Norris,
It's a lovely bicycle and I was struck by 2 items in particular. The first is that the cost of the frame was only a bit more than twice the cost of the Huret derailleurs. I would consider that a bargain. Also, if I understand the abbreviations correctly, the customer - Monsieur Deflaceliere - came down from Saint Quentin. Were there no appropriate constructeurs in that region, or is just too close to Paris? I found "cycling culture" to be quite strong in the region between Paris and Lille.
Cheers
Fred Rednor - Arlignton, Virginis (USA)
>
> I've just posted twenty-five photos of my 1977 Rene Andre
> Randonneur on my
> Flickr site. For those Francophiles amongst us, this bike
> will show how the
> famous randonneur shape had evolved over a period of forty
> years or so since
> Andre Reiss (Reyhand) set the standard. Obviously others
> such as Berthoud,
> J-P Routens, J-M Duret have carried the flame on from the
> end of the 70s.
>
> Very very little is known about this particular builder
> except that he was
> riding with the greatest sportifs in the 30s, is
> thought to have
> contributed as a frame-builder of some of Fletcher's top
> Special CNC frames,
> as well as building for Maury and Camille Dardenne. Fred
> Delong described
> him in one of his 1970s books as one of the finest French
> constructeurs.
>
> The bike shown was ordered on the 31 December 1976 and
> handed over to M
> Deflaceliere, the proud new owner on the 17th April 1977. I
> find it
> interesting that the builder's diagram shows only one
> measurement - that of
> the length of the seat-tube. Obviously French customers
> have ultimate faith
> in their chosen builder's design skills and competence.
> Now..that's the sort
> of customer I prefer.
>
> Photos at: http://www.flickr.com/
>
> Coming shortly to a Flickr site near YOU- my latest
> acquisition - an
> ANGLO-FRANCO-ITALIANO Stallion of a frame...yes..that's
> just the frame.
> Prizes will not be awarded for anyone guessing where it
> really was built due
> to the British government having just increased tax rises
> allround..and cuts
> elsewhere in our incomes. Next UP after that..So who
> actually built Jacques
> Anquetil's personal frames?
>
>
> Norris Lockley
>
> Settle UK