Can you help me by ID-ing this bike?
#51
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have been thimking for some time that the forum should bestow upon him a title such as Professor/Professeur/Professore...
...AHA! I've got it...DCI
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have been thimking for some time that the forum should bestow upon him a title such as Professor/Professeur/Professore...
...AHA! I've got it...DCI
-----
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#53
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Hello guys,
Thank you all for your time and efforts invested in this thread!
The past week has been full of work for me, therefore I didn't have much time for investigating and so on. Still, I contacted a page on Facebook - "Velo Liberia Grenoble" and after explaining everything, they too offered an ID ->> Liberia Gran Luxe.
I could not find information about this model yet but I'll continue in doing so and see how can I match it with mine.
If anybody has details about this model or any links, I would forever be grateful.
Regarding the frame and fork restoration, I'll start searching for some paint shops.
The right thing to do here is to get rid of the old paint, treat the steel and repaint it, correct? I would love to keep the old paint but given the rust in some places, I guess that's not a good ideea.
Thank you all for your time and efforts invested in this thread!
The past week has been full of work for me, therefore I didn't have much time for investigating and so on. Still, I contacted a page on Facebook - "Velo Liberia Grenoble" and after explaining everything, they too offered an ID ->> Liberia Gran Luxe.
I could not find information about this model yet but I'll continue in doing so and see how can I match it with mine.
If anybody has details about this model or any links, I would forever be grateful.
Regarding the frame and fork restoration, I'll start searching for some paint shops.
The right thing to do here is to get rid of the old paint, treat the steel and repaint it, correct? I would love to keep the old paint but given the rust in some places, I guess that's not a good ideea.
Last edited by Silvestru; 06-18-19 at 12:52 PM.
#54
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Normally I would say leave it alone but the rust blisters under the paint make me lean toward repaint. The scrapes and abrasions just add to the justification. It is a very personal thing. I would do what you want to do and not take too much stock in what others have to say. Just consider their arguments one way or the other to make your decision.
Congrats on a great buy!
Congrats on a great buy!
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Bikes don't stand alone. They are two tired.
Bikes don't stand alone. They are two tired.
#55
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Here is a post I did a while back with links to online material on Liberia. It comes from a thread I started a while back on my introduction to the brand, a c.1972 Liberia that may be a Grand Luxe variant that was originally sold out of a bike shop in Columbia SC. I have been very pleased with mine, and it is exhibit A for the statement, "The French have a way with gaspipe." I suspect it is built with what later became Liberia 102 (unlike Carbolite 103, which was purely a Peugeot product made in house), and on a metric-gauged frame with a 28.0 mm seat tube exterior it takes a 25.8 mm seatpost, so a whisker over 1 mm-thick tube walls isn't too shabby for what was sold originally as a campus bike in the early 70s.
Liberia isn't seen too often in the U.S. because they apparently were doing well enough selling bikes in the Grenoble region. The majority of them I see appear to be in the Southeastern U.S. and date from the great bike boom, when distributors were combing Europe looking for product to sell.
Liberia isn't seen too often in the U.S. because they apparently were doing well enough selling bikes in the Grenoble region. The majority of them I see appear to be in the Southeastern U.S. and date from the great bike boom, when distributors were combing Europe looking for product to sell.
#56
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Thread Starter
Here is a post I did a while back with links to online material on Liberia. It comes from a thread I started a while back on my introduction to the brand, a c.1972 Liberia that may be a Grand Luxe variant that was originally sold out of a bike shop in Columbia SC. I have been very pleased with mine, and it is exhibit A for the statement, "The French have a way with gaspipe." I suspect it is built with what later became Liberia 102 (unlike Carbolite 103, which was purely a Peugeot product made in house), and on a metric-gauged frame with a 28.0 mm seat tube exterior it takes a 25.8 mm seatpost, so a whisker over 1 mm-thick tube walls isn't too shabby for what was sold originally as a campus bike in the early 70s.
Liberia isn't seen too often in the U.S. because they apparently were doing well enough selling bikes in the Grenoble region. The majority of them I see appear to be in the Southeastern U.S. and date from the great bike boom, when distributors were combing Europe looking for product to sell.
Liberia isn't seen too often in the U.S. because they apparently were doing well enough selling bikes in the Grenoble region. The majority of them I see appear to be in the Southeastern U.S. and date from the great bike boom, when distributors were combing Europe looking for product to sell.
I started searching for Liberia and was aware of your post since Maurice shared his knowledge.
