This bike was purchased at the 1998 Cirque with some dramatically incorrect parts. It is really more of a rider than a show piece, though it could be restored without too much effort. I know that I rode it from mid 1998 until August 1999, and since then it has been gathering dust. Everything was once shined up very nicely on it, but a couple of years of sitting in my kitchen has gotten it in need of being cleaned and polished to make it pretty again ... and yes, I can send recent photos.
No dents, straight, c. 1973 PX-10E. 60cm, c-t, with a 58.5cm top tube, c-c. Wheelbase is 102cm, chainstays are 43cm. White, black Nervex Pro lugs, decals pretty good except for the badly flaked/near-non existent Reynolds decals. Chrome is decent, but mild peppering on the fork tips, and a couple of spots where it looks a little dull and thin. Some places where it has been touched up, and a couple of minor rust stains where things have been clamped.
Unusual frame, in some ways - it's more upright than most PX-10s of its era. The serial number is hand-stamped directly into the BB shell, but the decals indicate it was built during the period when riveted number plates were in use. It is the same stamp style as a bike I traded to Jeff Archer a while back. I mention this because while this bike does have a drain hole and two smaller holes similar to those used for riveted plates, the bike I traded to Jeff had no indications of ever having a stamped plate, and no holes for such, either. A while back, David Goerndt and I batted around theories on that - warranty frame? Some sort of team or special frame? We never did answer that. Still, an interesting footnote.
The original wheels were gone when I got it. It comes now with Normandy Luxe Competition gold label units laced up with modern stainless butted spokes to a slightly mismatched set of rims - Super Champion Arc-en-Ciel rear, Record du Monde front, in non polished grey. They match visually, but the rear is a tad wider, etc. The freewheel is a modern Shimano (blasphemy, I know!) in 14-28 ... which means the rear hub takes standard freewheel threads. Tires are cheap Michelin Liberties, which hold air, but I wouldn't trust the rim tapes at this point without working on them some.
Quick release mechanisms are the straight-handle Simplex that goes straight through the cam housing. Rubber tips (rear one slightly damaged), no delrin extension caps on the adjuster nut side.
Brakes are Mafac Racers fitted with Scott-Matthauser canti pads. Yes, Virginia, they WILL stop you. Levers could stand to be polished again - at one point I had them nice and bright, but that was a while back ... the half-hoods are yellowed but functional. NOTE - these are NOT the original brakes for this bike. It came to me with Dia-Compe sidepulls, and these calipers were scavenged from a box of parts. They may not be quite exactly correct, though they ARE real Mafacs with Mafac bolts, etc.
Bars are Philippe Tour de France that measure 40cm c-c. The current stem is the infamous AVA death stem, so you might with to replace that before riding ... *s* Velox bar plugs, natch.
Original Stronglight headset, repacked with Phil Grease, and fine, thank you ...
Stronglight mod 93 cranks, French pedal threads, 38/52T rings, 45T ring included with bike. You could always restore it to box stock ... the pedals were purchased in 1998 as NOS French thread Lyotard Mod. 45CAs. The toeclips are the ancient Christophe Specials on the bike when I got it. Bottom bracket is the original Stronglight, which works quite nicely.
Saddle is a modern Brooks Pro pre-softened. Seatpost is a steel Simplex micro-adjust with bad chrome (lots of peppered places that won't polish out) but a nice brass riveted badge. 26.4mm, btw ...
Fitted to the bike right now is a set of alloy Simplex Super LJ derailleurs - the shifters are the early retro-friction with a clamp-band and the "sun" logo S, not the tear-drop shape. The front derailleur has a nice shiny logo, the rear derailleur is duller looking but quite functional. I want to say it's a 5500, but I can send pics with it.
Along with that, the buyer also gets the original, still quite functional delrin Simplex Criterium rear derailleur; original pattern shifters; AND an unbroken, parallelogram action Simplex Competition front derailleur. How many of the last of those can be out there?
The buyer also gets an old AFA umbrella clip and a silver Zefal HP pump ...
How about $275 plus shipping?
Thanks,
Russ Fitzgerald
Greenwood SC
rfitzger@emeraldis.com
http://www.emeraldis.com/