Yellow Jo Routens Touring/Camping bicycle

At the Copake bicycle swap meet, there was an inaugural bicycle ride(see earlier post). A fellow Classic Rendezvous member showed up with this beautiful Jo Routens bicycle to ride. It is rather difficult to find one this large and it is interesting to see how the builder dealt with the size of the frame, by gusseting the lugs, to help stiffen and strengthen the frame. It must have been a 1940s-1950s model, with the use of the Le Chat style front derailleur. This french bicycle is outfitted with the obligatory Cyclo rear derailleur, Stronglight cranks and headset, Mafac brakes(happen to be the tandem model), and of course, an alloy rail Ideale saddle. It was built for 650b wheels, common among french camping and touring model bicycles.
I love the routing of the rear brake cable through the seattube. This is done usually by slotting the seatpost so the cable can run through the seattube unobstructed.

A history of Jo Routens can be found here.

(click on pictures to enlarge)

Barra aluminum bicycle

Beautiful Barra aluminum bicycle.
Nichola Barra build these aluminum bicycles from the late 1930s into the 1950s.
it is gas welded aluminum, expertly done, flawless, and way ahead of its time.
Also take note of the ovalized tubing at the joints- Seatlug and bottom bracket.
This example was equipped Lam brakes, Le Chat front derailleur, Stronglight 34 cranks, Simplex rear derailleur, Porteur Hubs, Simplex Skewers, Stronglight Headset, Ideale saddle.
These bikes are exceedingly rare, and to see one in person is extremely hard to do, expecially here in the United States.

Ken Denny in Boston owns this bicycle.