poprad

Fellow BFers,
As I have mentioned, I've been living in Paris for almost four years now. Despite some challenges I'm more or less back on the bike and have tried to stay as much in the cycling world as practicable. One way was to help other folks in their cycling. I have a colleague who was interested in cycling and I helped her and her husband with some new bike choices. I really like helping people get into the sport, and I joined them for their new bikes journey and navigating the world of options. They both got snazzy gravel bikes, perfect for the varied terrain available here.
My incessant rambling on and on about how much better the old bikes were, and how much easier to maintain they are must have sunk in, because they ended up also finding a couple of incredible vintage bikes by a constructeur named Camille Dardenne. He built bikes in Paris under his last name, and while not as known in the U.S. as Herse and Singer, his work was every bit the same quality. I didn't know much about him until seeing these bikes, then realized what a high level builder he was.
The vintage bug isn't nearly as strong in France as the U.S. and carpet fiber bikes are definitely the choice for most. The nice part of that is it makes prices for the vintage French bikes way lower than back home. They picked these up for very reasonable sums, and I was very surprised they didn't go higher. French sellers know that they can get a lot more by selling on E Bay to Americans, but generally prefer not to deal with the shipping and customs issues. She found these on a local market site, kind of like Craigslist.

So, you don't want to read my thoughts, you want to see the bikes. Here you go:

This was the "hers" bike, a very snappy rootbeer color road bike that just glows like fire in the sun. Polished lugs, triple TA crank, and Campy NR everything else. I won't tell you what she paid because I don't want to hear you all cry. The son of the owner sold it to her, and she got in touch with his father later to send him pictures of it being used.


It took about three seconds to realize what a cool bike this is

The lugs.....

Built for hills! I'd never seen these T/A pedals in person, they are some impressively built componenets.

Look at the dropouts...just look at them.

Never seen that type of seatpost, simple and elegant. The spacers are nylon bushings, so infinitely adjustable. It's so simple and easy to set up it makes you wonder why they ever made the more complicated setups we use now. The Chainstay cap and terminations...just gorgeous.

Custom fork lug, the beautifully thinned tub lugs, it's really master level workmanship

This bike just blew me away. I kept trying to explain what a find this was, and she gets it, but man... the handpainted downtube name, the filed lug windows, this is one impressive machine. Over the summer I helped her go through all of the bearings and we only have the BB left to do. I had to find the right crank remover and ordered one from Steintool. Many of you know that a standard one will "kind of" fit but that the thread pitch is slightly different and you can easily ruin a set of TA cranks using a non specific tool. So, rebuilding the BB, cranks and pedals are the last step. The Campy hubs and headset were in perfect shape, although with grease at the end of its lifecycle for sure.

poprad

Not to be outdone, her husband also wanted a vintage steed. They went back to the same site and found another gorgeous Dardenne, with a completely different flavor. This one has all French components, and stuff I'd not seen before. The high flange hubs are early sealed bearing units, and still feel good as new. The seatpost...talk about opposites. Instead of her "one bolt" post his has this super interesting and complicated affair, that works just as well and I have never laid eyes on before now. His bike has a more understated and workmanlike appearance, but the build quality and cool rare French parts factor make it every bit as interesting. They really found a lovely set of bikes by the same builder, a matching His n' Hers that will last them the next 40 years.


I don't know if all his bikes had this kind of awesome paint, but the blue really glows in the sun. I wish all the pics had been taken there.

This seatpost...drink it in

Yep, front pivot, rails held by taperhead allen bolts, and two rear adjustment screws. Crazy but effective. Overcomplicated enough to be Italian.

Huret Jubilee... what else?

Dardenne made bikes for the Pyrenees and Alps

I love the look of these shifter levers


CLB brakes...naturally

clubman 

I don't mind shedding a tear or two. And it's my size...simply perfect.

poprad

So there you go, a couple of lovely Dardenne masterpiece frames, enjoying new lives with their American owners in Paris. I'm thrilled to see where their new rides take them. If you come across the Dardenne name snag it, it will be a great frame.

More to follow....

This is a hint...

KenNC

Really interesting post and great photos, thank you!!!

PilotFishBob 

I have seen a few listed on the bay over the years, ranging in quality and all over the scale but trending pricey... Several were rather drool-worthy.

I know about the relative pricing over there and I have thought about doing a vacation on the continent when the planets align, spending some of it looking for something nice and unusual that I could purchase for a relatively reasonable sum and send home. No idea what logistics and $$ would be involved, I'm sure it would turn into an astronomical pain in the rear.​

non-fixie 

Stunning.

Thank you for sharing them here.

52telecaster

Amazing stuff. So glad you're posting!

repechage

Thanks very much.
I own a Dardenne, unfortunately it was repainted. Of Super Vitus and quite light.
mine is of less fancy details but the stay ends are in common, and the top of the seat stays are stamped with the name.

I have been collecting images so that I can replicate the hand painted downtube graphics when the time comes. Some of the bikes received a four point diamond graphic on the head tube.

it seems for a certain class of bikes that hand painted downtube graphics were a prerequisite.
Herse, C.N.C., René André, Dardenne are brands that come quickly to mind. There were others.

thumpism 

Saw an ad for one this week but it was an entry-level machine, not on par with the ones above.

But this one only costs $29, in NJ.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...61297237370304



Complete with plastic ass hatchet.

bikemig 

I'm grateful I'm not living in Paris or, likely most anywhere in Europe because I'd soon go broke buying old bikes. . .

repechage

I have seen a few factory produced bikes of that brand. Cannot tell, but if it was on the Westcoast and had 700c wheels- I would buy it for fun. Geometry looks good

velomateo

Both beautiful bikes. Thanks for posting

sykerocker 

Boy, that bike looks like the old Roger Riviere bike we used to sell.

juvela

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thanks so much for sharing these beauties with the forum!

headset on both machines appears to be OMAS rataher than Campag





https://velo-pages.com/main.php?g2_itemId=84


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