For French (esp. Herse) bike lovers

[bags27]

There are wonderful interviews with Jan Heine and Peter Weigle in the current (August) issue of The American Randonneur that discuss Herse and the philosophy of the brevet bike. I'm in line for one of Peter's bikes this spring along with his custom front rack, and these two interviews are really inspiring. Almost makes me want to go out for another ride today!

[Sandy]

I am betting 2,000,000,000,000 to 1 that dbrk will be posting on this thread. Any takers? No dbrk influence allowed! :)


Sandman

[dbrk]

I've not seen this interview but thanks so much for the pointer. I'm good pals with Jan Heine, we go back some years now tracking down these bikes. The fella' who for many years has been the source for French parts and bikes, especially Herse and Singer, is San Fran-based Grant Handley. Grant once owned a bike shop in the Bay Area too but for many years he worked in the Alex Singer shop in Paris with Ernest Csuka. His eBay handle and moniker is the famous rstytnspd. Jan and I and many others got our first Herse and Singer and rare parts through Grant. Now Jan is the primary go-between American buyers for Singer and Mr Csuka---he can do everything and broker the bike to your door. But the person who knows the most mechanically about the old bikes in north America is Bike Specialties' Mike Barry who builds Mariposa. When I put the Mariposas next to the Singers and Herses what I see are basic improvements that Mike has culled from years of working with French bikes. These are true "constructeur" bikes. Of course Peter Weigle has every skill required to be of the very same ilk. It takes hours and hours to make the carriers, fit the internal lighting wires, seat the handlebar bag with its proper handlebar braze-on, get the mudguard lines round and perfect with custom stays, etc. It's a _whole_ bike, not a frame with parts, and it's an extraordinary craft and attention to detail that makes it come together. While these bikes usually don't meet modern notions of weight, I tell you with complete honesty that they don't ride like they are heavy or the least bit clumsy. On the contrary, they are smooth and friendly and invite you to speed along in comfort. It's really somethin'. I've been after these bikes in earnest since about 1988 but I saw my first Herse on the Jersey shore in 1972 and never, ever forgot it. I was smitten even then. These bikes are the epitome of cool even if you don't want to ride them.

dbrk
not the sort to disappoint my pal Sandy...

[coylifut]

When I was 16, some 26 years ago, my brother lived about 85 miles away in a small touristy beach town. A buddy and I would ride to and fro as a two day training ride. We happened upon a English guy on the most wonderfully equiped touring bike I'd ever seen atop one of the coastal mountain passes. We invited him to join us and my brother took him in and we all toured the North Oregon coast for a few days. He was on a Singer. In an attempt to match the utility of our new friend's Singer, we soon both bought touring rigs with racks paniers and started 'bike camping." I look upon those times as some my best cycling memories. I still can't get that Singer out of my mind.

[cpg]

Peter Weigle is a framebuilder's framebuilder. His rando bikes are obviously influenced by the original french bikes but with a throughouly modern twist. He doesn't do anything with old components like Mike Barry (Mariposa) will. Nothing wrong with either approach. Just different. Peter's work always manages to blow my skirt up.

[Dekonick]

Douglas - Post some pics if you can! Pleeaaassssseeeeee!

[bags27]

Imagine that, Sandy. Douglas interested in French bikes? Who would have believed that. Looks like we ought to take you to Vegas. :)

Douglas, if you want, I'd be happy to photocopy the interviews and send them to your office mailbox. Just let me know. Jan Heine says some pretty provocative things about fit: I don't want to start a "fitting war" (what the heck, maybe it's been too quiet around here), but Heine, who road PBP on a 55 yr. old Herse tandem in under 53 hours (for those who don't follow randonneuring, that's really, really, really fast) claimed that "I firmly believe that randonneur bikes are the perfect machines for 90 percent of the cycling populations--all of us who don't race."

[dbrk]

Here are my three Singers. If I die or something please be sure these go to the right place, okay?

dbrk

[dnovo]

I'd love to promise you that they would Douglas, but I suspect that once we have both shuffled off this mortal coil, we won't find ourselves in the same spot. Oh well, Dante (or was it Three Dog Night) said that "it's cold way down there" so I guess I'll still be able to use that winter riding gear I have gathered for riding here in Wisconsin. ("Bartelby, was Wisconsin REALLY that bad?") Dave N.

[Too Tall]

OK....my "Tandem" bike fantasy of the moment is a new Herse fitted with some old school parts. It's something I'd enjoy for a looong looong time. Uh, yeah a few of us know Jan...up close and personal. We were lined up with Jan at the starting line of 2003 PBP and traded pulls for almost 100 miles.

[OldDog]

Douglas,

Those are wonderful bikes. Can you give us an idea of the geo of this style?

:banana: :banana: :banana: