Re: [CR] Follis Follies

(Example: Production Builders:Peugeot:PY-10)

From: "Eugene Powell" <radfin@SpiritOne.com>
To: Thomas Adams <thomasthomasa@yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <898555.23552.qm@web35603.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 2009 09:50:44 -0700
References: <898555.23552.qm@web35603.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re: [CR] Follis Follies


I've been looking for Follis decals for several years for our tandem, where did you find them?

Gene Powell Rad Finishes Portland, Oregon USA

On Apr 5, 2009, at 7:11 PM, Thomas Adams wrote:
> Dear List:
>
> It's been a while since I did this, but here are a few pictures of a
> newly
> built circa '75 Follis racer.
>
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasthomasa/sets/72157616403435486/
>
>
> This project has been rather angst filled due to some painter
> problems.
> I wanted to get this frame repainted in the worst way, and that's
> exactly w
> hat I got. It looks okay from a few feet, but up close you can see
> the i
> nexperience of the folks doing the work, and it left me rather
> unhappy.
> Decals off line and misplaced (the big Follis goes on the DT), gobs
> of ma
> tter under the paint you can feel, a great big drip of clear
> hardened under
> the BB shell---- just let's not talk about it. As there's no likeliho
> od of anyone else reusing these folks via the same path by which I
> stumbled
> on them, there's no need to identify them except to say it's not any
> paint
> er that's been discussed on the list ever (according to an archive
> search).
> An experiment that, alas, went awry. The financial resolution was
> no
> t satisfactory.
>
> So I ended up with a poorly painted frame, which looked worse than
> when we
> started, which is hard to believe with a French factory finish. A
> few ti
> mes I started packing up the frame to ship it out to a reputable
> painter, b
> ut I just couldn't make myself redo a brand new paint job. I mean
> the fr
> ame is completely covered, and at least it won't rust. I decided I
> had t
> o ride it some and get it scratched up a bit before considering a
> respray.
>
>
> My fantasy is that a gravel truck will swerve to miss me, overturn,
> and, as
> I leap clear, drop it's entire load all over the frame, while
> missing the
> components. I, of course, survive after making a perfect one point
> landi
> ng, protected by my helmet. I then repair to the bar, have more
> than one
> pint, and wait for the truck's insurance to treat me to the price of
> a Joe
> Bell or Brian Baylis respray.
>
> Anyway, this was finally a good excuse to use the gold components
> I'd been
> stockpiling for a while, so here's a chance to see them on a a
> bike. The
> build up was straight forward, except for the usual French frame
> idiosyncr
> acies. I don't know if it's a sign of advancing years, but I
> refused to
> spend time wrestling with the screws on the clamp on bits, made too
> short t
> o begin with and exacerbated by oversize french tubing. A trip to the
> hardware store, some longer bolts, cut off the excess after
> tightening, and
> voila! No headache, no eyestrain and no sprained vocabulary after spe
> nding hours trying to start the screws into the brake cable housing
> clamps,
> BB cable guide or shift levers. I should have started doing this
> years
> ago. The screws are less than a quarter a piece. Make sure you count
> how many you need, though, so you only have to make one trip. I did
> save the original bolts in case I ever decide to enter the Follis in
> a conc
> ours
> level show :-).
>
> I will probably bring this bike to Cirque, assuming I can make it
> this year
> . It is a very nice riding frame, with that indefinable "French
> Ride".
> I will be happy to share a pint with sympathetic listeners, as we
> bem
> oan bad paint jobs we've had in the past. I've had such good luck
> with t
> his hobby, I was probably overdue for some bad luck. If this is the
> wors
> t that happens to me dealing with bikes, I can live with that.
>
> Tom Adams
> Manhattan KS=0A=0A=0A