I need some help from the Reyhand specialists on the List.
In addition to my house in Sancerre I have had, for a long time, a large
static caravan in northern Provence, using it as a sort of base from
which I used to carry on my business activities in Lyon, St Etienne,
and further south. I still spend a couple of months in that area each
year.
>From time to time friends down there find old bikes and offer them to
me. For the most part I can easily recognise the machines, but many of
the older ones have been painted over, thereby losing all traces of
transfers. Headbadges have often been looted.
I find myself in a position now where I have been offered two more machines that are being touted as Reyhands, one being a lady-back tandem - offers around 250 euros, and the other is a gents bike.....almost a town/semi porteur type of machine...open to any offers. Neither as far as I can see has any transfers.
The tandem looks very much "Reyhand" from first glances at some poor jpegs. It is not twin-lateral but has a single upper down tube at the rear with extra stays running from the drop-outs to a point just in front of the junction of the seat tube. The workmanship looks to be of very good quality. The gents frame is of standard design ie no "triple Hellenic" seat-stay style, but with a Reyhand type fork rake and crown. Both frames are finished in dark brown, but I cannot see whethere there is or has been any lining. Both frames are bronze-welded.
What I would like to know is whether Reyhand did depart from his usual designs...and where I might look for the frame numbers. Is there anything special about the way the number is stamped, or the type-face? I have two "definite" other Reyhands but still cannot find any trace of a frame number.
All help would be appreciated on this matter, particularly as a "friend" near Paris, has offered me a large randonneur, without any paint, that he took to be a Routens..but I do not think it is. With all three machines I have first refusal but the sellers will not wait too long.
Norris Lockley..Settle UK
Norris Lockley