Tell me more about my Liberia
06-17-21, 06:24 PM
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Le savonnier
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Tell me more about my Liberia
I bought this Liberia from an ebay seller who is a rebuilder/restorer/refurbisher of vintage and modern bikes. It arrived today, very nicely packed, and I assembled it and took it for a very short shakedown ride (it was late-ish).
He rebuilt the presumably 1970s frame with a mix of used and NOS parts. It is a very nice ride, as to be expected with a French bike made with Reynolds 531. This is my first experience riding a bike with, uh... brifters? ergo-shifters? What would you call these? The Sachs-Huret levers more closely resemble Campy ergo-shifters than Shimano brifters, so I'll go with that. Anyway, they work great. There's some obvious white touch-up paint here and there, but hey, this thing's probably at least 50 years old.
The thing is, there seems to be very little info on the intertubes about Liberia bicycles. There's a page on Classic Rendezvous, there's some folks that have one and have pics here and there, but really nothing regarding models, serial numbers, etc. My serial number is "15208."
Some stuff about the build:
SACHS-HURET New Success 8-speed group, including:
CRANKSET (172.5mm, 53/39t) Campy chainrings
BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS
DERAILLEURS (front/rear, both NOS)
BRAKES
HANDLEBAR- NOS Pivo (41cm)
STEM- NOS Pivo Professional (90mm)
SADDLE- Wilier OEM
WHEELSET- Mavic 500 RD/550 RD hubs with Mavic Open 4 CD rims
Sachs-Maillard 8-speed freewheel (12-21t)
NEW Michelin Dynamic Classic tires
The story from Glen at Cycle Tech:
A couple of pics, and the gallery is here:
He rebuilt the presumably 1970s frame with a mix of used and NOS parts. It is a very nice ride, as to be expected with a French bike made with Reynolds 531. This is my first experience riding a bike with, uh... brifters? ergo-shifters? What would you call these? The Sachs-Huret levers more closely resemble Campy ergo-shifters than Shimano brifters, so I'll go with that. Anyway, they work great. There's some obvious white touch-up paint here and there, but hey, this thing's probably at least 50 years old.
The thing is, there seems to be very little info on the intertubes about Liberia bicycles. There's a page on Classic Rendezvous, there's some folks that have one and have pics here and there, but really nothing regarding models, serial numbers, etc. My serial number is "15208."
Some stuff about the build:
SACHS-HURET New Success 8-speed group, including:
CRANKSET (172.5mm, 53/39t) Campy chainrings
BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS
DERAILLEURS (front/rear, both NOS)
BRAKES
HANDLEBAR- NOS Pivo (41cm)
STEM- NOS Pivo Professional (90mm)
SADDLE- Wilier OEM
WHEELSET- Mavic 500 RD/550 RD hubs with Mavic Open 4 CD rims
Sachs-Maillard 8-speed freewheel (12-21t)
NEW Michelin Dynamic Classic tires
The story from Glen at Cycle Tech:
Although I have an affinity for Mavic parts and Vitus bicycles, I don’t do a whole lot of vintage French builds because they have some quirky details that often make projects difficult. Last week I described some minor issues that crept up when attempting to assembly the Liberia bicycle, and I was able to remedy most of them with the help of my brother-in-law.
The first item to tackle was widening the hole in the brake bridge to allow the mounting of the rear brake with a recessed bolt. Jay brought along a 90-degree drill attachment, and we found that it was going to be necessary to cut down an old 5/16” bit to make it short enough that it would fit with the attachment into that tight space between the bridge and the seat post.
All went well with that operation, then I moved onto my first experience with a tap and proceeded to put a new 10mm x 1.0 thread into the derailleur hanger. I was careful to twist the tap handle slowly and keep the tap perpendicular to the hanger, backing it out slightly after each turn in order to clear the cutting edges of metal shavings.
I was aware that there may be some clearance issue between the chain, lowest freewheel cog and the metal stop that was installed in the drive-side dropout. I had discovered that the non-drive dropout adjustment bolt had been broken off in the hole, and the previous owner had installed these metal stop in place of the bolts.
Sure enough, when I installed the rear wheel, the chain snagged between the lowest cog and the nut that secured the stop. Fortunately, I had some adjustment bolts on hand and decided to install one on the drive side to fix that problem. However, the stop on the other side was long and left the wheel askew, even with the drive side bolt extended completely. I solved the problem by clipping a few millimeters off of the metal stop and then shaping the end with a round file in order to restore the concave surface that would fit up against the rear wheel axle.
The new-old-stock parts, particularly the vintage chrome Huret cable guides, made the Liberia a very classy looking machine.
The first item to tackle was widening the hole in the brake bridge to allow the mounting of the rear brake with a recessed bolt. Jay brought along a 90-degree drill attachment, and we found that it was going to be necessary to cut down an old 5/16” bit to make it short enough that it would fit with the attachment into that tight space between the bridge and the seat post.
All went well with that operation, then I moved onto my first experience with a tap and proceeded to put a new 10mm x 1.0 thread into the derailleur hanger. I was careful to twist the tap handle slowly and keep the tap perpendicular to the hanger, backing it out slightly after each turn in order to clear the cutting edges of metal shavings.
I was aware that there may be some clearance issue between the chain, lowest freewheel cog and the metal stop that was installed in the drive-side dropout. I had discovered that the non-drive dropout adjustment bolt had been broken off in the hole, and the previous owner had installed these metal stop in place of the bolts.
Sure enough, when I installed the rear wheel, the chain snagged between the lowest cog and the nut that secured the stop. Fortunately, I had some adjustment bolts on hand and decided to install one on the drive side to fix that problem. However, the stop on the other side was long and left the wheel askew, even with the drive side bolt extended completely. I solved the problem by clipping a few millimeters off of the metal stop and then shaping the end with a round file in order to restore the concave surface that would fit up against the rear wheel axle.
The new-old-stock parts, particularly the vintage chrome Huret cable guides, made the Liberia a very classy looking machine.
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06-17-21, 09:44 PM
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-----
thanks very much for sharing your new arrival
fine job with the photos
have never had any knowledge of this marque so moseyed on over to Tonton for a gander...
entered the name in the search window there and it returned 634 hits
a person could definitely spend some time learning anent the marque just at this one francophone forum
could do the same at the other francophone fora where am registered but reasoned the 634 hits were plenty for a start...
here is the linque -
https://forum.tontonvelo.com/search....ywords=liberia
there is some history with photos here although this resource focuses more on the firm's moto products -
Les motos Liberia
as an example here is just one of the machines explored. it's conservateur dates it as MCMXLVIII -
-----
thanks very much for sharing your new arrival
fine job with the photos
have never had any knowledge of this marque so moseyed on over to Tonton for a gander...
entered the name in the search window there and it returned 634 hits
a person could definitely spend some time learning anent the marque just at this one francophone forum
could do the same at the other francophone fora where am registered but reasoned the 634 hits were plenty for a start...
here is the linque -
https://forum.tontonvelo.com/search....ywords=liberia
there is some history with photos here although this resource focuses more on the firm's moto products -
Les motos Liberia
as an example here is just one of the machines explored. it's conservateur dates it as MCMXLVIII -
-----
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06-17-21, 10:24 PM
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The main links of info I found on Liberia bicycles are here.
This is the thread I started on my Liberia.
Very few of these were imported into the US as Liberia was happy to be a regional bike manufacturer in Grenoble.
This is the thread I started on my Liberia.
Very few of these were imported into the US as Liberia was happy to be a regional bike manufacturer in Grenoble.
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06-18-21, 04:54 AM
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have never had any knowledge of this marque so moseyed on over to Tonton for a gander...
entered the name in the search window there and it returned 634 hits
a person could definitely spend some time learning anent the marque just at this one francophone forum
could do the same at the other francophone fora where am registered but reasoned the 634 hits were plenty for a start...
here is the linque -
https://forum.tontonvelo.com/search....ywords=liberia
While I am currently studying French, I'm probably going to need to rely on Google Translate to help me out at Tonton, haha. What is the other francophone fora you mentioned?
That Liberia pictured is a beauty, I love the old headbadge and the crankset.
