[CR]LEJEUNE RESTORATION

(Example: Production Builders:Peugeot:PX-10LE)

From: "Norris Lockley" <Norris.Lockley@btopenworld.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 02:21:07 +0100
Subject: [CR]LEJEUNE RESTORATION

Keeping up to date with the CR List is like taking part in the $64000 quiz. And so for the answer to why some Lejeune transfers have "Worlds" rainbow bands on them... well it's all down to the lanky Dutchman Jan Janssen who beat Adorni and Poulidor for the title in 1964... riding for the renowned Pelforth Lejeune team. This date might help owners of "Rainbowed" Lejeunes to date them better. Certainly the rainbows had disappeared by the late 70s.

I checked out the entries on Classic rendezvous:- Gerry Moos' red Lejeune has 80s transfers, but the bike is older the "rainbow track bike is probably late 60/early 70s

The type-face appears to be standard throughout, just the backgrounds vary with time. As for the round headbadge, this continued into the 80s but only on cheaper models, the top-end bikes having the long vertical slightly wedge shaped "LEJEUNE"

It was an interesting note about the track bikes ridden by Daniel Morelon... and the reference to the builder Gemini.

Gemini was an artisan builder/shopkeeper working in the eastern suburbs of Paris, near Aulnay-sous-Bois as I recall..probably about a 30 minute drive from the Lejeune factory at Maisons Alfort. He was/is very respected, and his frames from the 60/70s and even later are collectable> I have a large picture here in a French magazine... it's on the front cover of a book called "Les Braquets" - "The Gears" in the sense of which sprocket/ring to use. Geminis lug work is very well filed down, before brazing I think.. much in the style of Follis, some Singers and some Herse racing bikes. He appears to use Bocama lugs and has his own motif cut into the bottom corners of the headlugs , something like a four-cornered star. Very classy Earlier in the year, probably about April or maybe May, one of the crop of new French sellers to arrive on USA ebay offered a couple of Barra aluminium frames and a more recent (60s)unknown steel one. At the time I think I sent a n email to the List suggesting that this was a Gemini, as the fork crown bore the motif.

The Lejeune that I have just won is built from Reynolds 531 ( or possibly Columbus.. a rare event with Jejeune) and uses very long-point unusually designed Bocama lugs and crown.. the headlugs of which have the Gemini cut-outs! Another item that varies on the top Lejeune frames are the top-eyes which can vary from the "overlapping" plated ones to shallow flutes. I think that this helps to differentiate the Reynolds frames from the Columbus.

The Lejeune marque has just been relaunched in France.. by a supermarket chain.. possibly Champion. Other launches.. possibly to replace the "Poulidor brand in the Auchan chain.. is the Laurent Fignon marque.. designed by Laurent but produced in the Far East.. so don't hold your breath.

For anyone in Paris, Gemini still has two shops, one just about 100 metres from the Arc de Triomphe .. possibly Boisis' old shop.. and the other at or near Aulnay sous Bois I think I gave the addresses in detail inan email I sent to the List in early july.

Norris Lockley, Settle UK