[CR]Second French bike

(Example: Framebuilding:Paint)

From: "Jim McCoin" <j.mccoin@attbi.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]Second French bike
Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 16:24:04 -0800

A couple months ago I bought a frame from a listmember off Bay. A 1958 Raphael Geminiani, this is my second French bike in Forty years, my first was a elderly Urago I bought from Oscar at American Cyclery in 1961. It took a little while to round up parts, and get it on the road. The Campy 25.8 seat post came from England, the NOS Campy French BB came from Holland and the Pivo bar's and stem came from Ebay. The rest came from friends and my own parts stash. I'm currently fat and out of shape and tried to get the Gran Sport rear derailler to shift to a 26 tooth cog, won't do it. With a little playing around, an extra link in the chain and pushing the axle back a few millimeters it will consistently shift to a 25 tooth cog , I can live with that. The brakes are Mafac racers, I'm using Campy Bar Cons for shifting, I have used them off and on for years and have never had a problem with them, just don't put too tight a bend in the housings. When I used them for racing, I cut about an inch off the end of the bars, so you don't bang them with your knee, in a b---s to the wall sprint. Last week before the big storm, I took this 44 year old out for a ride. What a pleasant surprise, the frame has a springy feel, a lot like my 75 Masi GC, the forks have the normal mid 50's bend and yet feel stiff in the turns. The finish is what we saw from the French in the 50's and 60's , braze it, clean off the flux, flash chrome it and squirt some paint on it. Who ever built this frame knew what they were doing, I wouldn't mind riding this frame on a century ride. This morning I was wasting time in front of the computer and clicked on to the CR list and then on to the French builders site and then on to Raphael Geminiani section and there was my frame, very cool. I will try to get a digital camera to show the bike together on the road.The dilemma, as always, to re finish or not.

Jim McCoin

Fremont ca.

the Campy seat post came from England, a NOS BB came from Holland, the Pivo stem and bar's came from Ebay. The rest came from friends and my own parts stash.