Well. Peter, where do I start to try to answer your question?
One of the finest French frames that I have in my collection, in terms of workmanship, is a 1970s Motobecane road racing frame. Can't think of the model but the workmanship is impeccable. I also have two Peugeot Prestige T-d-f team bikes from the Bernard Thevenet team, again the 70s, but there is less obvious craftsmanship in those two. I reckon you have to understand the French psyche to understand the French cyclists' attitude towards bikes True there were and there still are some wonderful artisan craftsmen turning out sublime frames in France, far, far more than in England, but the French cyclosportif always has a love of the products turned out by Peugeot, Mercier, Gitane, Motobecane, Lapierre etc..because these companies are part of the essential heritage of France..part of that mysterious national frame-of-mind that created "la Patrimoine" - that undefined something that every Frenchman and woman cherishes without even having to think what it means. Listen to M Chirac's next speech as he addresses the French electorate " Francaises et Francais ensembles nous...et notre patrimoine." It is the glue that helps to bind France together..a type of Aldous Huxley's "soma" tablet..it provides harmony and content and pride..or at least much of the time. The other week I had to drive through two of the riot-ridden northern suburbs to collect two bikes..and must admit that I didn't see too much of the old "Patrimoine" in those housing ghettos ..no evidence of Le Corbusier's influence on the architecture...But the bikes were worth the risk.
La Patrimoine is everything French that makes a French person proud to be French. It might be the plays Moliere or Racine, or the music of Bizet or Charpentier, or a pack of Gauloise or Gitanes cigarettes, or a bottle of 1664 beer - the beer of the Tour de France, or it might be Le Champs Elysees, the Eiffel Tower, or the French Rugby Union team or their soccer team..or it might be a Citroen or Renault car, or a Peugeot, or Gitane bike...the list is endless. Tony Blair just wishes he had something as good as that going for him now...Iraq war and all that..All he talks about, not having any Patrimoine, is "..the feel-good factor".
Many of the most popular bikes , like the millions of French cars are just designed to be damned good work-horses..functional objects..not conceived as works of art...That sort of creativity has always been saved for their chateaux, their churches..and for such things as that most recent bridge spanning a gorge near Brive as it penetrates to clouds.
So it is, Peter, that I could in fact offer you that Peugeot Pro bike you search for .all pearl white with full chrome rear triangle and front forks..753 tubing..a full SPIDEL groupset BUT Camapag Record large flange hubs...number-plate lug under the top-tube but you would have to get a much longer seat-pillar as this bike is a full 10cms smaller than the 61cms one you're looking for.
Strange as it seems, I pulled it out of storage only earlier today to think about whether I should sell it...But it has a pedigree and provenance..so I am loath to part with it. Towards the end of the saddle end of the tube it carries the name "Regis Delelpine" and under the bracket "2"/6.80". Delepine was a close lieutenant of Thevenet throughout the latter's career in the 70s, and this frame was the last one used by Regis as a member of the Peugeot squad...or so his friend who sold me the bike, told me. I met Regis when he became a rep for Sachs-Maillard and have written to him to verify the facts.
The bike is exactly my size..with a 74.5 seat angle..no overlap, 51cms top-tube..and it rides beautifully...IMPECCABLE..so I asked myself "Why sell it?! And so far today I haven't been able to give myself a convincing answer...because, "Messieurs" I think it is part of that priceless commodity..the "patrimoine" of France
Norris Lockley...A bientot...Settle UK