Re: [CR]Nice early 1970's LeJeune on French eBay

Good points, Lynn, but let me rant on a bit, too:
     After many chats with Mel Pinto - who imported a fair number of LeJeunes - and a visit to their facility in 1983, I think I can safely say that LeJeune's regard for model names, specifications, insignias, etc. were not on a par with firms like General Motors. Actually, I dropped in on Mel Pinto last year for some parts for my LeJeune track bike, and he showed me some of his old catalogues. He had all sorts of very neat hand written notes added in the margins, which tells me that even one of the biggest American importers of French cycling goods expected some variations.
     So to paraphrase what I've written before... :-D LeJeune was not a manufacturer in the same sense as a firm like Peugeot. They might have designed bicycles, painted bicycles and assembled them at Maisons Alfort - but the frame building occurred elsewhere.
     It seems to me that what made LeJeune special, were the personal relationships with various suppliers, as well as their attention to detail. So they always seemed to get the best quality work from their contractors. They also had extensive and long standing relationships with the professional racing world, and that helped them in many ways.
     In fact, in that regard, I see them as the forerunners of modern companies like Specialized.
     Anyway, LeJeune's quality level was always quite high and consisent. But as far as insignias, model specification and the like are concerned, you can't expect the same sort of consistency that you found with Peugeot or Motobecane. Plus, think of the era we're talking about. This was long before the perfection of "just in time" inventories, CAD/CAM design and so forth.
     So, to bring it back to the eBay bike that started this discussion - item # 220018559624... True it isn't the very top of the line. True, it isn't all-531. True it doesn't have the markings from the atelier of Bernard Carré.
     Nevertheless, it is very nicely made with what I consider lovely lugs and brazing. Between that, and the MAFAC brakes, it is so evocative of a particular time and place that it nearly brings me to tears. Isn't that a part of this hobby - maintaining a connection to certain eras?
     As I said, if my personal circumstances were different, I would certainly be bidding on this bike.
     Yet as much as I love these bikes, I have no illusions about them. Plus, I can only hope that one day, someone like Norris Lockley might give us the full story. (Or perhaps I can find the time for a _long_ chat with Mel Pinto.)
     Bon nuit,
     Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)