So there I was doing a bit of gardening, when my neighbours cycled by, Paul was towing their little girl in a buggy on his mountain bike, but my eye caught the bike Vicky was riding,,,first of all I noticed it had Mafac brakes.........so I went over to check it out, they were Dural Forge Mafac's.....looking over the bike I realised it was a very nice frame,
Vicky said she thought it was a Claud Butler, which may be correct, it had Prugnat type 55d lugs, and 'rapid V chainstays'............but I soon noticed it had a Stronglight 49d chainset with TA triple rings......but looking closer I realised they were exactly the type I've been searching for, the ones that simply say 'Stronglight depos'e'
I was then invited to have a look at her dad's bike she has in her shed, this also had a 49d chainset, but from the 60s, Unica multi holed plastic saddle, GB spearpoint stem, all period stuff really, except for fairly modern Japanese gears, and the frame although unknown,is also very nice, it certainly looks of a decent quality and well worth 'restoring'
All this time I've been searching for a 50s 49d chainset on ebay, or wherever, there's one less than 100 yards away from me!
Whether I can buy the said chainset is another thing, I have offered to make an offer on her dad's bike, but would want to swap the chainset.
Amazing what's right under your nose, so to speak!.........must be others who have had simular experiences?
Cheers Kevin Sayles
Bridgwater Somerset UK