06-18-21, 05:38 AM
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That’s a beautiful bike. I really like the Sachs huret gear and ran 7s on my racing bike using maillard free wheels. It is very solid gear. I have a Mercier 300 in the build queue and I plan on using Sachs huret non indexing derailleur. They’re not period correct but they shift well.
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06-18-21, 05:47 AM
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Thats a beautiful bike. I really like the Sachs huret gear and ran 7s on my racing bike using maillard free wheels. It is very solid gear. I have a Mercier 300 in the build queue and I plan on using Sachs huret non indexing derailleur. Theyre not period correct but they shift well.
06-18-21, 06:44 AM
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I bought this Liberia from an ebay seller who is a rebuilder/restorer/refurbisher of vintage and modern bikes. It arrived today, very nicely packed, and I assembled it and took it for a very short shakedown ride (it was late-ish).
He rebuilt the presumably 1970s frame with a mix of used and NOS parts. It is a very nice ride, as to be expected with a French bike made with Reynolds 531. This is my first experience riding a bike with, uh... brifters? ergo-shifters? What would you call these? The Sachs-Huret levers more closely resemble Campy ergo-shifters than Shimano brifters, so I'll go with that. Anyway, they work great. There's some obvious white touch-up paint here and there, but hey, this thing's probably at least 50 years old.
The thing is, there seems to be very little info on the intertubes about Liberia bicycles. There's a page on Classic Rendezvous, there's some folks that have one and have pics here and there, but really nothing regarding models, serial numbers, etc. My serial number is "15208."
Some stuff about the build:
SACHS-HURET New Success 8-speed group, including:
CRANKSET (172.5mm, 53/39t) Campy chainrings
BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS
DERAILLEURS (front/rear, both NOS)
BRAKES
HANDLEBAR- NOS Pivo (41cm)
STEM- NOS Pivo Professional (90mm)
SADDLE- Wilier OEM
WHEELSET- Mavic 500 RD/550 RD hubs with Mavic Open 4 CD rims
Sachs-Maillard 8-speed freewheel (12-21t)
NEW Michelin Dynamic Classic tires
The story from Glen at Cycle Tech:
A couple of pics, and the gallery is here:
He rebuilt the presumably 1970s frame with a mix of used and NOS parts. It is a very nice ride, as to be expected with a French bike made with Reynolds 531. This is my first experience riding a bike with, uh... brifters? ergo-shifters? What would you call these? The Sachs-Huret levers more closely resemble Campy ergo-shifters than Shimano brifters, so I'll go with that. Anyway, they work great. There's some obvious white touch-up paint here and there, but hey, this thing's probably at least 50 years old.
The thing is, there seems to be very little info on the intertubes about Liberia bicycles. There's a page on Classic Rendezvous, there's some folks that have one and have pics here and there, but really nothing regarding models, serial numbers, etc. My serial number is "15208."
Some stuff about the build:
SACHS-HURET New Success 8-speed group, including:
CRANKSET (172.5mm, 53/39t) Campy chainrings
BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS
DERAILLEURS (front/rear, both NOS)
BRAKES
HANDLEBAR- NOS Pivo (41cm)
STEM- NOS Pivo Professional (90mm)
SADDLE- Wilier OEM
WHEELSET- Mavic 500 RD/550 RD hubs with Mavic Open 4 CD rims
Sachs-Maillard 8-speed freewheel (12-21t)
NEW Michelin Dynamic Classic tires
The story from Glen at Cycle Tech:
A couple of pics, and the gallery is here:
The later parts mix is a smart blend of stuff, and frankly I'm kicking myself thinking, "why haven't I built up a bike with Mavic hubs and Sachs New Success?" It's arguably the PERFECT blend of updated parts for a frame built by a company that made stuff every bit as good as anyone else's bikes, but remained off the radar. I think you'll like the ride. The geometry on mine is a little funky, but works, and somehow conveys all the cool things about how French bikes handle on the road even with nondescript tubing and basic parts.
I had never heard of Liberia bikes until I bought my barebones example that started life, literally, as a $100 campus 10-speed in the bike boom, when distributors were scouring the world for ANY 10-speeds they could bring in to sell to meet the demand. To my knowledge, there were exactly TWO shops in South Carolina that sold them, and there can't have been that many bringing them in. It's kinda like the old A. Camera bikes that were sold during the peak boom years out of The Blue Wheel in Charlottesville, VA - did anyone else even sell those?
