[CR]Lightweight bikes and numbers made

(Example: Bike Shops:R.E.W. Reynolds)

Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 10:28:02 -0800
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Jan Heine" <heine93@earthlink.net>
Subject: [CR]Lightweight bikes and numbers made

It's hard to know how many lightweight bikes were made in France. But they aren't all that super-super-rare. Especially in the late 1940s, cyclotourists were very weight-conscious. 5/10 tubing (Reynolds 531) was used quite a bit, it appears, but 7/10 always has been the standard.

For even lighter bikes, 4/10 Vitus was around, and finally, a few superlight machines were made from 3/10 Reynolds. The latter at the time was a French exclusive, sold only through the French distributor, who held the rights. (Says E. Csuka, owner of Cycles Alex Singer) All Reynolds bikes got the same sticker... but the tubing was stamped differently. On some fully-chromed bikes, you can see it.

By the 1970s, most bikes were made from 7/10, and according to E. Csuka, by the 1980s, the 5/10 531 was heavier than it had been in the "old days."

I know that in Britain, ordering a Mercian in the early 1990s, you could get 5/10 tubing for a small upcharge. We spec'd that on my sister's bike, and it's a lovely machine. I don't know how many customers did spec it (it was hidden in the many options), but it seemed easy enough.

Of course, when I say "rare" in the context of French constructeurs, it's all relative. Singer has made a little over 3300 bikes since 1939. Herse may have made 5000 or even 7000 bikes in almost 5 decades. Compared to the output of most framebuilders - especially big shops like Colnago, Cinelli or Paramount - these bikes are quite rare.

Then there is the issue of longevity - the light French bikes seem to survive as well as their heavier (but still light) counterparts. I have seen a few broken frames, but none were particularly lightweight.

The Herse from the technical trials featured in a recent issue of Vintage Bicycle Quarterly was ridden many miles later in its life with no problems. That one has 3/10 mm tubing.

The 1947 Singer in our book "The Golden Age of Handbuilt Cycling" led a very hard life. It's got a lot of dings, but no structural problems. That one is made from 5/10 mm 531 tubing in a 60 cm frame size according to the original order sheets, and it's a very light bike.

Ernest Csuka has one bike that is made from 5/10 tubing, which he has ridden many years. (It's not the one in our book, which I believe is made from 7/10).

Finally - and I know this comes as a surprise - the French constructeurs often ignored the "can't chrome-plate" and "have to build with silver" rules for 753. I know of quite a few brass-brazed, fully chrome-plated 753 frames that have lasted well through the ages. (See also Csuka's comments in the Builders' Round-Table discussion a few issues ago in VBQ.)

How about Italian bikes - any superlight ones made there? Cinellis with 3/10 tubing? Certainly, there was Merckx' Colnago for the hour record...

--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles
140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com