[CR]Pic of the Day - Luis Ocana's bike

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Ideale)

From: "norris" <norris.lockley@btinternet.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 23:47:35 +0100
Subject: [CR]Pic of the Day - Luis Ocana's bike

I have quiet a collection of photos of Ocana on his various bikes, including shots of this particular one taken from different angles, but none of them show any of his orange "Motobecane"-badged frames with anything other than simple long-point lugs, probably Prugnat ones. No sign of any cut-outs at all and certainly none of the shape of those on the Gemini frame recently sold by Peter Paine on Ebay. This odd style of cut-out is often shown in other pictures I have seen of Gemini frames in copies of French magazines in the 70s and 80s. Motobecane like other large bike-builders such as Peugeot, Mercier, and Gitane, used to have in-house "Service de Course" frame-builders, and some of the top model team replica machines built by them show a very high standard of craftsmanship.

The Speedwell titanium frame ridden by Ocana in the 73 Tour was a straightforward Mk II version, in polished metal finish and carrying the "Speedwell" transfers on the down-tube.

Norris Lockley, from a rainy (as usual) Settle, Uk