06-18-21, 07:00 AM
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I'm with rustystrings61 . I like sachs huret stuff. It was well made and reasonably priced. I'm not sure about availability on cassettes though for that mavic hub. The rear derailleur should be able to handle 28 teeth comfortably. That's why I'm planning on using the non-indexing sachs huret new success derailleurs on my Mercier 300.
Disraeli has it with a 32 tooth max and a 28 tooth capacity.
https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site...erailleur.html
I used this on my racing back BITD running mavic hubs and a maillard 7 speed freewheel. It is a very fine shifting rear derailleur.
Disraeli has it with a 32 tooth max and a 28 tooth capacity.
https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site...erailleur.html
I used this on my racing back BITD running mavic hubs and a maillard 7 speed freewheel. It is a very fine shifting rear derailleur.
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06-18-21, 07:27 AM
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Were the Sachs new success components just a rebadged combination of Campy and Shimano parts?
The brakes look like a reworking of a later Weinmann model...
Mavic hubs are beautiful of course!
The brakes look like a reworking of a later Weinmann model...
Mavic hubs are beautiful of course!
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06-18-21, 07:41 AM
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It has an interesting history and ended up being bought out by SRAM.
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06-18-21, 10:19 AM
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https://lecycleur.com/parts/history-...s-new-success/
It has an interesting history and ended up being bought out by SRAM.
It has an interesting history and ended up being bought out by SRAM.
06-18-21, 10:34 AM
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After a 30 mile shakedown ride this morning, the first thing to go was the ass-hatchet, haha, in favor of the most comfortable saddle I own: a beat-to-hell Ideale 42 (keeping it French!). Other than that, everything performed flawlessly. I really like the Sachs-Huret setup, everything was buttery smooth.
Last edited by johnnyace; 06-18-21 at 10:39 AM.
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06-18-21, 10:38 AM
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This bike looks a lot like it started off as one of the few mid-70s professional or semi-professional Liberias to make it to the U.S. I've seen those referenced in one thread in another forum by someone who I regard as an authority on Gitanes and Peugeots, especially. And speaking of Gitanes, this example's frame reminds me a lot of European market TdFs, which had 531 main frames and less renowned tubing for forks and stays. It should ride pretty much indistinguishably from a full 531 bike - that's what, 58 or 60 cm to top?
The later parts mix is a smart blend of stuff, and frankly I'm kicking myself thinking, "why haven't I built up a bike with Mavic hubs and Sachs New Success?" It's arguably the PERFECT blend of updated parts for a frame built by a company that made stuff every bit as good as anyone else's bikes, but remained off the radar. I think you'll like the ride. The geometry on mine is a little funky, but works, and somehow conveys all the cool things about how French bikes handle on the road even with nondescript tubing and basic parts.
The later parts mix is a smart blend of stuff, and frankly I'm kicking myself thinking, "why haven't I built up a bike with Mavic hubs and Sachs New Success?" It's arguably the PERFECT blend of updated parts for a frame built by a company that made stuff every bit as good as anyone else's bikes, but remained off the radar. I think you'll like the ride. The geometry on mine is a little funky, but works, and somehow conveys all the cool things about how French bikes handle on the road even with nondescript tubing and basic parts.
06-26-23, 05:28 AM
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Lovely bike 
Just this week I had the fortune to receive a Liberia similar to yours, just a different colour and a bit more used. It is silverblue. If I measured correctly the seatpost needed is 26.4, could you confirm?
Mine has a seattube of 54cm CC and toptube of 56cm CC. It uses Reynolds 531 tretubi.
It looks to be the C15 or C16 from a folder I found.
Just this week I had the fortune to receive a Liberia similar to yours, just a different colour and a bit more used. It is silverblue. If I measured correctly the seatpost needed is 26.4, could you confirm?
Mine has a seattube of 54cm CC and toptube of 56cm CC. It uses Reynolds 531 tretubi.
It looks to be the C15 or C16 from a folder I found.
