juri

Seypat, thank you for these information! Anything is very userful!

juri

Yes, seypat! The headbadge says Paris over and St Etienne under the Metropole word. Exactly that...

Now I need to find the pump that fits on the frame and start a quest to all the parts and acessories

non-fixie 

Thank you for the invitation, seems like a cool ride! I live in Holland these days and there are no cities of that magnitude around here. It might be a while before I'm back in São Paulo ...

unworthy1

Norris is an occasional poster here, I'll try to PM him and direct him to this thread. If that doesn't work, he is a more frequent presence on the CR list, and there are other French experts there, too.
But, for now I'm with RHM: it sure seems like this has strong resemblance to the other Metropole pics, and the headbadge looks like it could match the holes in the head-tube, as well...I vote that it's a Metropole (until outvoted).

the CR list is a Google Group bulletin board hosted by Classic Rendezvous (www.classicrendezvous.com)
if you subscribe, I recommend having it sent in the "Digest" form, otherwise you get WAY too many emails!

juri

Thank you again, unworthy1!

Sorry for my question, but... what does CR mean?

Kanegon

Do the shifters say Huret on the collar? Had a very similar looking set on my mid 70s Raleigh. Would fit he timing in terms of when your husband got it and did the partial drivetrain update.

I think CR stands for Campy Record. (NOT APPARENTLY)

Chilero

CR significa Classic Rendezvous, é um grupo dedicado de coletores e de entusiastas da bicicleta do vintage.

-Carlos

Chilero

Sua bicicleta é muito similar a meu Payan, uma bicicleta francesa. Eja esta ligação:
https://s343.photobucket.com/albums/o...s_bikes/Payan/

-Carlos

Chilero

I just did a careful comparison between my Payan and Juri's bike. While there are certain similarities I do not think the unknown bicycle is a Payan, the builder merely used similar lugs.

Juri, você pode querer afixar sua pergunta a este fórum em Portugal. Parece-me que o português importou muitas bicicletas britânicas ou peças da bicicleta britânicas.
https://forum.amigosdaspasteleiras.com/

-Carlos

Dawes-man

May I put this thread forward as an entry into any 'Best Thread Ever' competition that might be held in the years to come?

This is fantastic! We have an obscure survivor bicycle presented to us by a Junior Member in a country not often represented here, we are shown great photos taken in the early stages of the machine's restoration, more knowledgable members sharing their thoughts and bringing their experience to bear on figuring out what the machine might be, reminiscences of streets in the OP's (that's you, juri - the Original Poster) city, offers of hospitality, links to other interesting site and even some Portuguese in the thread.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Everybody. For me, this is one of the main delights of C&V.

Lovely bike, juri. I shall be following this thread all the way.

juri

Realmente parecidas... com algumas diferenças...

Chilero, não pude retornar a sua MP porque eu ainda não tenho mensagens o suficiente para responder... Preciso de 50 mensagens.
Muito obrigada, tentarei esses contatos que você sugere!

juri

Chilero, your bike is wonderful! Full of details... really reaaly beautiful... Do you intend to paint it or keep it as is? Thank you for all of you for all directions.

juri

Hi Dawes-man!
I´m so glad that you are enjoying this thread! And here goes the same invitation for you... when you come to Brazil, come to a night ride with us!

Sure you can put the thread forward, be my guest!

I promise to keep you informed of all we discover in this quest.

Chilero

I'm keeping it exactly as it is. Let us know if/when you are certain of the origins of your bike. I have another interesting bike about which I know very little, perhaps you can help. The brand is "Garota"... but not "de Ipanema"
The previous owner inherited the bicycle in 1955 from a Portuguese gentleman in New York. I have enquired from a few acquaintances in Portugal, including with the Amigos das Pasteleiras but the consensus is that it is not a Portuguese brand. I also received an email from a Brazilian collector and he says he's never heard of it. When i was in Brazil a couple of years ago I saw an exhibit at an airport, I think it was in Manaus, titled "100 years of bicycles" or bicycling, I don't remember. There were all kinds of bicycles and plenty of representation by Caloi (Brazil's national brand, for those who don't know).
It is interesting that it has a mix of French components, and it has a Portuguese saddle. Here is the link to photographs of my Garota:
https://s343.photobucket.com/albums/o..._bikes/Garota/

juri

Chilero,
I want to thank you, I sent a message to those people you told me are colectors. Now let's wait...

non-fixie 

This is a cool headbadge! It points to the sheer functionality of this bike: to travel quickly to the real joys in a man's life. They are there! Waiting for you! Can't be anything else than Brazilian.

juri

I forgot to mention....
the frame is a large one, 60 cm!!! I measured it yesterday

Italuminium

Very nice bicycle, extremely elegant. Glad you're restoring it!

dpuboc

Hi Juri,

I'm a Newbie too and may well be way out of my depth. I only have two vintage bikes. Both are Claud Butlers, One an Ambassador from the mid 50s. I had to study the catalogues to identify the exact model, thankfully the Claud Butler decals were still visible, and a clear frame number on the bottom bracket. However the width of your tube where the badge was once riveted is the same as my Ambassador. The top of your forks are identical. The lug design is the same as the 1956 catalogue "Apirant" of "Cavalier" model.
I draw your attention to the centre detail No(4) lug design:

https://homepage.ntlworld.com/nkilgar...meFeatures.jpg

from this catalogue:

https://homepage.ntlworld.com/nkilgar...CB1956_Cat.htm

The only big difference is the cable clip upon my bottom bracket a single open tube not the two loops as detailed in the french bike above. I have to agree that the French lugs at this point are also identical to my CB, so its quite possible CB's lugs weren't as unique as he claims. I wonder if all CB's have a grease nipple on the bottom bracket? If so that might sort the question?

The options for parts are explained for each model. The only part I recognise as being original to your frame is the CB headset, which again is identical to mine. Most of your other parts are 20 years younger ( I cant see the pedals), as are mine.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/byronoc...7629089937477/


Hope this doesn't set the cat among the pidgeons with the senior members, I'm here to learn.

Dawes-man

I think dpuboc has nailed it. I know very little about Claud Butler but my first thought when I saw juri's bike had GB bars and stem was that it must be English. I don't think I've heard of bikes on the Continent having English components, just the other way round.

dpuboc

This is the clip I mean note also the oil nipple cap..

You got me searching and despite the many variants to each Claud Butler within a model layout , cycles often being made to order from many variables, I found a Cavalier just sold on ebay and the seat stem lug is different.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1807923079...#ht_800wt_1416

My Ambassador is different again. So my last English hope is an Aspirant.

unworthy1

it wouldn't jibe with what appears to be metric main tubes (assuming those measurements were as accurate as they appeared). The CB headbadge also takes 2 vertically placed rivets, maybe the OP can measure between the holes. The real clue will be to determine the BB threading especially the fixed cup behind that Stronglight (FR) crank.
The OP posted her own (nicely worded) inquiry to the CR list after I'd done one on her behalf...she got zero (public) replies...kind of a shame given the huge brain trust of that list
EDIT: No I spoke too soon, I just got my Digest of the CR list and she has one public reply, but he asks for more "dimension/threading" info like I have done, too...

jimmuller 

Someone mentioned that the derailleur wasn't orginal. What strikes me is that it appears to be a primitive slant-parallelogram derailleur. That means an early Suntour, or perhaps an inexpensive one.

juri

Hi people! Hope you've got a great weekend riding or restoring your bikes

Unworthy1 thank you for your kind words...

Dpuboc it's really impressive the similarity from the lug design 4. The other parts were replaced by my husb when he was 14... without any technic... for sure... Kids just want to ride, and as fast as possible...

Dawes-man, probably that's why you see GB parts, some french parts and even brazilian parts. Here in Brazil there is a brazilian brand: CALOI. And Caloi had a Caloi 10 very similar to these bikes, not equal I must say. So some replacement parts were bought from this brand, such as back derailleur... and the bike became an obscure mistery...

About the rivets I asked to husb to go there and measure it with the caliber... Well, he went there and took another pic for us...
As you can see he tried to take this pic from the center of the hole, and it measures 40 mm. Does it help?

juri

Dear friends...

I want to share some good new information with you...
We sent bike to sandblasting today...It just arrived right now!

1st. We found serial number on it! 118 8 and above it there is the number 81... And only 118 to the fork
2nd. under the blue paint coat there is a mark RGF within an oval.
3rd. its original color was "green lettuce", you can see a little bit of this green on the lung detail...