Re: [CR] Elvish 650b randonneur photos + Grand Bois Cypres vs. Ourson

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From: "Howard Darr" <hdarr@embarqmail.com>
To: 'W S Pulman-Jones' <simonpj@mac.com>, 'classicrendezvous' <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
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Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:26:08 -0400
Thread-Index: Aco+n9ZTL4juBj11S/i1Cuh5V724EQALn5cw
Subject: Re: [CR] Elvish 650b randonneur photos + Grand Bois Cypres vs. Ourson


Beautiful bike. Fortunate owner. I counted 3 levers. Two on the down tube. What is on the seat tube?

Howard Darr

Kinsman OH USA -----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of W S Pulman-Jones Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2009 7:52 AM To: classicrendezvous Subject: [CR] Elvish 650b randonneur photos + Grand Bois Cypres vs. Ourson

I have posted photos to Wooljersey of an early 80's (I think) randonneur by Elvish, a marque from south west France. I would be grateful for any information about Elvish.

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/simonpj/Elvish_randonneur_early_80s/

It's a modest but very functional bike: 531 frame with braze ons for Mafac centrepulls, internal light wiring, chainstay-mounted dynamo, lightweight front and rear racks, and stem-mounted decaleur fitting. I've already really enjoyed riding it, and am looking forward to taking advantage of its built-in lighting, mudguards and racks through the coming winter.

At just under 27 lbs it's not light, but on Grand Bois Cypres 32mm tires it feels fast and very agile.

When I first got the bike I fitted the Grand Bois Ourson 35mm tires that you'll see in the photos. They're just too large to fit inside the mudguards with sufficient clearance - but I did about 500 very comfortable miles on them before switching to the narrower Cypres tires. I've placed photos of the bike with the Oursons next to photos with the Cypres to show the difference. Despite the stated 3mm difference in size, the Cypres are quite a bit smaller - being just a bit too small to look right on this bike, whilst the Oursons are just a bit too big to fit properly. It would be wonderful to have a larger Cypres to fit the gap. I do think the bike looks better with the Oursons properly filling out the mudguards.

The Oursons do not feel fast, but when speed isn't top priority they are extremely comfortable and sure footed, making the bike feel very relaxed and stable. After over 500 miles they hardly show any signs of wear. I'll definitely fit them for more relaxed long rides over mixed surfaces.

The Cypres feel totally different to the Oursons - feeling as fast as top quality narrow race tires, with added cornering grip, and comfort. They transform the handling of the bike - making it feel wonderfully fast and agile through changing radius bends.

I acquired the bike in fairly scruffy condition. The paintwork was badly scuffed and scratched but has really improved through several applications of black colour-restoring car polish.

Sadly, both of the very nice original aluminium mudguards were damaged in shipping, and I have had to replace them with Berthoud stainless steel mudguards, as I couldn't find any aluminium mudguards in a narrow enough 650b size. One thing I forgot to do when I fitted the front mudguard is shift the front light across to the right hand side for riding in the UK - so I'll get hold of an additional rear mudguard to cut down to use as a longer front when I move the light over.

I've replaced a worn out plastic-bodied Huret rear derailleur with a Jubilee (it really needs a long-cage Jubilee), and had to replace the original 22mm stem, which was too short, with a 22.2mm Cinelli 1a lightly sanded down to fit. I've been looking out for a more appropriate 22mm stem to replace it, but long enough ones from the right period seem to be very thin on the ground on eBay. The frame is really a little small for me - I have the saddle higher than in the photos - hence the need for a long stem - but it's still very enjoyable to ride.

I'd be grateful for any suggestions for how to get hold of a decaleur that will fit the fitting on the stem. The ones from Velo-Orange have posts that are too widely spaced.

Best,

Wyndham Pulman-Jones
Girton, Cambs., UK