Mark,
I certainly did know Jimmy Doone, in fact, I bought that Chemineau from him! A high-school friend of mine went on an AYH hosteling trip to Montreal and met Ernie St. Pierre who shared the apartment with Jimmy. My friend (Peter), told me about them and all their exotic bicycles from Europe, and we went over there and Jimmy said he would sell me that bicycle for $75, which was almost half what he paid, just to promote cycling. Since I was barely 15 yrs. old, it took me a while to earn that much cash (I would say the equivalent in today's money would be about $750.), but I came up with it as soon as I could, and the rest is history as they say.
As for Peter, he bought a new Chemineau, (the racing version), from Jimmy Armando, who was selling them from his basement in Hartford. Peter still has the bike, and if I know him, it is probably in excellent condition. I spoke with him just the other day, and he said we can arrange to meet so I can take some digital pictures of his bike.
If you know where there are any other Chemineaus, I would be interested in meeting the owners and trying to talk them into selling one. I had a friend who bought one of the touring bikes with the 650B tires, racks, and hammered aluminum fenders, but he trashed it. I would love to own one of those tourers.
What bikes do you have?
David Lester Hartford, Ct. USA
MARK <mhoffman0@snet.net> wrote: Dave,
DL1 (I love 'em) not withstanding, that Le Chemineau totally ROCKS!!! Did you know the late Jimmy Doone by any chance? He often spoke of these bikes.
You have got to consider the possibility of restoring that original crankset and seat (drool). Thanks for sharing!!
Mark Hoffman, New Britain, CT USA
---------------------------------
How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messengers low PC-to-Phone call rates.