re: [CR]French randonneurs - What about the others ?

(Example: Production Builders:Frejus)

To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "H.M. & S.S. Sachs" <sachs@erols.com>
Subject: re: [CR]French randonneurs - What about the others ?
Cc: <jprice@2-10.com>
Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 21:01:42 -0400

John Price wrote:

With Jan's (and others) input we've learned quite a bit about the likes of Rene Herse and Alex Singer touring bikes on here lately. And with these 2 companies considered to be at the top of the scale it makes me wonder what other French touring bikes are out there that aren't at the top. <snip>

To, me one of the more interesting marques, one I've never seen mentioned here, was OTB, which stood for Only The Best. It was the private label of a gentleman in Boston (named Hamburg, if I recall correctly), who brought in really nice touring bikes in the 1950s. I bought one as a frameset at a bike shop in Woonsocket RI, with a brazed on, very light, pannier carrier. Rode another that a friend had in Corvallis OR in the mid-1970s. The head badge had the O,T, and B superimposed on one another.

Yeah, I wouldn't mine having another...

harvey sachs
mclean va