Tag Archives: bicycle restoration

Riding the ALAN on the Leif Erikson Trail

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I have been contemplating a road trip involving both urban and wildlife adventures, and wanted to take the “perfect bike” that would be suitable for both environs.  Could it be the ALAN?

Alan in cross modeALAN in city mode

When I first purchased the ALAN it was set up for Cyclocross.  Because the frame is very small (48×48), it uses 24 inch wheels and has way more standover height than I need.  The Cinelli stem combined with the small frame made the bars far too low for comfort, so I decided to build the ALAN into a city commuter.  Recently I decided to try out some mildly knobby tires to see how the bike performed on dirt and hard packed gravel.  The tires I originally ordered were out of stock so I swapped my order for these Vee Rubber micro knobbies  shown below.

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These tires come from Thailand, and since I have nothing against tires made there I thought I would give them a try.  I lowered my pressures to 45 in the back and 40 in the front.  In retrospect I could have run them a bit lower for more comfort and control over the wet rocks and muddy surfaces I encountered today.

ALAN on Leif Erikson ALAN on Leif Erikson

Leif Erikson Trail in Forest Park, Portland, Oregon, is just about the most gentle way you could introduce yourself to to off-road riding.  There is an easy climb to about 500 feet, and then for several miles the road flattens out, but it feels like you are coasting…uphill!  Along the way I was treated to mysterious and unknown bird calls, and a few darting chipmunks (rarely seen in Pdx).  The tires performed well.  I had already tried them out for commuting and, with pressures at about 65 in the back and 60 in the front, they worked really well and were very comfortable on the pavement.

ALAN with Dura Ace ALAN in the mud

Today was not the best day to do an off-road ride.  The weather fluctuated dramatically from overcast to sunny to outright downpours.  The trail surface was difficult for me to feel confidence on because I did not have clipless pedals, and with the wet and muddy conditions, my shoes slipped off the pedals disconcertingly on occasion.  I ended up riding slowly, and was worried about the descent and whether my shoes would keep contact with the pedals over the rocky surfaces.

ALAN CyclocrossALAN on Leif Erikson Trail

All turned out well, and I managed to escape the downpour of hail and rain that came a few minutes after I arrived at the Thurman Street gate.

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Leif Erikson Trail is really a runner’s trail, but bikes are allowed and I never felt unwelcome.  In fact, I often ran this trail back in the 1990’s when my offices were located nearby.  Today I encountered many runners and only a handful of cyclists.  What I learned was that the ALAN could handle off-road conditions, and that any climbs more serious than what I experienced today would mean installing a new cassette with some lower gears.  But, other than that I was very happy with its performance.  The flexible frame and perfectly decent tires made up for not having any fork suspension.  It was great to be out in nature – even if the weather did not cooperate.  So, yes, I have decided that the ALAN as equipped is going to be the perfect “do-it-all” bike for the road trip I have in mind.

1947 C. Daudon

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1947 C. Daudon I have had this 1947 Camille Daudon for a few years now, and have done nothing to it since first acquiring it from the prior owner who had done some of his own restoration work, including re-chroming the Vitus frame.  In fact, the bike is so lovely in its current form, that I am reconsidering my plans to bring it back to its original state by adding period correct hammered fenders, front rack, lighting, and a chain guard, which is what it would have originally been equipped with.  This Daudon was custom made for Irene Faberge Gunst, granddaughter of the famous creator of Faberge eggs, a special birthday gift from her husband.  In 2006, this bike won the award for best French bike at the Cirque du Cyclisme show.  As pictured, it weighs a mere 20 lbs.

The wing nuts were drilled to save weight. Double eyelets in the front, single in the rear. Designed to carry a front load.

The head tube shows a slight loss of lug detail due to re-chroming of the frame. Lam side pull brakes with plenty of clearance for fenders.

650b aluminum box style rims with surface pattern to improve braking.

Pelissier hubs.

Daudon’s customized shifter – everything bespoke on this bicycle. Shifter cable not properly set up – a one piece system is required.

Beautiful Stronglight crankset in very good condition.

Cyclo rear derailleur with wrap around cable.

Gorgeous Ideale Saddle – a bit dry and in need of conditioning.

The color matched crank arms are only still visible on the left side. Threading for all left side components is reverse, including the crank bolt, lock ring and bottom bracket cup.

You can see the slight loss of lug detail mostly on the head tube.

Perfect fork rake – a lovely bend close to the drop outs makes for a nice ride.

Re-chromed stem which is bolted to the steerer tube. All bolts are 8 mm heads.

Unbranded pedals – possibly also crafted by Daudon.

Irene Gunst’s engraved steerer tube cover. Beneath this lies the hidden tool kit.

8 mm nut heads on the seat tube clamp, simple but pretty stays.

Tool kit hidden inside the head tube.

Prior to re-chroming the frame looked like this:

c daudon framec daudon head tube03082014_0000

As you can see, the chrome was seriously compromised.  The prior owner decided that it would be worth it to re-chrome the frame and risk the loss of lug detail, rather than sanding it down and re-painting it.  While disappointing in some ways, I think the overall impact of the new chrome outweighs the downsides.  It’s nice to have these photos which will help me re-create the head badge and logos. There are other examples of Camille Daudon bicycles which can also help.  Jan Heine’s The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles features two Daudons, and the latest Bicycle Quarterly features a Daudon that is somewhat similar to mine. As far as restoration goes, I still need to make the bike mechanically sound and rideable.  The Cyclo derailleur uses a one piece shifter cable, and although I could have soldered a cable to work with this derailleur, I have finally located one that will work for this bike:

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And, I am still in a quandary about whether to make this bike appear as it once did – as a touring bike with fenders, lighting and front rack.  While I contemplate that, here are some of the parts I have put together – aluminum fenders, front rack which bolts to the fenders, and Simplex chain guard.  I still need to source appropriate lights for the front and rear fenders, and a dynamo.

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I welcome your thoughts and ideas about this amazing piece of cycling history.

A Peugeot PR 65 Arrives from France

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Bluemel's Fenders

When I spotted what looked like a complete and all original 1978 Peugeot PR 65 on Ebay, I was thrilled.  Even though the bike would have to be shipped from France, I had purchased bikes from the seller before, so I wasn’t worried about its journey across the Atlantic.

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However, when this package arrived, looking like a giant turtle, it was with some trepidation that I began the process of opening its contents.

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The amount of labor involved in packing the bike was probably only exceeded by the amount of time it took me to get all the protective wrapping off.  However, even part way through the 1 1/2 hour process, when I finally caught sight of the paint and components, I was pleased.

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The bike came through just fine, thanks to the protective materials used.  I wasn’t sure whether the component group would match the PR65 in this catalog, but as it turned out, all of the parts are original, including the polished Mavic 700c aluminum rims, high flange Normandy hubs (with helpful 1978 date code), Stronglight TS 3 arm crankset (very pretty), and a complete Simplex drive train.  The frame is built with Reynolds 531 7/10 tubing and Nervex lugs.  I believe it is the only Peugeot mixte frame built with Reynolds 531.

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This bike came with a small TA front rack which mounts to the Mafac brakes and the fork crown, as well as lovely Phillipe porteur style bars.  The Phillipe logo is in great condition – its the image of a racer seen from the top, bent over his narrow racing bars.

The seller also installed drop out protectors to help insure that the fork and rear drop outs did not get smashed during shipping.

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Even so, the rear drop outs were slightly misaligned such that it was difficult to install the rear wheel.  A little “wanging” solved that problem.

All these photos were taken before restoration, a process I am now beginning.  In the meantime, this little Peugeot is hanging out in my shop with her sister.

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