Plum Vainqueur
08-31-23, 09:45 AM
#1
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Plum Vainqueur
I’ve come across a local ad for a Plum Vainqueur and I know nothing about these bikes. This one is a nice looking bike but kind of a Frankenbike with Columbus tubes, hubs, BB, Shimano Deore rear derailleur, Zeus fd, simplex friction shifters. Any info would be appreciated.
08-31-23, 09:47 AM
#2
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A couple of photos,
08-31-23, 10:07 AM
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If it has a freehub in the rear maybe it would accept 9 or 10 speed cassette with a wider range making it a better bike in the hills; the wheels . It appears that a smaller chainring would not fit on the crankset, limiting practicality.
08-31-23, 10:10 AM
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08-31-23, 10:25 AM
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His Unfixedness, our non-fixie , has knowledge of this marque and its history
machine appears early eighties
chainset mentioned above looks to be GIPIEMME Crono Special, 144mm BCD
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His Unfixedness, our non-fixie , has knowledge of this marque and its history
machine appears early eighties
chainset mentioned above looks to be GIPIEMME Crono Special, 144mm BCD
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08-31-23, 10:44 AM
#6
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I have a Plum Vainqueur that was made by F. Moser, and they didn't try hard to disguise that. It was a nice bike before someone cut it up. I was in the process of replacing the bb shell and rear triangle when I ran out of steam. It's too big for me, so I'm not sure I want to invest the time and money in parts to fix it.
08-31-23, 12:03 PM
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Plum Vainqueur is an iconic bicycle store in Ghent, Belgium which has existed for decades, perhaps since the 1950s, and been closely associated with road racing for just as long. I visited in 1988 and bought a wool (not merino) undershirt which lives on to this day. They were still going in 2017 when I returned to Belgium.
I don’t know too much about their bicycles but they will have used various contract builders over the decades, and may have built frames on site as well. It was a big store with an integrated museum.
I don’t know too much about their bicycles but they will have used various contract builders over the decades, and may have built frames on site as well. It was a big store with an integrated museum.
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08-31-23, 12:09 PM
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@seagrade - The Bianchi looks a lot like mine (1971). Different decals though. Still, it has the integrated headset.
2022-12-07_04-22-24 on Flickr
2022-12-07_04-22-24 on Flickr
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08-31-23, 12:49 PM
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The OP's is clearly contract-built for this Belgian shop and with the diamond cut-outs in both head lug and forkcrown (and Columbus tubing, if that detail is correct) perhaps made by Torresini (who made Torpedo, ItalVega and others)?
If it was JP tubing I'd guess "Koga-Miyata" but in this case, don't think so.
If it was JP tubing I'd guess "Koga-Miyata" but in this case, don't think so.
Last edited by unworthy1; 08-31-23 at 12:54 PM.
08-31-23, 01:29 PM
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Those photos make me miss this olden days of my LBS. Lots of different frames... the smell of sewups... funky embroidered jerseys. The closest thing I've seen recently is in this video:
How I wish we still had shops like this in my neck of the woods.
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08-31-23, 02:13 PM
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I missed out on a late 60’s on Marketplace NL. Did a lot of research on the builder in Belgium. It was the frame only, found a picture of the bike built up…
08-31-23, 03:13 PM
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Nothing rides like steel!
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Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
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08-31-23, 03:41 PM
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Nice find, Mountain Mitch ! I have yet to come across a Plum Vainqueur I didn't like. I haven't much to add to seagrade 's post. The shop still exists, but has a new owner since 2020: Plum has a new owner
I recall the frame santa fe 2926 posted. If it had been an inch or so bigger, I probably would have bought it. Nice to see it again.
My own Plum Vainqueur I literally rescued from someone's scrap pile. Offered €10 and took it home. Too small, alas, but too nice not to rescue:
I recall the frame santa fe 2926 posted. If it had been an inch or so bigger, I probably would have bought it. Nice to see it again.
My own Plum Vainqueur I literally rescued from someone's scrap pile. Offered €10 and took it home. Too small, alas, but too nice not to rescue:
08-31-23, 05:52 PM
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08-31-23, 05:58 PM
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Thanks for all the info. In the end I decided against the bike since it was 2-4 cm too large and there were a few condition issues I wasn’t satisfied with.
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08-31-23, 07:52 PM
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Climbing hills on a 30 yr old bike with only 8 gears (in back).
oh, the agony.
dialing up the sarcasm
oh, the agony.
dialing up the sarcasm
09-01-23, 03:14 AM
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@seagrade - The Bianchi looks a lot like mine (1971). Different decals though. Still, it has the integrated headset.
2022-12-07_04-22-24 on Flickr
2022-12-07_04-22-24 on Flickr
Another interesting Bianchi integration was integral brake centre bolts on some of Gimondi and contemporaries’ race bicycles. Took me a moment to realise what was going on with neither brake nut nor recessed Allen nut visible on the seatstay bridge or fork crown…
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09-01-23, 10:46 AM
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You did the right thing. Any bike that doesn't fit you well is not a good purchase. Condition issues are negotiable, fit is not.
09-03-23, 10:48 AM
#19
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This is a much more valuable Plume Sport and not a Plum Vainqueur.
I wanted to purchase for the second time the frame in NL but Covid started and prevented any travel.
It is not what it has been built into.
This was part of a couple (man and wife) extremely rare Plume Sport randoneur bike and I try first to purchase it before the seller destroyed the bike.
Money...
So all the parts were put appart to be sold separatelly by this guy.
He split the couple.
He cut the frame!
The cute Plume made rear rack was cut down !
I still have the original pics and wanted to rebuilt the rack, braze it...
As far as Plume Vainqueur is concerned, the shop did not make frames but assembled frame build outside.
The shop bought the stock of another prewar brand specialized in randonneuse and several examples are in their micro museum.
I own 3 randonneuse of this other brand but this is not the subject.
Plum Vainqueur (they had to alter the name after a trial won by Plume Sport) is speaking of a much earlier origin but I've never seen much supporting it.
I believe they really started post war and had a team around 1953
Colors : Golden and Purple - I own one of these early team bike.
Later on, they imported frame from Italy and branded them as Plum Vainqueur.
These were Torpado. - I also own one of these.
As far as Moser bikes are concerned, I'm more thinking of someone repainting a Moser frame and using an old sticker set.
Plume Sport...
This is another level.
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09-03-23, 04:59 PM
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Thanks for youthful information on plume sport,
As you said, another level, beautiful frames!
As you said, another level, beautiful frames!
