Friday, February 27, 2015

For Sale: AC Sologne Panniers

     Here is a very rare item offered for sale today. it is a pair of AC Sologne panniers in NOS condition. Almost impossible to find in this condition. These are the type B bag I believe. AC Sologne bags were made in France and were top quality. Gilles Berthoud bought the company name  many years ago and continues to make bags with some of these patterns today. These originals are highly sought after today and complete that period French cyclo-tourist bike nicely. These are from the late 60's-1970's. They are made from a nice bluish cotton canvas with leather trim and buckles. They work with most racks.The sides are laced (expandable), a nice feature to get a nice snug fit on your luggage.
     They are 12" wide at the top and taper down to 10" wide at the bottom. they are 14" tall. Fully opened (expanded), they are 7"deep. One of the bags is missing the label. It appears to never have been stitched on, I am not sure if this is the way they came, or was just a mistake. The canvas is not faded, and has no staining. There are a couple darker blue minute spots here and there, only noticable up very close. All leather straps and trim are a nice honey brown.
                                           Contact me at: bikeville@gmail.com for pricing or with any questions.
                                                        Thanks!
SOLD!














Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Ann Arbor Bike Show & Swap video





Neat video about the Ann Arbor MI. bike show / swap featuring our good friend Sam Fitzsimmons!

Monday, February 23, 2015

Collect them all!

A selection of racer's trading cards from the 1973-1974 season by Campioni Dello Sport in Italy. As you can see, we need to complete the set!


Saturday, February 21, 2015

For sale: 1950's Rudge Aero Clubman

     This  is a nice Rudge Aero Clubman from the 1950's offered for sale today. Here is a link to the Retro Raleigh page about the rise of the Clubman style bike in Great Britain.  CLUBMAN! This bike is set up a bit differently than original, but still a clean example worthy of restoration. It currently utilizes front and rear derailleurs. Originally it would have had a Sturmey Archer internal rear hub gear and single front chain ring, somewhat a British tradition. Derailleurs were more of a continental European thing. This could also have been imported to the USA and set up like this here. The motto of the era in England was "export or die" post war time. The cranks are also French threaded, and I assume French in origin. The pedals are Atom 700 and are threaded appropriately. These are things I will leave up to the buyer to decide how to set up / change. Original decals are all there, some in better shape than others.
     Here are the measurements and details:
  • 55 CM CTC seat tube
  • 58 CM CTC top tube
  • 32" stand over height
  • Dunlop 27 X 1 1/4 special lightweight rims laced to unknown rear British hub and front SA Dyno hub (works).
  • Raleigh tires
  • Front light does not work, maybe switch issue or something, bulb is good.
  • Rear taillight works.
  • Simplex front rod operated derailleur, works, but requires a fair amount of trimming to avoid chain rub.
  • Campagnolo Gran Sport rear derailleur with the barrel adjuster (early version) of the model.
  • Unknown French double steel cottered crank set.
  • Atom 700 French threaded road (quill) pedals.
  • GB Sport Hiduminium brake calipers and GB levers.
  • Unknown Brampton' esque headclip headset.
  • Unknown stem about 90mm extension.
  • Unknown alloy bars.
  • Bluemels "popular" white plastic fenders, no cracks with front mud flap.
  • Wrights leather saddle in great shape
  • Reynolds 531 DB tubing frame construction.
     The last two photos are from an original catalog (1952) with the specs for the model.

               Please email at: bikeville@gmail.com for pricing or with any questions you may have.
                                                                SOLD!


































    

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

It's still stuck

Also, thats one tough nut. What's your best caption for this photo?


Sunday, February 15, 2015

July 4th 1976

     I came across this amazing photo while going through some literature the other day. The back is dated July 4th 1976. Pictured in the center is Bill Woodul. He pioneered independent support in North American road racing in the 1970's and 80's. He and his iconic bubble top Dodge Tradesman van were fixtures at most events of that era. He is no longer with us, but his contributions and legacy remain.


Saturday, February 14, 2015

For Sale: 1958 first generation Campagnolo road crank set

     Extremely rare item offered for sale today. These cranks are the first generation road cranks Campagnolo produced. They are from 1958, when they were introduced. They are in excellent condition for their age. They have the raised pedal spindle hole. Originally they would have had pedal back caps, which are missing on this set. The early generation pedal spindles were shorter (10mm) to keep from poking the pressed in caps out. At some point someone installed later pedals and indeed, poked out the caps, doh! These are 151 BCD and have an original chain ring combination of 50 / 47. The rings have plenty of life left. The original chain ring bolts are there as well. They are also missing the original crank bolt dust caps. The arms are 170mm long. They are much slimmer than later generations. There is also less material where the arm joins the spider, also a clue as to their age. The back of the non drive side arm (bulge) at the BB spindle hole is also different than later generations. These were only available for a year or two before the design changed.     
     We have carefully cleaned them up and lightly polished them. They will come up much brighter with more polishing, but I personally like the patina as it is now, excellent for a period build / restoration. There are a couple scratches on the outer chain ring and also on the back of the drive side arm (see photos). Not bad, but noticable.
                                        Please contact me at: bikeville@gmail.com for pricing.