That would make sense, in that Bobet won his final TdF while sponsored by Mercier, although riding on the French team for the Tour. He may have ended his career with Mercier, in fact. Just judging from the prominent mention of Bobet bikes in Sloane's book, compared to very little mention of Mercier, I'd guess more Bobet bikes may have been sold in the US in the late 60's than Mercier-branded bikes.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA
> From: Harvey Sachs <hmsachs@verizon.net>
\r?\n> Subject: Re: [CR] Bobet / Rene Herse
\r?\n> To: jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net, "Classic Rendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
\r?\n> Date: Monday, August 17, 2009, 7:24 PM
\r?\n> Gene Portuesi's Cyclo-Pedia sold
\r?\n> Louison Bobet Bicycles, from entry level up to ~PX-10 level
\r?\n> in that era. The inside cover of the seventh Ed. of the
\r?\n> catalogue shows "Messieurs Emile Mercier and Eugene Portuesi
\r?\n> examining a replica (C-35 Model) o the frame used in the
\r?\n> 1965 Tour de France." Another picture shows "Messieurs
\r?\n> Pascal Selles, Mercier's Chief engineer, and Eugene Portuesi
\r?\n> discussing the fine points of frame construction and
\r?\n> design." I'd take these pix as reasonable guesses for
\r?\n> the sources of the indicated Louison Bobet cycles.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> harvey sachs
\r?\n> mcLean va
\r?\n> +++++++++++++++++++++++
\r?\n> Jerry Moos wrote:
\r?\n> So do we know who might have made the Louison Bobet bikes
\r?\n> mass produced in the late 60's and mentioned in the original
\r?\n> edition of Sloane's book? Did Bobet actually have any
\r?\n> part in production or marketing, or did someone just license
\r?\n> his name?
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Regards,
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Jerry Moos
\r?\n> Big Spring, Texas, USA