Rene Andre Porteur

 Rene Andre is one of the lesser known French constructeurs but many Parisien cyclists rate him as one of the best. He was a builder in Paris, and used to braze for Cycles CNC. This bike has been restored and recently for sale on Ebay(I don't usually post other peoples auctions, but this bike is beautiful and the seller agreed I could post the photos). 
The bike appear to be from the 1960s-1970s. In Fred Delong's Guide to Bicycles(1974), he list Rene Andre as one of the few French builders recommended, along with Rene Herse, Alex Singer, Jo Routens, and R. Ducheron. The blue is perfect, I love it with the box-lining. 

Photos of the Rene Andre taken by photographer Jean-Pierre Pradères - photographer for Golden Age of Handbuilt Bikes, The Competition Bicycle, and The Art of the Racing Motorcycle.

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Ambrosio adjustable stem(same design as 3TTT)

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

large front rack.

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Cibie headlight

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Stronglight 49d crankset with TA adapter(that appears to have been milled down, or at least profiles rounded).

Notice the chain rest,

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Mafac criterium brakes

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Mafac inverse levers

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Nice fender reinforcement, a treatment done by only the top french builders.

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

Copywrite JP Pradères- http://www.jppraderes.com/

I do like the chrome 16mm crank bolts, rather than the typical covers.

Rouge Lanterne

Last weekend I decided to ride a PA Randonneurs 200km brevet, my first substantial bike ride since PBP. I woke up Saturday morning realizing I had a flat tire to fix and to locate my winter riding clothes because at the start of the ride it was below freezing. The ride was a beautiful one, with most of the trees still showing color changes. It was a cold ride, my first cold ride since the spring, and snow was seen throughout the route.
It was the first time I have ever finished a bike ride last, it was weird. I was the Rouge Lanterne. boo. I guess when I haven't ridden more than 30 miles since August's PBP, trying to ride 127 miles of 8000ft is a difficult task. I'll do better next month. Another way to look at it is I was the last rider to complete it, attendance on brevetes later in the year really drop off when it gets colder out. It was 29 degrees out when we started. 

Maybe I am just good at justifying my lackluster performance.

snow on the side of the road.

cool post office boxes that was inside the Stillwater General Store at a contolle, in Stillwater, PA.

Skydiving

 Well this is not too bicycle related but it is, in a way. After riding a 200km brevet on Saturday, I then went for my first skydive on Monday morning.  The day was perfect and the skies were clear. I wasn't nervous or anxious, I just felt this was an experience I wanted to have. Upon jumping out of the plane, in the state of freefall, I wondered why I wasn't scared and I realized the feeling was very similar to descending a mountain on a bicycle. I was more nervous on a bike at 50+ miles per hour, than jumping out of a plane at 12,000 feet(more than 2 miles up).

 Brooke landing

my friend Brooke, me, and her mother.

Brown Bilenky

On a 200km brevette this weekend, I met up with a rider friend of mine and it was the first time I have seen his new bike.
This Bilenky was built as the ultimate randonneuring bicycle. The rider has logged many miles and had gone through numerous bikes contemplating what his ideal bike would be. This is what he came up with. 650b wheels, barend shifters, non-aero brake levers, numerous braze-on eyelets for racks and lowriders, and S&S couplers. One funny braze-on is for the number plate for his PBP placard, he was unable to attend this year, but there is always 2015.
I really like the brown and orange color scheme.

 "This machine goes further" is a Woody Guthrie reference

Curtis & Curtis & Curtis's bike

These picture was taken by Peter Weigle, maybe you have heard of him, and there is a Peter Weigle bicycle in the background. In the foreground is a little bike, of unknown marque, that Curtis set up for his son-Curtis, the third. It as aluminum cottered cranks, fixed gear, and hand box-lining.

Notice the "C" on the fender, that's for Curtis, made from a bicycle spoke. 

We added the Sun bicycle headbadge, because it is for Curtis's son. get it.

Tarn bike polo bike

 Here is a wacky little bike we have owned since the early 1980s. It is a bike polo bike built by Mark Mattei(owner of Cycle Smithy in Chicago). It is based on the Grubb bike polo frame design and has 24" tubular fixed gear wheels. TA cranks that look like they were originally taken off a Schwinn Super Sport from the early 1970s, Campagnolo Nuovo Record seatpost with plastic french saddle. The handlebars were added later and were originally from a 1940s/50s Italian city bike, like Frejus or Bianchi.
I couldn't find any information online about them, next time I see Mark, I will inquire about any other information he might have about it.
The bike is super quick and response. oh, and fun. I rode it the Philly bike expo opening night, so you may see other photographs online of it.

Rocket Sprocket

Here is a funny little idea. Rocket Sprocket, Sprock-O-Matic, made in Miami, Florida. It would turn your bike into a 2 speed, with the chainring being elliptical. Depending upon where the ellipse was, it would make it feel like you were riding in a harder or easier gear. It was a fad, like a mechanical Shimano Bio-Pace. It works on one-piece cranks, and the "pin" on the crank would migrate from one position to the other.


I assume it didn't work well, that's why it never took off. Oval chainrings surfaces in the bike world every few decades. We collect examples, including the Thetic, Durham, and ones made by Suntour and Shimano.


The earliest oval chainring we have is on a 1893 Columbia Model 32. it is a fixed gear with elliptical chainring and it rides like a dream.