These are great questions and so I'll step in front of the bus once again. I do not know how bikes are judged at shows. My own standard of original would be the original finish on the frame and the original major components. I would exclude bearings, rubber, cables/housings, chains/freewheels and maybe a few spokes. Although if these were original also, so much the better (at least for a wall-hanger). I guess it gets a little dicier if the original or a subsequent owner damaged a pedal, brake lever, etc. and replaced it with an identical part that was make, model and period correct. Now I have no way of knowing the history/provenance of the bike in question. It's entirely possible that this bike was reassembled using the parts original to the bike. So I in no way wish to impugn the integrity of the seller nor cast aspersions towards the providence of this bike. I will say, in general, that buying a frame, procuring the absolute correct parts for this frame and assembling it does not qualify it as original IN MY OPINION. Also, French frames of this period can be highly customized with many intricate original details and custom made and/or extremely rare components. Thus, the issue of originality becomes even more important than most other bikes of which we concern ourselves here, with the possible exception of highly pantographed machines. As for your last question, perhaps our French experts can enlighten us once the auction is over. Looking at the current price I'd say many people are "interested".
All the Best,
George Allen Lexington, KY USA
On 3/23/2010 4:14 PM, coel canth wrote:
> well... how were Barra's originally sold ?
> were they available as framesets only ?
>
> what if one purchased the frame in 1948 and waited fifty years to assemble it ?
> what if one purchased the frame in 1948 and waited one year to
> assemble it ? could it ever be original ?
>
> what if Barra's were only available as complete bikes and this bike
> was reassembled from parts identical to those originally found on it ?
> what if Barra's were sold as complete bikes with every component
> identified by a matching serial number and the bike was disassembled
> in 1950 and the parts were scattered to the four corners of the earth
> but then the bike was painstakingly reassembled with all the original
> earmarked parts after a 20 years quest ?
>
> what is the official grace period during which an original owner can
> affect repairs to the bicycle and still maintain originality ?
> what if the original owner replaced one single spoke one day in 1963
> after a particularly bumpy day ?
> for that matter; is any maintenance acceptable for an original bicycle ?
> ..if the original owner does not still own the original bicycle is it
> still original ?
>
> if one were to wash the bike would that be restoring it ?
> can i even use a bike and maintain originality ?
>
> i have so many questions !
>
> i am also quite curious to know why george "and many others noted the
> frameset ...[to not] represent an interesting example by this maker"
>
>
> andrei padlowski
> brooklyn, ny
> _______________________________________________
>
>
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