Antique French pump brand "Gina" ...?
08-23-21, 12:39 PM
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Antique French frame pump brand "Gina" ...?
Bought this for my Herse and Taylor, because it looked the right length to fit the pump pegs and the prices for ADHOC "Ventose" pumps even in awful condition had me choking.
It's French, says "GiNA MONOBLOC" on the body, along with "MG" and the usual "Brev SGDG Paris France" on the rod end cap. No other markings. I think I can get it to work again (original leather feels like it'll come into its own with a little oil, and I have a replacement hose from the box o' crap) and shine it up with a little polish, saving that cool logo of course.
Anybody know anything about this brand? My French google-fu leaves me empty handed. I don't even know the era it's from, except to guess it's probably '50s-'60s based on the style of the logo and materials used (plastique is Delrin not Bakelite). The only web presence "Gina" pumps seem to have is on Evilbay and ancillary sites (thx to google/bing/duckduckgo, which seem to all favor commerce in their algorithm). Doubtless some French blogger is obsessed with these pumps and has knowledge, but I can't find it!
It's French, says "GiNA MONOBLOC" on the body, along with "MG" and the usual "Brev SGDG Paris France" on the rod end cap. No other markings. I think I can get it to work again (original leather feels like it'll come into its own with a little oil, and I have a replacement hose from the box o' crap) and shine it up with a little polish, saving that cool logo of course.
Anybody know anything about this brand? My French google-fu leaves me empty handed. I don't even know the era it's from, except to guess it's probably '50s-'60s based on the style of the logo and materials used (plastique is Delrin not Bakelite). The only web presence "Gina" pumps seem to have is on Evilbay and ancillary sites (thx to google/bing/duckduckgo, which seem to all favor commerce in their algorithm). Doubtless some French blogger is obsessed with these pumps and has knowledge, but I can't find it!
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Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Last edited by scarlson; 08-23-21 at 01:03 PM.
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08-23-21, 12:58 PM
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the fact that the letter i is lower case whilst the others are upper case may suggest an acronym
sometimes with acronyms a lower case vowel can be added for pronunciation ease as with the telly series CHiPs
for background here is a 1939 catalogue page from the Parisian mail order firm of Gentil illustrating their frame pump offerings of the day -
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the fact that the letter i is lower case whilst the others are upper case may suggest an acronym
sometimes with acronyms a lower case vowel can be added for pronunciation ease as with the telly series CHiPs
for background here is a 1939 catalogue page from the Parisian mail order firm of Gentil illustrating their frame pump offerings of the day -
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08-23-21, 01:20 PM
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I wonder if the MG is a clue. Or could just be Manufacteurs "GiNA", which gives us zero more information!
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Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
08-23-21, 01:29 PM
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there is also the possibility that the G of MG stands for groupe
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there is also the possibility that the G of MG stands for groupe
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08-23-21, 04:36 PM
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checked at the three francophone fora where am registered and their search functions report the name has never come up
must be a very rare bird
another possibility is that it may be known colloquially under different name within cyclisme de france
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checked at the three francophone fora where am registered and their search functions report the name has never come up
must be a very rare bird
another possibility is that it may be known colloquially under different name within cyclisme de france
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08-23-21, 04:46 PM
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I believe the translation of "Gina" from the medieval French is "should have brought a CO2 inflator."
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08-23-21, 05:24 PM
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the things one learns on this forum!
who knew they had CO2 inflators in medieval France?
for that matter who knew they had pneumatic tyres?
perhaps those french rubber plantations in idnochina go back further than is usually recognized...
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the things one learns on this forum!
who knew they had CO2 inflators in medieval France?
for that matter who knew they had pneumatic tyres?
perhaps those french rubber plantations in idnochina go back further than is usually recognized...
