You could post a message to the Internet BOB list (http://bikelist.org)--there are plenty of folks there who know a thing or two about French bikes.
You could also check out the Classic Rendezvous, too.
2009-07-27 19:02:05
4
Anybody out there know anything about obscure french-made bikes?
Yesterday I picked up a bike from a dude in the slopes called a Concorde. The model seems to be Luxe. It has stickers on it that say "Hand Made" and "Made in France." All of the components are french made things Huret, Mafac, and Simplex. It has some pinstriping that def done by hand by somebody at some point. Can't tell if it's original or not.
This is NOT a "Concord" (famous for Freedom/Freedom Deluxe) which was a brand made in Japan/Taiwan, nor is it the "Concorde" which was a dutch brand made by Ciocc in Italy which often came Campy equipped.
It is making for some frustrating research due to the fact that the above two "Concord(e)s" are relatively well known. I'm excited to mess with it and clean it up, but I just wanted to know if anybody knew anything about this lil bebe.
2009-07-27 18:57:55
Thanks for the suggestions, bjanaszek. a person on another board was able to find more pictures of the same bike, but nobody responded to the thread. if anybody has ever seen one of these before, your input would be appreciated.
here are the pics:
http://velospace.org/node/20285
2009-07-27 19:47:12
I know nothing other than to say "good luck!" French bikes are notorious for having impossible to find bolt patterns and threading.
Taking a look at the photos, I don't believe it was ever the highest quality bicycle. The giant pie-plate, bolt on derailleur hanger, band clamped downtube shifters and knurled headset don't really scream high end.
That said, cleaned up I'll bet it will work just fine as a genuine imported bicycle that pedals from A to B.
2009-07-27 20:51:22