Continuing to research what parts would be cotrrect for the AL Duravia frame which markings suggest is a 1954.
RD - I've bought a Simplex Rigidex chainstay-mount RD, but it is missing the return spring. Anyone know a generic spring that will work? Also, I see other Rigidex RD's that look very similar except they attach to a different chainstay mount on the frame. Can the bit on the Rigidex that attaches to the frame plate be swapped out between Rigidex derailleurs?
FD: The frame has a shifter boss on the right only, so if it had an FD, it must have been of the rod type. I've read these had a range of only a few teeth, but the Rebour drawing of an Herse recently posted shows an Herse with a wide-range double and a rod-type "suicide" FD. Was the range of these FDs wider than I've heard?
Brakes: A CR member sent pics of a 1954 Mafac Dural Forge, so I think this will work, although technically the 1954 Dural Forges had small oil hole above each pivot, which my Dural Forges lack.
Cranks: The bike has a cottered BB, which I hope will fit the old slender logoed Stronglight steel cottered cranks, of which I have several. I've fitted a couple of them with alloy Stronglight 6-hole 50T outer rings with alloy Stronglight 3-hole 36T inners. Were these alloy Stronglight 6/3 hole 116 BCD rings available in 1954?
Hubs: I've seen "First Generation" Normandy hubs on eBay. Was Normandy available in 1954? Presuming it was, was it similar to either the later Sport or the later Luxe Competition? Did the Normandy or other French hubs available in 1954 have QR, or were the French still mostly using wingnuts?
Rims: The frame is 700C. I presume a touring bike would use clinchers rather than tubulars, although I could be mistaken. Many clinchers at the time were 650B, so perhaps tubulars were more common than I think on 700C touring bikes. What rims would be appropriate?
Headset: Is the Sroinglight P3 old enough for 1954?
Bars and stem: Are the familiar French "faux lugged" alloy stems from a variety of companies as old as 1954? I prefer dropped bars, even though the toptube shifter boss might imply upright bars. Was the randonneur bend common in 1954? Could a Maes bend also have been common on a touring bike? Were the bars generally unengraved?
Saddle: This is no problem. I have several Ideale models that might be appropriate - 42, 43, 44, 52 or 59.
Any advice, opinions and comments would be appreciated.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA