Reconditioning a Vintage Charles Pelissier 650B Cyclotouring Bike

It was a winter day in San Francisco in 2007. I was working in the South of Market area. Late one day, I met with a friend who was moving soon to the Northwest. He knew I had been rebuilding bikes and said that he had an old French bike project that I might be interested in.

We met at his storage unit next to an old Greyhound bus service facility in the South of Market district.

My friend lifted the door of the storage unit and pulled out a weathered, slightly rusty frame. It was a very large road frame, the paint had been stripped and it was bare metal, but the original head badge was intact, it was triangular with red and blue bands and faint lettering that read Charles Pelissier.

The fork had a long offset and the rear drop outs were vertical, a tab for a generator was brazed to the left chain stay and the frame had mounts for cantilever brakes. My friend pulled out a box of very weathered old parts, some very oxidized zeppelin style fenders, LeFol Peon (“Peacock”) and brazed steel racks with built-in guards for the brakes. The wheels had a front "grand flask" hub and the rear, an Atom. The tires were completely dried out and cracked, imprinted "Dunlop Demi-Balon… 650B". I thanked my friend, bid him farewell and thus began my journey of discovery of an old French bike.

I tried to find out about the bike and its history. What was 650B? The alloy parts and lightweight frame seemed to indicate it was an above average French bike. In the process I found information about the Fédération Française de Cyclotourisme (FFCT) in France, and the traditon of randonneur and cyclotouring style bikes and their rides in magazines like Le Cycliste. I learned that 650B is a wheel size roughly in-between 700c road and 26" wheel sizes and well suiting for touring and randonneur bikes since it provides slightly better handling than 700c wheels and allows the use of wider tires within about the same outer diameter as a standard 700c wheel with a tire.

As I searched on Charles Pelissier. I learned he was a racer, the youngest of the three famous Pelissier brothers, (Henri and Francis the other two), who raced in the early 20th century and had their own colorful histories. Charles won 3 French National Championships in cyclocross (1926-1928). He was a tall rider and known as a sprinter. He shares a record for 8 stage wins in one Tour de France (1930) along with Freddy Maertens and Eddy Merckx. Because of his handsome looks, he was frequently nicknamed “Charlot”. The question was, what was his name doing on a cyclotouring style bike?

I located a scan of a Charles Pelissier brochure catalog from the early 1950s showing a range of bikes, from racing, sport utility to sport, including a price list in the back. The Randonneur model, that had many of the same components listed that were in the box of parts, was the most expensive bike in their line-up. The logotype on the brochure was an eccentric French roman style letter with distinctive curves, typical of late 1940s-1950s French display type. Their shop was in a fashionable district of Paris.



The frame, a 61cm, has a the bottom bracket shell with the word “NERVEX” stamped on it along with angles in degrees. I learned later this was typical to indicate at the time. The other lugs not the ornate Nervex style but slim. The fork is a classic French style crown with flat tops and a long offset, with double eyelets for fenders and racks.

The bottom bracket shell seemed to be for some kind of cartridge bearing, that was unfortunately missing. I learned that in France some shops, such as Alex Singer, would do a conversion on frames for a cartridge style BB.

Many of the parts in the box that came with the bike were weathered and worn and would need to be replaced. There were parts for a lever style Simplex front and a steel Simplex Tourist "bell crank” type derailleur that was rusty. The original MAFAC cantilever brakes were the short criterium version and the bushings looked very worn. There were steel Stronglight cottered crank arms and an alloy triple set of TA chainrings. The original Simplex tourist derailleur was in the box, but it looked as though it had been replaced with 60s Simplex derailleur that was being used when the bike was taken apart. There were some unusual pedals, I learned later were made by Piel, a high end model with pressed in bearings, but were damaged and not usable.

There was a curious detail on the Simplex front rod derailleur, the original rounded end cap that sits under the wingnut was missing and had been replaced with the identification tag usually attached to the top of the stem. The tag was engraved “R. RANSOM c/o AMERICAN EMBASSY PARIS” a clue to a former owner.

I decided to have the frame powder coated. The frame had been stripped down some time ago as indicated by a slight rust that had formed on the metal while it was in storage. Someone obviously wanted to restore the bike, but never did. The person I’d acquired it from said a friend of his had brought it over from France.

Removing the brass headset badge revealed that the frame had originally been black. Nothing fancy, perhaps sidestepping appearance for making a higher quality bike more accessible to the general public.

I had the frame powder coated a forest green. Powder coating, electrostatically applied powder that is then baked, is a dull finish when cured so to give it a gloss a clear coat is applied. It goes on a little heavy and while not as nice a finish as conventional paint, it’s a good durable finish for general use. The green was stock color, I noticed it was a similar green as found on powder coated park benches.

In my looking for (and learning about) replacement parts I found an NOS P3 Stronglight headset that came without ball bearings (the norm for the time). The next obstacle was the bottom bracket. Through a word of mouth referral, I met with Peter Johnson, a local machinist, frame builder and former amateur champion racer. He is also somewhat of a collector of vintage bikes. He knew of the cartridge bearing style bottom bracket system (it had been a way he’d made bottom brackets for some of his frames as it’s very practical set-up). So I ordered a square taper bottom bracket spindle and cartridge bearings from Phil Wood. Johnson re-tapped the Bottom bracket shell and machined aluminum end caps. He also made a center sleeve that is held in place with locktite adhesive that acts as a spacer in between the cartridge bearings when pressed on the spindle.

Now that I had the two main bearings of the headset and bottom bracket solved over the next two years I acquired new parts of the same era to get the bike on the road. The rear rack and the steel brazed handlebar stem that were very weathered I had rechromed. I located NOS MAFAC brakes for a tandem that had would provide better leverage with the guidonnet style brake levers. The Peon fenders were very oxidized had some dents and would need some finishing work. The rolled edges held wring for the generator light.

The wheels had seen better days, the rims were alloy, but without hook beads, the rim strip was the old style rim rope. The spokes were very thin and the front hub was a gigantic grand flasque style. The rear hub was a plain Atom. I rebuilt new wheels with Normandy high flange hubs and new Grand Bois 650B rims. I gave the dried out saddle a few drenches of Lexall leather treatment. The saddle, it turns out was quite well broken in with a comfortable ride despite the surface cracks.

I re-taped the bars with cotton tape and multiple coats of shellac. The brown ribbon after shellac looks like leather. Finally on a spring day in April. I took the Pelissier for a test ride. I was only planning on a short loop. But the bike was so fun to ride I ended up do a longer ride including taking the bike off road.

The bike seemed very lightweight, the slightly smaller wheels (than 700c) with Grand Bois Hetre 650B 42mm tires were amazingly responsive. I noticed the gearing was slightly geared down from 700c. The bike handled very well and was nimble. I had installed MAFAC guidonnet tourist style levers. These are fine for general riding but a bit awkward for hard braking on hills.The front rod lever also took a bit of getting used to.

My first experience riding this 650B bike was a revelation, even if the bike was far larger than the size I usually rode. The wide lightweight tires give the bike a wonderful ride.

I since then relettered the Pelissier logotype and had decals made. In California we have been in a drought the last 5 years so I’ve left the fenders and the racks off.

The Pelissier bike was made during the classic age of French bicycles and is an interesting high-quality example from that period. Whoever made this bike was a craftsman. While not a frame made by one of the more well known French constructeurs (artisan frame builders/fabricators of their own custom components) such as René Herse, Alex Singer, and Jo Routens, among others of this era, this 650B Pelissier is an exceptional, lightweight 650B bike for it's time. The frame size of this bike is for someone very tall and clearly was ridden in Paris. Charles Pelissier died in Paris in 1959 at the age of 56. Could this bike have been ridden by Pelissier himself?

I’ll never know, but the process of going through the reconditioning of this bike and finding out how well it rides despite it’s age, has been, ultimately, the most gratifying reward.



© 2022 Mark Eastman

Ode to the classic cotton cycling cap

Today whenever you see a winning professional cyclist on a podium, they're usually wearing a baseball style cap with the sponsors name, though there is nothing remotely related to baseball style caps and cycling.

Most cyclists who ride a lot don't wear a baseball cap on a bike, the large duck bill visor of this cap would just create more wind interference if tipped up or down and doesn't fit very well under a helmet.

On the other hand, the traditional cotton twill bicycle cap is made for what it is best at. Wearing while riding a bike. With it's short visor there is less wind resistance. Cotton twill is lightweight and while not an ideal fabric as it tends to absorb moisture like wearing a T-shirt, it still works well under a helmet for a layer of insulation. Plus it's a go anywhere item and folds up nicely in a jersey or other pocket

How did the professional bike racing realm change from traditional cycling caps to baseball caps as part of the team "kits" and on the podium? It seems influenced by the automotive racing realm, somewhat ironically. Or the baseball cap displays sponsor logos better on the front.

While there is always emphasis on the new and the high tech in the sports realm as far as clothing with synthetic fabrics, the traditional bicycle cotton twill cap is, and will always remain, a classic.

1973 Fuji "The Finest"

An affinity for particular bicycle brands is something that can be attained only over a period of time. I was late to becoming familiar with 80s era Fuji bikes. My first was an 80s Palisade I acquired around 2004, a bike I still use daily as a commuter. One Fuji bike led another and as of this writing I've rebuilt at least 10 other Fuji bikes. Vintage Fuji, even their better models have never quite had the same status as European bikes, but many of which beyond the lowest end models are fairly good.

As a follow-up to my last post on cotton handlebar tape, here's more of the story. I'd recently acquired a 1973 Fuji Finest with almost all original components, including the (super lightweight) tubular wheelset and rare original Fuji Belt leather saddle. This Fuji was originally a racing model, second to the Fuji Professional. The geometry is very responsive and stiff. The tubular tires still held air, but tires needed replacing. It had been retrofitted with Suntour "Power Shift" ratchet shifters on the down tube of the frame. The Power Shifters were a precursor to index shifters probably added in the 80s. Although outmoded now by today's standards with STI, the Suntour shifter design still works remarkably well. I switched from the tubular wheelset to a vintage MAVIC clincher wheelset with rare Specialized hubs and this bike still rides exceptionally well for when it was made.

Some of the decals were missing and I found replacements. One interesting and clever detail is the chain hanger built into the cable stop for the rear derailleur that keeps the chain off the ground when removing the rear wheel.

The Fuji Finest is a superb example of a classic vintage Japanese racing bike in the traditional European style.
Epilog:

A few years later, I encountered the same exact bike in the North Beach area of San Francisco parked in front of cafe. It had been converted to flat bars and the wheels were different. Then the day after the Eroica California 2016, a car pulled up with two bikes on the back, and one was, again, the Fuji Finest! The owner had ridden it in Eroica the day before.

Cotton handlebar tape: It's a wrap

When you buy a used bike you often don't completely know what you're getting into. One bike from the early 1970s I acquired had some traditional cotton handlebar tape and I decided to rewrap the bars with same kind bar tape like the original.

I thought this would be easy. But, I was mistaken. It turns out the original owner, rather than replacing the old tape, simply wrapped over the tape that was on the bars. I had to peel back 3 layers to get to the bars.



Initially I tried a razor blade, but the adhesive on the base layer of tape had dried quite a bit, making this more difficult. I was able to soften up the dried up adhesive by pouring rubbing alcohol onto the old bar tape and letting it sit for about 15 minutes. Afterwards, it was much easier to remove the old tape.

I used lacquer thinner to remove what residue of the adhesive layer that was left with a rag, the tough parts scraped off easily now with the razor blade. Once all the old tape was removed, the vintage aluminum bars revealed a very nice patina.



Wanting to retape the bars in the traditional style, I'd bought some Velox cotton tape from a local bike shop. The Velox tape proved to be a challenge as well. It had probably been aged on shelf for a while and had dried out somewhat. The adhesive wasn't as sticky as it should be and didn't stretch very well making it hard to wrap without forming creases as you wrapped it. I had to pull it very hard and wrap it once to stretch and then undo and rewrap again to make it work.



Once I got the bars wrapped using the full length of the tape to exactly end where it should be near the bar stem on top, I gave the tape a coat of clear shellac that turned the tape color to a beautiful deep red.



I'll give it a second coat in a day or so. I don't know what it is about cotton tape and shellac, but this has it's own particular look that no modern bar wrap emulates, plus it has a great grip.

© 2011 VeloTouriste

Local mix: cycling, California almonds and advertising

As a cyclist who frequently eats almonds or walnuts while on a bike and off, when I came across an ad circa 1991 with Tour de France champion Greg LeMond promoting California almonds recently, I was pleasantly surprised.



The ad was originally done for the California Almond Board. It seems amazing and rare today to see an ad with a Tour de France champion that isn't promoting a bicycle brand, a component or clothing manufacturer, an endurance supplement or a foundation... but, regional agriculture!

While commercial energy bars aimed at athletes had been around since 1983, i.e.: Powerbar (or "PowerBrick" depending on the ambient temperature), what's interesting is that this lifestyle/health-oriented ad promoting almonds as a healthy snack, was published in the December 1991 issue of Bon Appétit magazine.