#57
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Thread Starter
Even though there is a good chance for the frame to be Liberia made, I don't want to come off as disrespectful or anything and I'm still searching for other producers. Somebody suggested this frame may be a France-Loire.
On this note, I removed the BB cable guide (looks made from aluminium) and discovered there is a star shape stamp. Does this mean something?
Don't know if there are some other stamps under the paint. I decided to treat and remove the old paint and then, I'll inspect the frame more carefully, searching for clues.
On this note, I removed the BB cable guide (looks made from aluminium) and discovered there is a star shape stamp. Does this mean something?
Don't know if there are some other stamps under the paint. I decided to treat and remove the old paint and then, I'll inspect the frame more carefully, searching for clues.
Last edited by Silvestru; 06-21-19 at 03:18 AM.
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#59
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When it comes to frame IDs, in most cases, the best one can hope for is to be able to say that the features of a mystery frame are consistent with this manufacturer or that artisan. Or, if you're non-committal, that features aren't inconsistent with a certain known marque.
As for the suggestion that this is a Cycles France-Loire; it could be. Did the person who made that suggestion provide more conclusive supporting evidence? If so, it'd be great if you could post here, for future reference.
Last edited by MauriceMoss; 06-30-19 at 04:49 PM.
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#61
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Thread Starter
I don't think that continuing the search is disrespectful at all. You should always look for the most evidence you can get to support a theory.
When it comes to frame IDs, in most cases, the best one can hope for is to be able to say that the features of a mystery frame are consistent with this manufacturer or that artisan. Or, if you're non-committal, that features aren't inconsistent with a certain known marque.
As for the suggestion that this is a Cycles France-Loire; it could be. Did the person who made that suggestion provide more conclusive supporting evidence? If so, it'd be great if you could post here, for future reference.
When it comes to frame IDs, in most cases, the best one can hope for is to be able to say that the features of a mystery frame are consistent with this manufacturer or that artisan. Or, if you're non-committal, that features aren't inconsistent with a certain known marque.
As for the suggestion that this is a Cycles France-Loire; it could be. Did the person who made that suggestion provide more conclusive supporting evidence? If so, it'd be great if you could post here, for future reference.
People suggested a possible France Loire ID because of the colour, equipment and also the whistles of stay cables.
#62
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It's a Liberia
As per Mssr @MauriceMoss post:
If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a Liberia...
Case closed!
We sold entry level and a few mid range Liberia bikes back in 1975-77. They rode nicely for what they were.
There were a number of large French bicycle manufacturers like Manufrance and Starnord that contract built lower priced bikes for other bike manufactures and also large bike shops throughout France. Buy enough bikes and they would put any name you wanted on them.
The swagged seat stay caps combined with the Vitus dropouts, lugs, and fork crown matches the photos of Liberia frames posted by @MauriceMoss.
verktyg
If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a Liberia...
Case closed!
We sold entry level and a few mid range Liberia bikes back in 1975-77. They rode nicely for what they were.
There were a number of large French bicycle manufacturers like Manufrance and Starnord that contract built lower priced bikes for other bike manufactures and also large bike shops throughout France. Buy enough bikes and they would put any name you wanted on them.
The swagged seat stay caps combined with the Vitus dropouts, lugs, and fork crown matches the photos of Liberia frames posted by @MauriceMoss.
verktyg
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Don't believe everything you think! History is written by those who weren't there....
Chas. ;-)
Don't believe everything you think! History is written by those who weren't there....
Chas. ;-)
#63
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#65
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Thread Starter
Hello guys!
So... some time passed and in the meantime I slowly developed the project and now, the frame is repainted, the handlebar has been polished and dressed in leather, consumables have been bought, etc.
Still need to find a matching seat post, some white perforated leather to cover my existing saddle and Mafac hoods.
Besides that, all I need to do now is to give the parts a good clean (looking for some products), buy decals and piece everything up together.
On this note, was wandering if somebody can spot if the tubing is really Reynolds and what type is it.
So... some time passed and in the meantime I slowly developed the project and now, the frame is repainted, the handlebar has been polished and dressed in leather, consumables have been bought, etc.
Still need to find a matching seat post, some white perforated leather to cover my existing saddle and Mafac hoods.
Besides that, all I need to do now is to give the parts a good clean (looking for some products), buy decals and piece everything up together.
On this note, was wandering if somebody can spot if the tubing is really Reynolds and what type is it.
Last edited by Silvestru; 12-02-19 at 01:58 PM.