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Last edited by juvela; 08-23-21 at 08:53 PM. Reason: spellin' , addition
08-23-21, 05:42 PM
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I really think this pump is Italian. Gina is for Gina Lolllobrigida an Italian sex symbol in the same film era of Sophia Loren. Except Sophia never had a bike pump named after her.
08-23-21, 07:22 PM
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Rare birds are good. The authenticity police won't be after me for putting it on a '46 or '47 Herse, because they'll have never heard of it! The one I ought to have should be brass, or wartime black painted steel, but this can be a placeholder.
Finally, I have a working hypothesis about this. No, @nlerner, it does not have to do with the co2 inflator thread I regrettably posted on the other day.
GiNA is probably a bike shop, who paid to have a run of pumps with their logo on them, done by some major aluminum manufacturer (the mysterious MG perhaps). This was done by at least one other manufacturer, M. YVARS, as seen in this thread. Other (newer?) GiNA pumps on French Ebay are definitely rebranded Zefal. Smart advertising! You make sure it's the cheapest pump in your shop, and customers will pay you for the privilege to carry around your logo! Here we are 70 years later, wanting to know more about GiNA. So, I bet that's what's going on.
Searching for Établissements GiNA gives me nothing, and there's no case-sensitive internet search, so I can't try that. Monobloc pumps were a Zefal thing, and this one really looks a whole lot like the venerable Solibloc (seems similar length too), albeit with a different (older?) plastic cap (with the MG marking) and a different handle. But I'm somewhat content with this theory. Of course, I welcome criticism and opinions!
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Last edited by scarlson; 08-23-21 at 07:46 PM.
08-23-21, 08:50 PM
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the other two francophone fora i read are -
https://www.velovintageagogo.com/forum
veloretrocourse.proboards.com
this last one is Belgium based and is moderated by forum member here Muny
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the other two francophone fora i read are -
https://www.velovintageagogo.com/forum
veloretrocourse.proboards.com
this last one is Belgium based and is moderated by forum member here Muny
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08-23-21, 09:09 PM
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yes, however the marking "Brev SGDG Paris France" is found on relatively few prodotti d'Italia
now the commercial espresso machine manufacturer Romanut, producers of La San Marco brand espresso machines did have a model called La Lollobrigida
https://www.home-barista.com/levers/...da-t31668.html
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08-24-21, 02:38 PM
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Bought this for my Herse and Taylor, because it looked the right length to fit the pump pegs and the prices for ADHOC "Ventose" pumps even in awful condition had me choking.
It's French, says "GiNA MONOBLOC" on the body, along with "MG" and the usual "Brev SGDG Paris France" on the rod end cap. No other markings. I think I can get it to work again (original leather feels like it'll come into its own with a little oil, and I have a replacement hose from the box o' crap) and shine it up with a little polish, saving that cool logo of course.
Anybody know anything about this brand? My French google-fu leaves me empty handed. I don't even know the era it's from, except to guess it's probably '50s-'60s based on the style of the logo and materials used (plastique is Delrin not Bakelite). The only web presence "Gina" pumps seem to have is on Evilbay and ancillary sites (thx to google/bing/duckduckgo, which seem to all favor commerce in their algorithm). Doubtless some French blogger is obsessed with these pumps and has knowledge, but I can't find it!
It's French, says "GiNA MONOBLOC" on the body, along with "MG" and the usual "Brev SGDG Paris France" on the rod end cap. No other markings. I think I can get it to work again (original leather feels like it'll come into its own with a little oil, and I have a replacement hose from the box o' crap) and shine it up with a little polish, saving that cool logo of course.
Anybody know anything about this brand? My French google-fu leaves me empty handed. I don't even know the era it's from, except to guess it's probably '50s-'60s based on the style of the logo and materials used (plastique is Delrin not Bakelite). The only web presence "Gina" pumps seem to have is on Evilbay and ancillary sites (thx to google/bing/duckduckgo, which seem to all favor commerce in their algorithm). Doubtless some French blogger is obsessed with these pumps and has knowledge, but I can't find it!
Make your search in the original language, French, Francais.
"Pompe a velo Gina"
https://www.google.com/search?rls=en...w=1673&bih=969
All is there/
They tend to go for !0- 20 Euro
08-24-21, 03:02 PM
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While the inclusion of a corncob in the picture for scale is appreciated, in future a Standard Reference Pear would be preferred. 
08-24-21, 04:08 PM
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A bit of help.
Make your search in the original language, French, Francais.
"Pompe a velo Gina"
https://www.google.com/search?rls=en...w=1673&bih=969
All is there/
They tend to go for !0- 20 Euro
Make your search in the original language, French, Francais.
"Pompe a velo Gina"
https://www.google.com/search?rls=en...w=1673&bih=969
All is there/
They tend to go for !0- 20 Euro
En plus, comme j'ai dit ci-dessus, je parle français assez couramment donc j'ai bien fait la recherche en français...
But alas, not all is there. I don't just want to buy one. I want to know the history of the thing. Who is GiNA? How old is this pump? Old enough for my '46 Herse, or better for my '59 Taylor? As I said, I think it might be the name of a bike shop, which cleverly sold pumps with their logo as a form of free advertising. Also as I said above, it looks a lot like an old Zefal Solibloc, and this form of advertising seems to be a common practice among midcentury French bike shops.
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Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Last edited by scarlson; 08-24-21 at 04:12 PM.
08-24-21, 04:15 PM
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Seriously though, I just discovered you can microwave corn on the cob and it's changed my life. Just throw it in the microwave, 2 minutes on one side and turn it over, 2 minutes on the other side, and poof there's lunch! Living my best life over here. Way better than ramen, although ramen seasoning on corn is pretty good too.
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Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
08-24-21, 07:39 PM
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Sure, of course I did that, and of course I found pumps for sale, as I mentioned in the first post you quoted. I bought mine, after all. I think it was 15 Euro I paid. But I don't want to buy one! I've already got one!!
En plus, comme j'ai dit ci-dessus, je parle français assez couramment donc j'ai bien fait la recherche en français...
.
En plus, comme j'ai dit ci-dessus, je parle français assez couramment donc j'ai bien fait la recherche en français...
.
08-26-21, 08:21 PM
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Like juvela , I have not come across any mentions of GiNA branded pumps, either on the French forums mentioned earlier or Facebook groups (Le velo ancien, une passion ! and Vélo vintage, sortie de grange).
The fact there's no information on these pumps in any of these places makes me think that the brand (whether a standalone company, a sub-brand of a larger company or customized order from a shop) was fairly short lived.
One observation that may or may not be relevant - I've only seen these pumps attached to Motoconfort and Motobecane bikes. Roughly guessing, ranging from mid-late 50s to mid-60s(?). Most Motos of the same period had either plain/unbranded pumps (chromed or not) or ones labeled Lapize (often with a Motobecane logo) or Tornade (solibloc). Also, Moto catalogs from around this time either list a pump w/o any details (i.e. just pompe) or don't mention a pump at all even though all the models pictured have a pump.
I have no confirmation on whether GiNA was associated with Motobecane in any way; it's just something I observed while viewing too many bike pics over the years.
It's plausible that a shop or a distribution company had these customized, but I wouldn't discount the possibility that "GiNA" might have been a sub-brand of a company like Motobecane or maybe even Zefal.
The fact there's no information on these pumps in any of these places makes me think that the brand (whether a standalone company, a sub-brand of a larger company or customized order from a shop) was fairly short lived.
One observation that may or may not be relevant - I've only seen these pumps attached to Motoconfort and Motobecane bikes. Roughly guessing, ranging from mid-late 50s to mid-60s(?). Most Motos of the same period had either plain/unbranded pumps (chromed or not) or ones labeled Lapize (often with a Motobecane logo) or Tornade (solibloc). Also, Moto catalogs from around this time either list a pump w/o any details (i.e. just pompe) or don't mention a pump at all even though all the models pictured have a pump.
I have no confirmation on whether GiNA was associated with Motobecane in any way; it's just something I observed while viewing too many bike pics over the years.
It's plausible that a shop or a distribution company had these customized, but I wouldn't discount the possibility that "GiNA" might have been a sub-brand of a company like Motobecane or maybe even Zefal.
08-27-21, 01:36 PM
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Like juvela , I have not come across any mentions of GiNA branded pumps, either on the French forums mentioned earlier or Facebook groups (Le velo ancien, une passion ! and Vélo vintage, sortie de grange).
The fact there's no information on these pumps in any of these places makes me think that the brand (whether a standalone company, a sub-brand of a larger company or customized order from a shop) was fairly short lived.
One observation that may or may not be relevant - I've only seen these pumps attached to Motoconfort and Motobecane bikes. Roughly guessing, ranging from mid-late 50s to mid-60s(?). Most Motos of the same period had either plain/unbranded pumps (chromed or not) or ones labeled Lapize (often with a Motobecane logo) or Tornade (solibloc). Also, Moto catalogs from around this time either list a pump w/o any details (i.e. just pompe) or don't mention a pump at all even though all the models pictured have a pump.
I have no confirmation on whether GiNA was associated with Motobecane in any way; it's just something I observed while viewing too many bike pics over the years.
It's plausible that a shop or a distribution company had these customized, but I wouldn't discount the possibility that "GiNA" might have been a sub-brand of a company like Motobecane or maybe even Zefal.
The fact there's no information on these pumps in any of these places makes me think that the brand (whether a standalone company, a sub-brand of a larger company or customized order from a shop) was fairly short lived.
One observation that may or may not be relevant - I've only seen these pumps attached to Motoconfort and Motobecane bikes. Roughly guessing, ranging from mid-late 50s to mid-60s(?). Most Motos of the same period had either plain/unbranded pumps (chromed or not) or ones labeled Lapize (often with a Motobecane logo) or Tornade (solibloc). Also, Moto catalogs from around this time either list a pump w/o any details (i.e. just pompe) or don't mention a pump at all even though all the models pictured have a pump.
I have no confirmation on whether GiNA was associated with Motobecane in any way; it's just something I observed while viewing too many bike pics over the years.
It's plausible that a shop or a distribution company had these customized, but I wouldn't discount the possibility that "GiNA" might have been a sub-brand of a company like Motobecane or maybe even Zefal.
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The usual MauriceMoss outstanding information!
Much appreciated here!
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08-27-21, 02:41 PM
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Sorry..old midwestern habit!
Seriously though, I just discovered you can microwave corn on the cob and it's changed my life. Just throw it in the microwave, 2 minutes on one side and turn it over, 2 minutes on the other side, and poof there's lunch! Living my best life over here. Way better than ramen, although ramen seasoning on corn is pretty good too.
Seriously though, I just discovered you can microwave corn on the cob and it's changed my life. Just throw it in the microwave, 2 minutes on one side and turn it over, 2 minutes on the other side, and poof there's lunch! Living my best life over here. Way better than ramen, although ramen seasoning on corn is pretty good too.
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08-28-21, 11:24 AM
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I ask one of the seller to give me some info on the Ginas. TBF
It would seem that your pompous were made by the same manufacturer and sold by the bicycles makers
See that sale on the bay
https://www.ebay.fr/itm/264490780554...6&toolid=10001
They all look the same with a different name
It would seem that your pompous were made by the same manufacturer and sold by the bicycles makers
See that sale on the bay
https://www.ebay.fr/itm/264490780554...6&toolid=10001
They all look the same with a different name
09-01-21, 07:30 PM
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and it would of course need to issue from the Okanagan Valley
one wonders whether a Bosc or a D'Anjou would be the more appropriate for this application...
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