[CR]Garin and Vindec bikes..

(Example: Humor:John Pergolizzi)

From: "Norris Lockley" <Norris.Lockley@btopenworld.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 01:38:43 +0100
Subject: [CR]Garin and Vindec bikes..

What have I been missing while I have been away among the Frenchies? In the middle of february I posted an email to a List member saying that I was about to pop over to France for ten days or so, to scout around for bikes and bits and to do some work on a house I bought last year. Well.. I got back just a couple of days ago, and only managed to get on to my computer a couple of hours ago. There's some 900 emails awaiting to be read, so if anyone tried to contact me and didn't get a reply it's because i had no access to a computer over there. Having started to read the current topics on the List I realise just what fascinating stuff I might have been missing, but my French epic trip can at least help to answer one query that came up during the last week - that concerning Garin frames.

Sure there was Maurice Garin the French rider, but the Garin frames that were making waves in the 40/50s period were made by Charles Garin, who had a shop or "usines" at No 16bis, rue de Delizy, 16bis PANTIN (Seine) and also an outlet at Chemin des Vignes, Bobigny. Both of these addresses are on the NE suburbs of Paris and quite near the Charles de Gaulle airport. Garin was in a big enough way to supply other retail outlets. I ahve in my collection the edition of the "Miroir-Sprint" - all sepia brown ink pictures on fawn paper, for 26 Mai 1952, the front cover of which carries a fabulous picture of the diminutive Dutch cyclist Wim Van Est fighting hi way towards winning that classic of classics the 586kms long Bordeaux-Paris marathon.. The images on this old magazine are still sharp enough to pinpoint the superb lugwork and fork-crown of his Garin frame. No Nervexes or Oscar Eggs are these.

During my shopping trips around the brocante shops and Hotels de Vente - my habitual haunts when looking for old French machines I came across what i thought was an excellent looking dark green Helyett. That idea came to me because I was in a village nor far from where helyetts were made, and because most of the top model Helyetts were dark flam green. On closer inspection I noticed Oscar Egg drop-outs, a shade of green not at all liek a helyett, and some superb lugwork.

The frame had no transfers whatsoever apart from red-white-blues flashes on seat-stay eyes and around the seat tube. It was abundantly clear that the frame was hand-built with a degree of skill and detail that I have rarely seen in a French frame. The seat-stays themselves are of a beautifully elegant double taper unlike anything I have seen. There are no frame numbers at all, the only marking on the frame being the initials AG neatly stamped on the edge of the seat lug.

It has taken some considerable time and effort and a lot of enquiries to establish that this frame is more than likely a Charles Garin, probably dating from the late 30s to the late 40s. It is sublime in every respect... except its size in that it is 2" too big for me!

Turning from the sublime to the ridiculous I noticed the enquiry about the British Vindec brand, and Lou Deeter and Bob Reid's comments. Bob's account was more historically detailed than any I could provide except that I think that I can bring it up to date. In the 70s and 80s I used to eal with Brown Bros who owned the Vindec marque. In those days the bikes, or at least the frames, were made by a little known company - in retail terms - called Comrade Cycles who were based in Redditch in the midlands. This company was one of the work-horses of the British cycle industry and built OEM bikes for a wide range of better known companies, including some Dawes, Viscounts, Halfords, (English) Allegros etc.

Returnong to my Garin, I have located the design for the down-tube transfers, but still search for anything a catalogue etc showing the head badge/transfer. If anyone out there has anything of this sort I would be more than obliged to hear from them.

Hoping this has helped Lou to add to his list of cycle companies..

Norris Lockley..badly missing the sun and the wine of Sancerre and the Loire valley.