The headline of the ad reads "California Almonds, The Healthy Snack You Can Win With" with the additional tagline "Great nutrition in a nutshell".

With it's clever copywriting, illustrated logotype and almond bordering, typography and layout (using artificially condensed Plantin type for text), the ad is polished, but seems to mimmick other design work being done around the same time for places like The Nature Company.

One amusing design flaw in the ad is the yellow rectangle with the headline plastered in the lower middle. Visually this gives the impression LeMond is about to run into a barrier he may not have seen while he's smiling at the camera. So much for healthy snacks.

Today, many farmers are pretty much at the mercy of big companies and/or brokers that tend to set modest prices on what they're willing to pay California growers, since almonds now come from all over the world. So it's interesting to see an ad like this from 20 years ago specifically promoting California almonds.

It would be great to see more ads like this in support of local agri-business rather than big name cycling brands. Maybe someone could sponsor a team. If someone did, I'd vote for "Team Almond Crunch"!

© 2011 Velotouriste

On Commuting: Every Day is a Bike to Work Day

May 12 was bike to work day. To me, every day is a bike to work day. Why shouldn't it be? In January 2011 I stopped driving to my work from East Palo Alto to San Jose and have commuted entirely by bike and Caltrain.

In the last 10 years since I've lived on the Peninsula, the SF Bay Area seems to have become increasingly crowded on highways, for a variety of reasons. While Bay Area transit by bus and BART is good, suburbia basically is not conducive to public transit compared to the city.

But there are alternatives. Weekdays, I ride about 10 miles a day commuting by bike and taking CalTrain. It takes about an hour, I could drive in 1/2 the time. But, I get good exercise, and I never have to sit in traffic — this is the best reason for riding to work. I bought a CalTrain monthly pass that gives me more incentive to ride.

It's hard to commute by bike at first, you have to have all your gear together (key's, wallet, phone, toolkit, extra tubes, pump, change of clothes—check). But once you do this regularly, you get your system down. I prefer to commute in bike clothes and carry a change of clothes for work. Riding in jeans isn't great and wears these out. You have more freedom of movement with bike clothes. I carry an extra small lightweight musette bag so I can easily take the basics (tools, pump tube) if I ride somewhere for lunch. I also carry a canvas shopping bag and stretch cords that makes it easy to do a shopping run on my way home and strap the bag to a rear rack.

I prefer a traditional lugged steel road bike as opposed to a current hybrid bike with an upright position or mountain bike that is great for trails, but generally overweight for the street.

On a road bike you can ride fast and get more leverage with brake levers on drop bars when you need to accelerate quickly at times (i.e.: like when you're riding in traffic) — plus not feel like you're riding in the La Brea tar pits whenever you encounter wind since you can get low, drop a gear and power on.

This is just my preference, but any bike you ride to work is good. It helps the Bay Area environment. Taking CalTrain supports public transit as well.

To those driving to work: consider biking as an alternative. When you do, you'll pay less for car expenses ...and, get some fresh air in the process. © 2011 VeloTouriste.

Upgrading 27" wheels to 700c

Working on a vintage bike recently I wanted to rebuild this as close as possible to the original version, with one exception, the wheelset.

The bike came with 27" wheels with high quality Araya alloy rims and Sunshine hubs. Very good but the rim edges where the tire meets the rim are straight with no lip to hold a modern clincher tire bead. Most 27" tires only allow 90 psi max. I had mounted Panaracer Pasela 27" tires on these rims and they worked well. The rear wheel had a flat spot, but not noticable except on fast descents. The straight edge rim of 27s left me wanting me to be able to run a tire at 95-100psi that with these rims might be a problem. I rode this pair of 27" wheels with the Paselas over Ebbetts Pass in the Sierras and on a few others rides without a hitch. But to my shock I saw the 27" rims had no lip after fixing a flat. For tires, you really don't want to mess around, so this was the main reason for switching to a modern 700c wheelset As a replacement, I had built-up a new wheelset with some NOS Maxi CAR high flange hubs and of Mavic Open Sport rims. These are fantastic riding wheels.

The 700c (622mm) wheel diameter is shorter than 27" (630mm) but easily adaptable to most bikes that originally came with 27" wheels. I've upgraded a few bikes with 27" wheels to 700c that allow much more of a range in tire widths and tire types.

Plus you can use tubes with lightweight presta valves that are better suited for road bikes than schrader style valves commonly found on 27" and MTB wheels. © 2011 VeloTouriste.