Brian Blum wrote:
"Nervex BB shells were on some early 70's PX-10's. When Charles Andrews and I visited Jim Cunningham's Cyclearts last spring to get Charles's PX-10 I noticed it had a Nervex BB the first and only I have ever seen."
I've had two bikes with these shells. The first one of those rare Masi Specials with the nervex lug set that Kevin Gosney never would have pried out of my hands had it not been too tall for me. That bike had clearly been ridden regularly for at least the first decade of its life, and it seemed fine to me. The Peugeot Brian mentions I still have. Jim C. came to the conclusion that it was a late 60s frame, which seems right to me. Graphics details bear that out. I imagine Peugeot bought nervex lug sets and bb shells by the cubic yard: so they'd have had a few floating around long after production of the shells ceased. Those shells are extremely cool-looking, if nothing else.
I seem to remember those shells coming on early 70s Mondia Specials also. I'd check mine, but I sold it this weekend... I have a Follis from about 1972 with Nervex lugs, but the bb shell is something else. That's much more typical, I'd think.
I love the Nervex lug sticker on the seat-tube of the Peugeot. It's the only one I've seen. It seems fragile, so I imagine they disappeared from bikes that were used a lot, esp. in the rain. White background with red and blue lettering, says "Serie Nervex legere" Very neato.
Charles