Regarding Philippe bar/stem and country of origin...
Jan Heine researched this for me today and here is the info. Hope it helps.
And scary - my 7 year old son can now spell better than I! (I'm not sure its a compliment to him)
Mike Kone in Boulder CO
-------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- From: Jan Heine <heine93@earthlink.net> To: hersefan@comcast.net Subject: Philippe bars Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2004 17:56:31 +0000
Hi Mike,
You can post or forward this to the CR list.
Jan
Just talked to Ernest Csuka regarding the Philippe handlebars. He is convinved that the maker was French. Monsieur Philippe was an old racer, who then became a motorpacer on the track before WW I. When his protege (the racer who rode behind his motorbike) retired as well, they started to make handlebars.
Their factory was Rue Bas Roger in one of the suburbs near Levallois-Perret where Singer is located. I think Ernest Csuka said Courbevoie... Ernest Csuka knew the Monsieur Philippe, who was quite old already. Later, Philippe sold his business to ATAX, in Saint-Etienne, where most bike parts were made. They continued to make the handlebars under the name Philippe-ATAX or ATAX-Philippe.
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles
140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.mindspring.com/