Re: [CR]French Bicycle Culture in France

(Example: Framebuilders:Mario Confente)

Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 06:21:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]French Bicycle Culture in France
To: "P.C. Kohler" <kohl57@starpower.net>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <006a01c4fd10$bda30ca0$22e0fea9@man>


Even though it burns the third of my four posts today, I have to agree. The PX-10 was a great bike for the same reason the MG-TC and Triumph TR-3 were great sports cars. Sure the latter two were tempermental and undependable by today's standards. Sure, a Ferrari or Maserati or even a Jaguar XK-120 would outperform them by a wide margin. But they were fast for the money, they were fun, and they were priced within the reach of the masses. They opened a whole new world to their owners, and changed American society, or at least added a new aspect to American society, one which looked to UK and Europe for inspiration and began to break down traditional American isolationism. The PX-10 did the same thing in the area of cycling. It defined the European "10 speed" for a generation of Americans in the same way that the MG-TC and Truimph TR-3 had defined the European sports car.

Regards,

Jerry Moos Houston, TX

"P.C. Kohler" <kohl57@starpower.net> wrote:


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jan Heine"
To:
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2005 7:41 PM
Subject: [CR]French Bicycle Culture in France


"The great constructeurs Singer, Herse, Routens and others never were household words."

Ah... well then.. can they ever be considered to have contributed to the "French Bicycle Culture" either in France or abroad?

In so many fields we tend to equate superiority with greatness. What was the greatest motor car in the history of the planet? A Ferrari or a Ford Model T? What defines greatness? Well if few have heard of you or it, greatness seems elusive at best. How can something that, whilst argueably superior, that few owned or rode contribute to a culture? Let alone define it.

To me, the greatest French bicycle of all time was the PX-10. Why? It was priced within the reach of most. It raced (and won) with the best. It symbolised the great bike boom in the USA which remains a wonderous transformation of the ultimate car culture into something well.. at least more cycle friendly. And it had real staying power... for a good 13 years c. 1965-1978 it was racing and winning. And it did so with its sloppy lugwork and finishing. That's part of its charm. It's like an old wooden tennis racket. The true racing bike, perfect only in its essentials. And finally, it belonged to a great brand, a "family" as it were of cycles that basked in its reflective glory. So if you were like me and could only afford a UE-8 at age 16, it was painted like a PX-10.

These were truly the machines that introduced much of America (and indeed elsewhere) not only to the delights of French cycle culture but to lightweight 10 speeds. Not just through the victories of Simpson, Merckx and Thevenet, but because it was same bike was the one the cool guy down the road owned or it was the one you really, really wanted. And you had to be content with your UE-8. If someone had offered me a Rene Herse.. I would have held out for that PX-10. And still would.

Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA