Ladies Eisentraut Limited?
 

I found this today at a garage sale along with an early 70s Paramount that appear to be all original. I've never seen a womans model so just wondering if there are any others out there.
Thanks Jim

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fa73533d9b.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d9232f5501.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f886abd228.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bce89f0615.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d5b204b1b2.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b4b4c16fd2.jpg

OMG!
That is one heck of a find.

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Thanks for posting this find! :thumb:

You've really got something there; this is the first have ever heard of Limited mixte and have been an east bay resident for fifty-two years.

Interesting combination construction of lugless head and seat paired with lugged crown and shell.

Shall look forward to reading the comments of the Eisentraut experts...

Tip -
these framesets have mixed (mixte!) threading of BSC steerer and headset paired with Italian bottom bracket shell

Note to self: "you have been going to the wrong garage sales me boy" :eek:


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Very cool! I could have sworn I had seen reference to one before, but I can’t for the life of me find it. If I do, I will update my post. I’m loving this bit of history.

EDIT: I am thinking I must have been mistaken. Coming up empty…

I find schwinn varsity’s at garage sales with “picker” asking prices.
some guys get all the luck.

looks small too, has to be a low volume, ask and we will make, but not a cataloged model.
if my wife did not want an ebike so much…
she does not ride her Gios.

tres chic

Hi Juvela It has a Stone Cyclery sticker on it from Alameda so I'll try them if no luck here I see they're still in business. It's a 52cm frame and from what I've read this afternoon he did take special orders. I like you Repechage find it hard to find a roadbike at yard sales let alone a nice one. Today the bike Gods were looking my way.

I believe Stone's is still in business.

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the owner of Stone's Cyclery, Dennis Stone, passed in 2015 and the shop has been kept open and operating on a limited basis

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2015/07...ke-shop-owner/

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries...ry?id=16744116

hours are short in my recollection

best to check ahead

Stone's Cyclery | Since 1943

when searching online for information on the cycle you will want to spell Albert's last name correctly; it is misspelt in the header

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member johnnyace posted about one for sale during 2017 in the "are you looking for one of these?" thread

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H**Y CRAP!!! :eek::eek::eek:

That is flippin awesome.

Thanks Juvela I don't seem to be able to correct the Header on the misspell just the body . I'm in southern california so I'll try calling.

At least did not spell it Eisentrout

as these were a “production” line of Eisentraut bikes, there must be more out there hiding, maybe only one batch?

exceptional find

Interesting and very cool find. I have no idea if there were any other mixte Limiteds made - this is first I have heard of one. I am mildly surprised the Limited line would include a mixte version; I would have expected any such things to be in the custom "A" line, but that is definitely a Limited BB shell, not the kind used on the As. The way the seat stays are joined is not standard Eisentraut - neither As nor regular Limiteds were joined that way. They more like a Bruce Gordon style - not identical, but similar. And since Bruce Gordon cut his teeth building Limiteds . . . . well, that's starting to get into the realm of pure conjecture.

And no, I am not an Eisentraut expert. Jus a fanboy who is fortunate enough to own a 1978 A.

Eisentraut Limited Drop Tube Frame
 

That's a special order bike. I've never seen an Eisentraut mixte or drop tube frame.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...60d8f76349.jpg

In French parlance this would be called a "sport" style frame, a mix between a "woman's" frame and a mixte. Motobecane made some of these frames in the mid 70's to early 80's.

I'm not an Eisentraut expert but I've seen a lot of his frames going all the way back to 1975. I never spoke with Albert Eisentraut much but I frequently visited his shop in Oakland, CA in the 1980's. I've spent a lot of time with Ed Litton his former partner who painted and repaired a number of my frames plus I own an off the shelf Litton and I'm 2nd in line for a new frame he's building me...

I got to know Dennis Stone (RIP) of Stone's Cyclery in Alameda in the years prior to his passing in 2015. He was one of those people that I sorely miss. Dennis was probably Eisentraut's biggest dealer in the NorCal area. He's credited with encouraging Eisentraut to start producing the Limited line of frames and to a lesser degree complete bikes starting around 1975.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9f59f8b39d.jpg
John McKeon took over running the business for the Stone family after Dennis was no longer able to work. John is a great guy and a very good mechanic. He's pretty knowledgeable about C&V bikes but the Eisentraut connection was before his time and he may not be able to answer questions some folks might have so I don't recommend flooding him with calls.

He's close with the folks at Waterford including Richard Schwinn and until recently was dealing with Bob Jackson frames.

The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday 12:00-6:00 PM.

That frame is a "one off" and Dennis Stone probably had Eisentraut make it special for one of his customers. There are some little touches of handwork that you wont find on a standard limited frame.

verktyg :50:

Thanks guys I've sent a photo and inquiry to Bill Hollands shop .He's actually close to me but only by appointment. He might have been there afterwards though. I'll let you know if I find anything out. The serial # was 77L864 or 74 . Does that make it a 77 manufacture date ?

Yes, I believe the first two digits are the year. Most will have "L" or "A" (for an A custom) in the third position. Mine, a Turin-branded Limited is 75T005 ("T" for "touring" or "Turin", I don't know).

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there were two models of Limited; "road" and "touring"

have a 49cm road same colour of subject machine which has been snoozing racks for thirty plus calendars


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Limited Variations
 

"A" in the serial number indicated the a frame was an A Model while "L" was used for the Limiteds.

The Road model Limited frames had long point Prugnat Type "S" lugs with stamped cutouts. Most didn't have fender eyelets on the dropouts but a few were made special order with them on the rear only.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...45a498d080.jpg
The Touring models came with Nervex Professional lugs with stamped cutouts and fender eyelets on the dropouts. Also the chain stays were longer.

Albert Eisentraut had maybe 40 dealers around the US. A few Limited frames were made with custom features at the request of larger dealers. The folks at Georgetown Cycle Sport in the Washington, DC area was one of those shops. ALPINE was one of their house brands and Eisentraut made some ALPINE badged frames for them. They paid for the stamping dies used for the cutouts in the lugs.

There's a lot of info in this BF link.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...eset-info.html

Bicycle World in Albuquerque, NM was a Raleigh/Peugeot dealer a few blocks from our shop. They also had a shop in Santa Fe. They were part of the Turin Group and Joel the owner was connected with Albert Eisentraut from his Chicago days. I use to stop in and drool whenever they got in new Eisentraut frames. I was disappointed when the first Limited frames appeared in 1975-76. Compared to the A frames, I expected more. But hey, they were Eisentrauts and I wouldn't kick one out of bed!

verktyg :50:

The Two Digits/Letter/Three Digits serial numbering pattern was not used on "A" frames. Those have six digits. An "A" frame with the serial number 991276 (a made up number - I doubt there were ever 99 "A"s made in a single month) would be the 99h frame from December 1976. Some "A"s may have had the letter "A" or the letter "E" at the beginning (not at all sure about this), but my 1978 "A" frame has no such leading letter - just the six digits.

BTW, Bruce Gordon used the same six digit serial numbering system, I believe with a "G" in front of it, for his namesake frames. This was confirmed by Bruce Gordon himself some years back right here in BF C&V. (I have no clue what numbering system was used on Chinooks or Rock 'n' Roads.).

I believe but am not certain that the letter in the Limited numbering system identified the actual builder. (Do not take that as gospel without independent corroboration.) I don't know which system was used for Rainbow 'Trauts of the 1980s, which were a collaboration between Albert Eisentraut and Ed Litton.

I remember seeing and lusting after Limiteds in the mid-70s for sale at Missing Link, then located in Lower Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus. The shop still exists, albeit now on Shattuck Avenue just north of University Ave, a few blocks from the western edge of campus and about a mile from my house. I'm about 98% certain that none of the current crop of staff worked in the original on-campus site. Of course, all that proves is that I'm old.:50:

The shop I would for ordered a few Limiteds, they sold save one, it languished. Eventually sold, SoCal was turning "bike of the month" regarding retail by 1977.
Hard to strategize where to bet $ on inventory.

Agreed, John is a good guy and unlikely to be able to offer any further information than what you can find out here. I have a 1983 Mercian that was originally sold through Stone's, and while he was happy to learn of the frame when I inquired a couple of years ago, he said there were no records from that era that he could reference.

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Jim is still there. He goes back to the beginning. Also, I think Walt Handlos may yet be in attendance.

IIRC MCMLXXVII was the year of the relocation from the U.C. Berkeley campus to the Shattuck Avenue location downtown. The space was formerly a menswear store.


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Albert Eisentraut - Ed Litton - ???
 

Photo I found online of Albert Eisentraut, Ed Litton and one other person in the center at the old shop in Oakland. Probably in the late 80's.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...85d4bd627c.jpg

verktyg :50:

You guys are a treasure of info Thank you again

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​​​​​​https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...85d4bd627c.jpg

this image looks like it may have been taken in the red brick building which backs right onto the freeway

the erstwhile home of LazyBoy chairs and Beacon Cycles


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The guy in the middle is Brent Steelman, right? I remember seeing that pic on the interwebs with a caption.