The Mercian is a classic 1970’s road bike, using 700c tires on a small frame which happens to fit me perfectly.  It has a 100cm wheelbase, but similar (and higher than I prefer) wheel flop and trail numbers (wheel flop 17 and trail 59).  I was not disappointed in the handling of the mixte.  I did not have any trouble maneuvering at slow speeds, whereas the Mercian does exhibit the unwieldy feel of a high wheel flop bike when riding at slow speeds. The long 109cm wheelbase helps to keep the bike feeling more stable than it otherwise would. Both bikes are comfortable yet performance oriented, and versatile enough for any kind of riding, with the right gearing.  Neither bike has rack mounts, but both have fender eyelets.  With a saddlebag support, either bike could be put into daily service as a commuter, and the Mixte’s high gearing and light 22 lb weight could allow it to do double duty as a training bike.

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The city style bars have flush mounted levers, which although stylish-looking, means that the only way to adjust the position of the levers, is to adjust the handlebars.  My wrists and hands were uncomfortable after a while, because they were not in a neutral position, so I’ll be making adjustments to the bars as well as completing a few other minor tweaks.

The bike’s first ride left me impressed.  Riding it today reminded me again of how well the cycling industry had developed by the end of WWII.  Its high end components and beautiful Oscar Egg lugs translate into a well-appointed, lightweight bicycle that is perfectly competent and comfortable to ride. I am looking forward to riding it again.