[CR]Manufrance and Hirondelle. bikes, St Etienne

(Example: Production Builders:LeJeune)

Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 06:27:38 -0800 (PST)
From: "Norris Lockley" <norris.lockley@yahoo.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Manufrance and Hirondelle. bikes, St Etienne

A couple of weeks ago there was a short exchange of info about this company and brand of bike. In a reply I tried to describe the superb factory - not really the correct word- that still stands in St Etienne, but my words failed to do justice to the skill of the architects and builders.

I have just found among a miscellany of photos, some recent ones of these premises. Whether you're just interested in old bikes..or in architecture..or in both ( are you listening, Nelson?), then you should not miss these photos

And just to add to the justification, Manufrance was the first company to routinely fix the front brake behind the fork crown - the obvious place to site it. Not only that..they actually made the brakes in the factory. And we framebuilders of aero time-trial frames in the 80s really had only rediscovered the wheel when we thought we were smart in tucking those miniscule Dia-Compe 400 aero brakes back of the crown.

But there again we didn't have the luxury of the large clearances of 70+mm to play about with..but there again, again, we were not fitting hammered mudguards either.

The photos are at :- http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclecrank

Norris Lockley..Settle UK

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