I'm a lucky guy. I have three Herse bikes and a Singer. Briefly: Herse 650b cyclocamper, likely circa 1961-65, 61cm with 60cm tt, this bike fits me perfectly and I am 5'9.5" with an 85cm inseam. These, like all French tourers, are tall in seat tube, shorter in tt riders. Ride them big, I say, much as Grant Petersen describes, but without ht extensions and long stems showing, these are fist-full-of-seatpillar bikes, imho. To each his own! Like all my bikes this one passed through Grant Handley's hands but came to me in a more circuitous route via Japan where all its parts, including a custom stem, were taken off. GH says this bike did not have custom cranks but did have lights and racks. Oh, I have the original mudguards too. I have carefully put together most of the parts that would be more or less correct. I have not been obsessive to get the bike perfect. My intention has been to get it as close to correct as I can without spending a fortune, going nuts, or never finishing it. It uses a Cyclo rear derailleur and Simplex front that involves the hand-reaching-down lever (the name escapes me as I write quickly here...). It is now finally all together, thanks to the fine, fine work of Mike Barry. More about his work below. The overall condition of the bike is very good, really clean, original paint, sky Herse blue, and much to like and be happy with. I will bring it to Cirque, if I make it.
Herse Federale, circa 1961. Seems to have been a Dr. Graves bike since it says "Made in France" in paint lettering under the downtube decal. This bike came with many parts from GH, all in an effort to get it more or less correct. This is not a "high-end" Herse and seems to have been a day century bike: mudguards and front rack but not set up for lighting. I have ridden this bike a lot and and only describe it as heavenly. Great rider. It is now in the hands of Mike Barry who has made a new front rack for it, a bag support. This bike had no rear rack. IF it had lights, those were fender mounted. This bike came to me in very rough shape, so rough that it is borderline for restoration. VERY rough, I'd say. There are not many originals left, I'd bet, and once repainted you can't go back, but I think it would not be wrong to bring this one back to something like the way it was, with proper enamel like paint and handpainted letterings. That is the current plan, flay away at me if you think I commit blashphemy. I will not implicate those who agree with me over this but I feel in good company.
Herse Gentleman, circa 1965. A classic fetch the baggette with all the fixins. Many of you know this on my photopoint site. If not, I will not go into description here. Just put my address into Photopoint.com and have a look. This bike is in _excellent_ condition. Cirque bound if I get there...
Singer Audax, circa 1978. Also on Photopoint, a kind of late classic example of the Csuka made bikes. I ride this bike all the time, in good weather :-), and could not imagine a better riding bike. About 60cm c-t and 56.5tt. I have a Singer custom stem for this that I got from GH but I need the proper narrower bars to fit it. Someday.
Now all of this is to say that these are just so special to me, so beautiful and distinctive that I could not be happier to have them. I think what is at stake here is a distinctive KIND of bike. I would simply not compare these bikes to my two Sachs, or the Joe Starcks built Rivendell, both of which are really remarkable and wonderful. As for reproducing these Audax/Touring/Century/Cyclocamper bikes in the "French" style, I think any of the great builders on this list could do it. There are a million details, as you know. However, that said, Mike Barry of Bicycle Specialities DOES do this and has done it. Mike has all the experience it takes, knows the bikes inside and out, all the details of old parts, all the tricks of putting them together designwise. Mike's Mariposas are simply stunning examples of bikes in this tradition. I will not compare Mariposas to these bikes but to say that they have custom carriers, can be put together with Honjos, and mine will use old parts. Here is what is coming to my house...soon, I hope: 650b Mariposa Cyclocamper with custom bag carrier front carrier, full rear carrier for panniers, both chromed. Honjo fenders, internally wired dynamo Schmidt lighting on a bb braze-on. As for parts, my preferences are: Simplex 6600 rear der with matching front, Simplex bar end shifters, TA Cyclotouriste triple crank, Mafac Raid brakes, Mafac gummy hood levers (the nice drilled out ones), and Maxicar hubs laced to different 650b rims, like SuperChampions, Wolbers, and others (I have three sets, all 36h). I mean to USE this bike. It will have modified Rivendell first generation RS designed lugs but _modified_ by Mike for his 30th Anniversary of Mariposa. It'll be black with red and gold and some chrome, like my Singer, more or less. Mike has done bikes like this and knows exactly!! what he is doing ('cause I have seen them!)
Now add to this that Mike Barry is a wonderful, generous-hearted gentleman with worlds and lifetimes of experience and common sense and integrity, and voila! As soon as this bike turns up, I'll post pictures.
So, sorry for this being long but such bikes can and are still made and this will not be $8000 or even remotely close to that. Anyone interested can talk to Mike directly. It is not only possible, but affordable.
apologies for prolixity,
Douglas Brooks
Canandaigua, NY