Dear CR List friends,
I posted a remarkably similar "Parts Wanted" request to the CR List back in December of 2009 . Unfortunately, a year has passed and I still find myself actively hunting for these last two niggling bits for my 1977 Peugeot PY-10/CP frameset which has only just completed a thorough repair and repaint at the hands of Elliot Bay Bicycles following its unfortunate and unanticipated transatlantic shipping "incident".
http://www.flickr.com/
Inasmuch as I found myself on the hook for said refinishing work, I decided that I might as well expend the extra time, effort, and monies in an attempt to affect an accurate replica of a vintage 1977 Peugeot-Esso-Michelin PY-10 team bike such as the one upon which Bernard Thevenet collected his second career Maillot Jaune in winning the general classification of the 1977 Tour de France or the one which sprinter par excellence Jacques Esclassan used in winning the Maillot Vert in that very same Tour. I provide this background so that you might better understand just why it is I am going to be so fussy in looking for very particular component characteristics as well as just why I seek to find them in NOS state or indistinguishable from same.
So without further adieu, here is my short but stubborn "Parts Wanted" list:
----------> SEAT POST:
Simplex SLJ - two piece cast aluminum alloy construction - Clear anodized fluted shaft with horizontal stitching - Clear anodized headstock - two bolt bifurcated single pivot clamp - 27 mm offset - 240 mm x 26.6 mm - model SLJ (Super Lucien Juy) 4164-A extra-legere
The key here is that not only does the rather rare fluted alloy Simplex seat post I seek need be sized at 26.6 mm in diameter to fit the Reynolds 531 SL seat tube on my PY-10, but also that it have the longer 240 mm post length (...model SLJ 4164-A) as opposed to the standard 188 mm (...model SLJ 4164 - an NOS version of which I already have on hand as a "back up", but it's simply too damn short). As it so happens, I do have a couple of used SLJ 4164-A components sized at 26.6 mm ... BUT ... both of them are scarred way beyond reclamation to a state anywhere near indistinguishable from NOS. That means that I am confronted with the prospect of removing the best looking headstock from one of these three examples, enlisting the services of a local machine shop to turn out a one-off replica post having the requisite stitching and fluting details, taking that new post over to have it properly polished and Clear anodize finished, and then grafting the original headstock back onto the newly minted replica post (...all of which translates into "spend LOTS of money"). So, if you happen to have what I need gathering dust among your spare parts, or you can rustle one up from some other source, here is your chance to make a little extra coin by having me pay a relatively obscene amount of money (...$500.00 USD for the right post in NOS condition without any hint of shop wear).
To review an image of just what I am looking for before seeking to cash in that magic lottery ticket, please refer to the following Simplex brochure page (...left side, half-way down):
http://www.velo-pages.com/
----------> PEDALS:
Maillard 700 - quill style pedals - chrome plated Cr/Mo spindles - aluminum alloy spindle housings / date code marked mm-yy on the spindle barrels (...where "mm" would be the two digit month and "yy" would be the year code) - Clear anodized Silver aluminum alloy cages with rear kick tab / pre 1980 "tall cage" profile - aluminum alloy hexagonal dust caps - 9/16" x 20 TPI thread - model 700 RA Professional
These Maillard pedals actually came in three different configurations, the first of which would be the 700 RC having chrome plated steel cages, and those are decidedly NOT what I am looking for (...steel may be real, but it has no appeal - or at least not in this particular context). The other two versions both feature lightweight aluminum alloy cages - the 700 RA having a Clear anodized Silver finish while the 700 RN has a Black anodized surface treatment. The truth of the matter is that for the 1977 edition of the Tour de France, the Peugeot-Esso-Michelin team bikes used a mix of 700 RA and 700 RN pedals, so I suppose either type will work for my purposes in the general sense. That said, both Thevenet and Esclassan happened to ride bikes that year equipped with Maillard 700 RA pedals having Clear anodized Silver hue cages, so it would be my distinct preference to source a set of those. Bonus points and a commensurate cash award for pedals actually date coded 06-77 or just prior. As for their spindles needing to be 9/16" x 20 TPI as opposed to 14 mm x 1.25 mm, please know that I have an NOS set of English threaded spindles for these pedals on hand already, so I can effectively convert any French metric set you might be able to offer. Once again, I stand ready, willing, and able to pay stupid money for the proper pedals (...$500.00 USD in cold, hard cash for an NOS set of 700 RA pedals having 9/16" threading and without shop wear - purchase price to be negotiated with respect to other offerings either having 14 mm x 1.25 mm threading or Black anodized 700 RN examples).
To better assist in readily distinguishing the difference between those Maillard 700 pedals having the pre 1980 "tall cage" profile (...which is precisely what I am looking for and, of course, have found frustratingly difficult to source) and those having the post 1979 "short cage" profile (...sorry, this style is not appropriate for my 1977 Peugeot PY-10 build), I offer the following comparative photograph:
http://www.velo-pages.com/
Please know that I will respond to each and every (...polite) offer in the very same order as received. HOWEVER ... my wife and I will be stealing out of town for a brief Valentine's Day interlude as of tomorrow afternoon and we will not be returning until Tuesday evening, so please excuse any delayed reply on my part during that timeframe (...sorry, but I am not lugging along the laptop and the house sitter is not "vintage cycling compliant" nor will they have access to my email accounts) .
Thank you in advance to any and everyone who is willing to either offer for sale or trade either of the above components, as well as to those who simply make the effort to check their own parts inventory in good faith.
Robert "speed costs money - how fast do you wanna go?" Broderick
...the "Chronically Cloudy Clime of Oregon
Portland, USA