Thank you kindly!
Very useful information. I had an ad out on a French online buy&sell site. I am really looking for a routier or randonneur and this guy sent me an e-mail. It is a bit risky never to have dealt with him before.
Anyway, he is asking 1100 euro including shipping to Sweden. This is way over my limit (I am merely a lover of French bikes but I only have a handful inexpensive ones) and I got suspicious about whether it really was a genuine Jo Routens or not. He said the serial number is: 2597 and that it was made in 1967.
Thanks again, MIchael Anderson Gothenburg Sweden
>Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:54:42 +0100
>From: "Norris Lockley" <norris.lockley@talktalk.net>
>To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Subject: [CR]Jo Routens...?
>Message-ID: <001101c6d5a1$734cc5e0$4a95f059@049306920171>
>Content-Type: text/plain;charset="iso-8859-1"
>MIME-Version: 1.0
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>Message: 7
>
>I think that there is very little doubt that this frame is a genuine
>Jo Routens, whether or not the dynamo bracket is brazed on to the
>front fork blade.
>
>Both Jo and , later, his son Jean-Paul, developed a very distinctive
>and readily identifiable type of wrap-over seat stay eye,in which
>the points of each plate or eye are filed to a very long shaprp
>point which are wrapped over the top of either the seat cluster or
>the top-tube, with the points just about touching. The cluster on
>this frame is of that type.
>
>Both Routens had adopted as standard the practice of fitting the
>rear brake forward of the brake bridge, like the one on this frame.
>Much as I respected the Routens'...never knowingly met Jo, but know
>Jean-Paul very well.. I have never been able to understand the logic
>underlying this particular practice.
>
>The cable routing for the centre-pull brake is 100% Routens.
>
>The bike is not a randonneur, in the meaning of being a touring
>bike, it is a "cyclosportif".. a fast, stable, lightweight bike,
>that needs to carry mudguards, probably lights, and at least a
>handlebar bab. It probably doesn't have pannier rack eyes on the
>drop-outs.
>
>Cyclosportif activities are the most popular type of cycling
>activity in France..there are 100s of 1000s of such cyclists in that
>country. They ride local and regional events as well as events such
>as the Marmotte, the Louison Bobet, the Ardechois (upwards of 15000
>participants last year..over one weekend in June), the Rallye de
>Vignobles etc etc not forgetting, of course the Paris-Brest, .
>Cyclosportif bikes are the back-bone of the French lightweight trade.
>
>Bear in mind that Jo Routens worked in Grenoble. Each year there
>must be at least a score of major cyclosportif -type rides within
>the immediate vicinity of that city..then of course there are the
>Alps, the Vercor etc etc.
>
>Jean-Paul still builds, as does Daniel Cattin just about 20kms up
>the road to Chambery from Grenoble...cyclosportif tandems. It is
>quite normal for these to use the Mafac centre-pull, as opposed th
>b/o cantilever, types brakes, with the rear one forward of the
>bridge.
>
>I had not seen that type of Jo Routens decal before. it looks to be
>one of those self-adhesive aluminium film type, which was very
>popular in the 60/70s.
>
>Norris Lockley....Settle UK