Gillparis

Hi all

I bought an old bike on a whim, because it is beautiful and well made and I couldn't bear to leave it outside the junk shop. But it needs some work and I am no expert. If anyone can help with the following:

- the pedals turn when I wheel the bike forwards and backwards. I don't know if they should or if something is seized up
- I need to replace the cable for the gears but I can't figure out the type of gears and if a part is missing
- I need a missing part for the back brakes. Can anyone tell me what it is called?

The bike is a Simon bike, French I think, made in Troyes. For some reason I can't post photos - I am trying to find a way. It still has the original dynamo lights that still work! My daughter and I are going to work on it as we are on enforced home time due to the school closures.

Any help appreciated.
Gill

ups

Pictures of the parts would help. (You need to make 10 posts to upload pictures)

Gillparis

Hmmm. Let me see.

Gillparis

Can I just reply to this thread ten times? A bit cynical I know.

Gillparis

I put the photos in the album 'Simon to Fix up'. I assume other members can see them there.

Kabuki12

You will get plenty of help here, you are in the right place. Of course pictures are important before getting any advice. If your bike is a typical ten speed then the cranks and pedals will rotate when the bike is pushed backwards.

Gillparis

Hi there. I put the pictures in the albums but I have no idea how you find them.

The pedals also turn when I push it forwards. If I reach my 10 posts I will put the link.

Gillparis

I forgot. It is five speed.

madpogue 

Photo assist:












Poor bike was hacked by some previous owner. Shift cable is gone. It's hard to tell from the angles of the photos (NB: best to get side-on photos, down at the level of the bike), but it appears the derailleur has been removed, and the chain shortened to turn this into a single speed. With the missing brake parts, it would be a complete surprise if some previous owner found a way to lock up the freewheel, in order to turn it into a ham-handed fixed gear.

Rear brake appears to be missing the straddle cable, main cable, and the connector that goes between them, and the pads/shoes.

It would be helpful to get a photo of the "free"wheel area from the side, rather than from above. That would better illustrate the hack job done by the previous owner.

This bike reminds me of an old Peugeot we have. Ours is a three-speed internally geared version, but there were 5- and 10-speed derailleur versions made. Ours has a more conventional frame; your bike has a mixte frame with a very nice sweep to the long stays. Very French, indeed. I have no idea how rare it is, if at all, but you sure don't see them frequently.

ups

Perhaps they welded the freewheel as mentioned in this thread?

https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespe...ml#post2119143

Gillparis

Thank you. I will take some better photos.

I love the shape of it and it is immaculate (almost!). I also have the paniers that clip on the back. I am really looking forward to getting started.

Do you know where I can get parts - for example the missing brake parts?

non-fixie 

Nice find! A brand with some history, as well. Do an internet search for "velo simon troyes" and you'll see some nice bikes.

Great project, too. Some parts seem to missing, and some beg to be replaced (that shifter is by far the ugliest thing Juy ever made, I think ), but you don't need anything fancy. Cheap stuff from the local co-op or friend's parts bin should work.

Have fun with it!

BTW, if you're ever in the vicinity of Troyes, do visit it. It is a beautiful city and the local Andouillette sausages are a treat!

Gillparis

I added some more pictures to the album Simon to Fix Up. I wish I could just post them direct!

I have visited Troyes a couple of times. It is a really nice place.

non-fixie 

You can post them directly now, since you have 10 posts.

I also just noticed your location and the fact that you didn't comment on my Andouillette recommendation.

dweenk

I am a sucker for bikes with wingnuts securing the wheels. I am looking forward to your project.

madpogue 

Indeed, the derailleur is gone. Next step is to remove the rear wheel, and see if you can get the freewheel to spin on the wheel. It's remotely possible it's just stuck, but given how the bike was "converted" to a single speed, and the rear brake decommissioned, once again, it's possible the freewheel was welded, or in some other way intentionally locked up.

A photo of the freewheel with the wheel removed from the bike should give some idea as to what freewheel removal tool would be needed. You may need to remove and replace it, depending on what was done. Also, wipe clean the hub body between the spoke flanges, and see if there's a brand name. To the Americans on this site, everything on your bike is somewhat exotic.

Gillparis

Gillparis

You should try everything once, and some things only once...

I will start by trying to take parts off and see what I can figure out.

Thank you for all the help

clubman 

The brakes are the somewhat rare and unique CLB2's. It's a shame the rear parts are missing but the front alone will lock up with little effort. They're 'self energizing' and are hard to modulate.

thumpism 

That particular style of mixte frame is called Berceau ("cradle"). Very classy. We've had a couple of them.

I just noticed your location. Of course you know what berceau means.

Further edit: be sure to post photos of your bike in this thread.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-throughs.html

Gillparis

Just a quick update - I took off the back wheel and cleaned out the freewheel and lubricated it and now it works perfectly (if with a fait bit of noise). Everything feels a bit loose when I turn the pedals but as I can't actually ride the bike due to the quarantine here it is difficult to tell. I put a photo below.

For info, I did find the manufacturer name on the freewheel. It is Maillard and has a date of February 1984.

So once I can actually get the parts I need I will move on to the brakes and getting the gears sorted.

Thank you all for your help. I will also post some photos in the thread suggested above.
Gill




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non-fixie 

dddd

Does your quarantine extend to riding outside of the city? If so, that's pretty extreme (by standards yet applied here).

That is a cool bike, looks original and that shift lever is one I have never seen (coming from a collector of fine and rare shift levers)!

The straddle cable and cable"tug" part shouldn't be hard to find as long as perfectly original pieces aren't required. We don't see a lot of CLB brake parts here unfortunately, but in France these shouldn't be impossible to source.

You've got yourself a most useful bike.

madpogue 

Does anyone have an idea what derailleur this bike would have had?

Gillparis

I found the parts for the brakes 😊 - I just need to wait for them to arrive.

For the quarantine it is super strict. We are not allowed to leave the flat except to go to the doctor, supermarket or to do some individual exercise next to our home (whatever that means). Everything is closed anyway. There are large fines for breaking the rules. Lots of people have left the city so at least they can stay somewhere with a bit more space. We are just going to stick it out. At least here we have neighbours and friends in case we need them/they need us.