Were they also the vendor of the JPR seat posts that were
common on French bicycles in the 1970s and 1980s? I
specifically said "vendor" because I would have to think that
the posts were actually manufactured (to their design
specifications) by some factory in the St. Etienne area.
Regards,
Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)
> Jean-Pierre Routens (spelling!) is the son of Jo. He took
> over the
> shop in the 1970s. Today, it's a modern, large bike shop. A
> few
> custom frames, plus a lot of far-eastern imports labeled J-P
> Routens.
> I visited after Paris-Brest-Paris in 1999 and was very
> disappointed.
> The staff hadn't even heard of the TA crank washers I wanted
> to buy -
> it was Shimano or Campagnolo for them.
>
> The bike ride from the Mediterranean to Grenoble was lovely,
> but the
> shop wasn't worth the visit. Any high-end U.S. bike shop
> basically
> looks the same.
>
> Like so many recent French builders, Jean-Paul Routens tried
> to
> improve upon the work of the older constructeurs, but those
> who have
> ridden both his and his father's machines unequivocally
> prefer the
> older ones. Maybe it is stifling the younger generations'
> creativity,
> but following the act of Jo Routens, Rene Herse and Alex
> Singer/Ernest Csuka is tough. Today, the superior ride of the
> old
> bikes is embodied more by some U.S. makers, like the Peter
> Weigle
> tested in the last issue of VBQ, than in the "spiritual
> heirs" J-P
> Routens and G. Berthoud. Most of the newer French bikes are
> good, but
> not great.
>
> 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
>
>
> >Is Jean Pierre Routen the same person as Jo Routens? Lou
> Deeter, Orlando FL
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Michael Butler <pariscycles@yahoo.co.uk>
> >To: CR Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> >Sent: Wed, 7 Dec 2005 17:17:46 +0000 (GMT)
> >Subject: Re: [CR]"Bespoke" French Builders of RACING Bikes
> >
> >
> >Jean Pierre Routen Grenoble. Or JPR as we could never
> >pronounce it.
> >
> >
> >Thats all for now. Keep those wheels spinning, in your
> memories if
> >not still on
> >the road. Be lucky Mick Butler Huntingdon UK.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> _______________________________________________
>
__________________________________________
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