John, my bad, there should be a bell! I shall remedy that omission. Thanks
to everybody else who has sent a positive response. There are more to come.
I am expecting more information on an interesting lugless ''L'Atlantique''
frame. It must be late 1950's because it has a straight brake bridge. The
unusual feature is a stiffening ring at top and bottom of the headtube.
Gillotts always fitted a stiffening band on the seat tube top which blended
into the clamping rings, the whole made up from tube and steel strip. I
currently have the earliest ''L'Atlantique on the records from 1948. I
suspect I will have the latest too if I manage to acquire this bike. It has
been resprayed and refitted in 1978 with Nuovo Record derailleurs and hubs.
Chainset is an Ofmega. Barelli pedals, Cinelli bars and stem with Campag
seatpost and a B17. Rims look like Fiamme sprints. All in all a nice package
and most of us would strip it, move the modern stuff onto a suitable frame
and rebuild the Gillott with 50's kit. But I think I will leave it as it is.
It represents an interesting 'Time-capsule'' giving us an insight into a
keen cyclist who loved his bike and gave it a makeover late in their
collective lives. A sort of mid life crisis perhaps? I have built a few
'Hot-rods' but this one is original so to speak.
Mark Stevens Evanton Scotland