Bike-hunting days such as the one described by Lou Deeter are what makes this hobby of our so very fascinating..It's not always a pot of gold at the end of rainbow, it might just as easily be a Confente frame..and that's possibly even rarer.
The other Suday I ventured forth into the green pastures and immaculate forests that sweep in towards Paris from the east and stop just in time before engulfing Disneyland. My co-driver for the expedition was fellow List Member Nelson Miller...and he wanted to find some French Gold.
We were successful in discovering the where-abouts of one of those by now very celebrated French Ebayer traders who keep us all gasping both at the variety of their rare merchandise as well as the prices that the Kauzos of this world are willing to pay. More of his Alladdin's cave later.
I spotted an interesting frame, in my size,jutting out between the partially opened doors of a large raidly decaying Citroen van. "Entrepot supplementaire!"..the Frenchman volunteered.."Extra storage!" !A vendre?" .."For sale?" I queried.
"Monsieur..pas possible..George Groussard!" ! "It's not possible...the frame was George Groussard's!" In an ever-faster and ever-rising wave of enthusiasm Mr Frenchman regailed Nelson and myself with the story of how he had found the frame among a pile of other 60s-type cycling equipment that he had bought at virtually waste clearance price. At the time he had spotted a 63 Campagnolo Gran Sport ( or should that be Record ) chainset mounted on it, and wasn't at all interested in the frame..as he preferred the "constructeur" type of machines.
It was only when he came to dismantle the chainset and remove the bracket that he discovered the rolled -up piece of card, covered in grease. Unfurling it he read "George Groussard"