Cool old Herse

[AngryScientist]

I'm not into collecting bikes (or anything) just to look at, but it would be cool if this one wound up in some museum or similar to preserve it's space in history.

it's pretty intriguing to see the details from the old days and how they did things, that we clearly have modernized so much over the years.

today we have wireless servo motors that move the FD, but the innovation of the day was a ST mounted lever.

all pretty cool stuff to look at.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1953-Rene-H...16.m2516.l5255

One of only 6 Herse bikes I know of in the world (one in Japan, 5 including this one in France) with the constructeur battery-holder braze-ons for long-distance events. This is about as rare as you can get in the Herse collector world.

Although the stem cap that would give us the rider name is missing, everything points to this being a team bike : close-ratio chainset, the battery that only specialist PBP riders would have specified (removes the drag of a dynamo), the superlight tubing (the bike weighs less than 10 kg), Mafac brakes rather than Herse etc... Two "battery bikes" are photographed in J Heine's Rene Herse book, those of PBP winners Espinasse (p 270) and Chétiveaux (p 251). The only other battery bike with known owner also belonged to a PBP rider and Herse team member.

The aluminium battery holder that requires special braze-ons, and was a made-to-measure by Herse item, is in the present case an exact copy of the only known original.

Painted blue/silver over the original light blue (Herse team colour) and chrome (still visible in places). Frame in excellent condition, no corrosion, one very small dent to top tube.

The bike although incomplete has all the important parts, of the highest quality available : Maxi-Car, Mephisto, Trois Etoiles spokes, Cyclo randonneur modified by Herse (extra greaser), the super-refined and elegant Herse RD lever, Herse FD, Mafac with greaser hole, SKF bottom bracket, Herse cranks and rings (left crank correct but non-original to this bike,worn but useable), Herse stem, Herse rollers etc. Fantastic workmanship on the frame with internal cables, this really is an ultimate artisan bike from France's greatest artisan. The first battery bike ever on ebay and probably the last one.

[merckx]

Absolutely cool. Thank you for posting.

[oldpotatoe]

Altho mentioned PBP and 'battery bike', not a true 'Rando' bike, I'm guessing..700c also, weren't a lot of french 'rando' bikes of this era 650b??

[Davist]

Very cool, thanks! I'd like to know how the "loop" rear derailleur cable works? Seems like it'd just slide (ie our "new" stuff gets shorter as you pull it, to move the pulleys..). I've also seen (perhaps later) seat tube mounted shifters which appear to rotate (Campagnolo) this seems to move, perhaps an earlier design.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Altho mentioned PBP and 'battery bike', not a true 'Rando' bike, I'm guessing..700c also, weren't a lot of french 'rando' bikes of this era 650b??

it sounds to me like this was a specialty bike for "fast rando" riding, or specifically en event bike. reduced drag, light weight, etc.

[merckx]

It has fitments for mudguards and a front rack, yet is sans those items. Likely binned by a teenager who preferred a "race bike".

There are many examples of classic 700c PBP machines.

[R3awak3n]

That is very cool, love the color and the parta on it, lovely crank, stem and derailleurs

[unterhausen]

If you read Jan's book, "the golden age of (French) handbuilt bicycles," you will see that most randonneurs rode 700c bikes. And still do. The few 650b bikes in that book are touring bikes or utility bikes.

[marciero]

Originally Posted by Davist

Very cool, thanks! I'd like to know how the "loop" rear derailleur cable works? Seems like it'd just slide (ie our "new" stuff gets shorter as you pull it, to move the pulleys..). I've also seen (perhaps later) seat tube mounted shifters which appear to rotate (Campagnolo) this seems to move, perhaps an earlier design.

BQ readers will recognize the Cyclo derailuer with "desmodromic" actuation. scroll down a bit.
https://www.renehersecycles.com/myth...s-are-lighter/

[marciero]

...and incidentally, Jan's personal rando bikes have that seatpost-mounted lever fd for simplicity, light weight, and performance.

[Clancy]

No bids yet. Will be interesting to see where this one ends up. I wonder how active and pricey the world of bicycle collecting is, I really have no idea.

Fascinating to see the technology. The riders of the day just knew they where on the very cutting edge believing theirs to be the very best. Just like we do today. In 50 years, what will cyclists think when they look back at our cutting edge technology?

[palincss]

Originally Posted by Davist

Very cool, thanks! I'd like to know how the "loop" rear derailleur cable works? Seems like it'd just slide (ie our "new" stuff gets shorter as you pull it, to move the pulleys..). I've also seen (perhaps later) seat tube mounted shifters which appear to rotate (Campagnolo) this seems to move, perhaps an earlier design.

This article explains how the Cyclo rear derailleur works. Short answer: helicoidal sliding action.

[OtayBW]

Looks like it's got some serious Trail on that sucker. Must be like steering a shopping cart!

[alancw3]

That bike is beautiful but I think that it will not sell for anything close to what the seller wants. the only think this I see for that bike would if some bike museum wanted it. anyway great pics.

[josephr]

$8500 is a little outside my budget for what is essentially wall-art. I think I got my money's worth browsing thru the pics. Thanks for posting. very cool!