RE: [CR]Aluminium Tube Hunt in Annecy

(Example: Humor:John Pergolizzi)

From: "Ken Freeman" <freesound@comcast.net>
To: "'Norris Lockley'" <norris.lockley@talktalk.net>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: RE: [CR]Aluminium Tube Hunt in Annecy
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 21:11:03 -0500
In-Reply-To: <000901c7141c$124378c0$60c1f059@049306920171>
Thread-Index: AccUHBlVtV0KxYHbRPSrTGU0l/YBlAAB1pAg


Actually I was expressing enthusiasm rather than commitment. I'm self-taught in many of my thousands of skills, but travel arranging is not one of them, nor is it of significant interest.

I really know so little about French bikes. I was recently in Paris for a week for a standards engineering meeting, and could barely walk for staring at the neat old things chained up near the Gare St. Lazare. I only found one bike shop, on Rue Montmartre not far from the Louvre.

One was a Clement with a three-speed derailleur setup, another an Oscar Egg, and more unknown Peugeots than I had thought existed. I saw very few unknown high-end French brands. I guess the custom builders there has as little or less penetration as here.

I had thought I'd see vintage PX-10s everywhere. Naïve, huh?

Ken Freeman Ann Arbor, MI USA

-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Norris Lockley Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 8:09 PM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Aluminium Tube Hunt in Annecy

I reckon that if Ken is keen to organise his tube hunt/winedrinking Spring tour of the Annecy region, he should leave plenty of time in the schedule to spend at least a day at the machining facility that MAVIC has established at Cran-Gevrier, about 4kms outside Annecy.

It was here that the first Mecanno-type gears and the 500 series hubs were machined..and since thiose days the facility has been extended. Not too far a drive away at St Trivier-sur-Moignans and nearby at Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne you have the rim-making facility, the research centre as well as the company's HQ. it was on the short drive between these two towns that the owner of MAVIC, Bruno Gourmand met his death in a car crash in 1985(?).

The last time I called in at the rim factory, about two years ago, there was some talk of possible relocation..so in the meantime all the activities might have been moved to Cran-Gevrier.

Of course once you are in this region generally you are not far from Lyon, St Etienne..and still a host of cycle companies beavering away to a greater or lesser extent down there.

Norris Lockley..Settle-sur-Ribble, UK