Who the heck is Rene? And why is her name on my Bridgestone?
#1
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Who the heck is Rene? And why is her name on my Bridgestone?
I had a call from a guy who frequents the same flea market that I do... he told me that he had an old bike that he wanted to sell. It's a Bridgestone... was I interested? Hell yeah... we set up a time to meet.
I fell asleep last night with visions of RB-1's dancing in my head. I know it's scary... but I think that I may have dreamed about Grant Peterson!
I got to the flea market bright and early. I found the guy and we walked over to his truck. It wasn't an RB-1... in fact, it says "Rene" all over it. I'm not quite sure what the heck it is... and who the heck is Rene?
It's some sort of city bike... a single speed... 24 inch wheels... but I can't find any reference to it at all on the Interwebz. So it's time to tap into the collective consciousness that is C&V!
Fully enclosed chaincase with Sugino crankset and "skirt saver" rack frame...
And the basket seems to be original equipment... it has an integral mount for the search beacon sized front dynamo light. I'm pretty sure that the huge headlight was stolen from a Coast Guard Cutter!
And a braze on for the bottle dynamo (still works!):
Single speed with a strange little enclosed drum brake. It has a small brake drum inside with a cable activated shoe that rubs against the outside of the drum to slow the bike. Ever seen one like that?
The brake unit says "Silent 88 Super Brake"
And it came equipped with a nifty little lock that I've never seen before. You push a lever out into the spokes, and what you thought was a release or switch pops out for removal... it's the key! I'm sure that this security measure would keep thieves at bay for about 30 milliseconds...
So can anyone help me out? I'd sure like to know more about this bike. It piqued my curiosity enough that I gave him $25 for it.
What is it?
I fell asleep last night with visions of RB-1's dancing in my head. I know it's scary... but I think that I may have dreamed about Grant Peterson!
I got to the flea market bright and early. I found the guy and we walked over to his truck. It wasn't an RB-1... in fact, it says "Rene" all over it. I'm not quite sure what the heck it is... and who the heck is Rene?
It's some sort of city bike... a single speed... 24 inch wheels... but I can't find any reference to it at all on the Interwebz. So it's time to tap into the collective consciousness that is C&V!
Fully enclosed chaincase with Sugino crankset and "skirt saver" rack frame...
And the basket seems to be original equipment... it has an integral mount for the search beacon sized front dynamo light. I'm pretty sure that the huge headlight was stolen from a Coast Guard Cutter!
And a braze on for the bottle dynamo (still works!):
Single speed with a strange little enclosed drum brake. It has a small brake drum inside with a cable activated shoe that rubs against the outside of the drum to slow the bike. Ever seen one like that?
The brake unit says "Silent 88 Super Brake"
And it came equipped with a nifty little lock that I've never seen before. You push a lever out into the spokes, and what you thought was a release or switch pops out for removal... it's the key! I'm sure that this security measure would keep thieves at bay for about 30 milliseconds...
So can anyone help me out? I'd sure like to know more about this bike. It piqued my curiosity enough that I gave him $25 for it.
What is it?
Last edited by Hydrated; 09-12-09 at 01:22 PM.
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I'm sure this was for the JP Domestic market, and supposed to be French-inspired and could possibly even been exported to Europe...but this size and style of bike is much more popular in urban Japan where women (and men) actually commute on them (I reckon Rene is intended for the girls). Casual bike theft is traditionally not a big problem in Japan, so a flimsy lock like that is all you need. Fun bike, clean it up and enjoy it.
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FWIW, "René" is a man's name; "Renée" is a woman's name.
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Japan has a romantic obesession with anything french, which explains the french branding.
City bikes like that have been the bread and butter of the domestic japanese cycling industry for a long time. Bridgestone and Panasonic(among others) still sell a lot of bikes like that. That's a rad bike, and a great find.
Look at all the city bikes bridgestone still sells :https://www.bscycle.co.jp/root/catalog/city.html
Last edited by prof2k; 09-13-09 at 12:11 AM.
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^I like how they are all step through.
To an American, this means "Real men don't ride townies."
To an American, this means "Real men don't ride townies."
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Neat bike and definitely unusual to find in the US. I have some low end Euro bikes that have the same style of lock on them. Not something you would want to depend on in NYC.
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Webshots is bailing out, if you find any of my posts with corrupt picture files and want to see them corrected please let me know. :(
ISO: A late 1980's Giant Iguana MTB frameset (or complete bike) 23" Red with yellow graphics.
"Cycling should be a way of life, not a hobby.
RIDE, YOU FOOL, RIDE!"_Nicodemus
"Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred
Which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?"_krazygluon
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Bridgestone rene bicycle
Hello, I was just given a blue bridgestone rene, and I wondered if you had found out any more info on it. It looks like it's all original, with lock and basket still on it.
I can't post a photo yet since this is my first post... grr
I can't post a photo yet since this is my first post... grr
Last edited by Homebrew01; 11-23-19 at 03:36 PM.
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Foreign domestic markets (it makes sense, honest) frequently feature models of bikes that Americans just don't cotton to. Three speeds, bikes with fenders and racks and kickstands and baskets; all those things were almost universally ignored here unless a very special person found it interesting. Yours might be like that but I would not expect more than about $100, even to the right person. Found a pic and the bike is really cute but really quaint. Good luck!
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You should get to 10 post fairly quickly.
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Folks persist on bring up the zombie aspect of threads, but if our new visitor searched on Rene or Bridgestone Rene and got one hit that was this thread, then @tanyalouise might understandably post here. I'm sure her 10-year gap is not a record holder. Be interesting to know what is.
Carry on, girl.
Carry on, girl.
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I was glad the thread was revived, because someone finally posted a picture of the model in question. Up to that point, I was curious, but had no idea of what they were talking about.
Long live zombie threads - they serve a purpose.
Long live zombie threads - they serve a purpose.
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Syke
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#18
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Hope they get to 10 posts so we can see a picture.
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#19
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Why on earth does it matter that the thread is 10 years old? The new post adds to the body of information/discussion of an unusual/strange/rare bike--- which to me is one of the main values of this forum.....
...plus, a picture of a pink bike! Always welcome....
N
...plus, a picture of a pink bike! Always welcome....
N
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Foreign domestic markets (it makes sense, honest) frequently feature models of bikes that Americans just don't cotton to. Three speeds, bikes with fenders and racks and kickstands and baskets; all those things were almost universally ignored here unless a very special person found it interesting. Yours might be like that but I would not expect more than about $100, even to the right person. Found a pic and the bike is really cute but really quaint. Good luck!