Tech Specs: 1940s Twin Top Tube Randonneuse

  Custom Handmade Frame Upright randonneuse arrangement and geometryFine build by accomplished constructeurOriginal twin top tube design is nicely uniqueWonderful lugwork throughout, like early NervexArtistic caps on seat stay tangsChain stays reinforced with tangsCenter mount bridge for rear sidepull brake2x fender/mudguard attachment pointsPump pegs on rear top/bottom of seat tubeHand painted dart decography on all…

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Hugonnier-Routens Catalog Photos & Illustrations

Roger Hugonnier and Jo Routens together made some of the finest (and winningest) touring, randonneuring and sportif bicycles of the mid-twentieth century. The era was one full of transitions – some moving away from World War II and others moving toward the baby boom – and change was palpable everywhere from Grenoble, France to points…

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The Eagle and the Bianchi Bicycle

Bianchi is the longest continually operating bicycle manufacturer in the world. Founded in Milan, Italy by Edoardo Bianchi in 1885, the company and its trademark eagle logo have come to personify high-quality, race inspired bikes for generations of adoring cyclists. Bianchi’s distinctive, Victorian-era eagle logo has been a registered trademark since at least the early…

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Hobbs of Barbican: The Strength is in the Spine

The job of a bicycle designer parallels that of a surgeon in many senses: triage what’s wrong, decide what no longer functions, find a way to solve the problem and repair or replace whatever needs fixing. And like any good surgeon knows, if the spine fails, so too does the rest of the body.

Tech Specs: 1947 Hobbs of Barbican Superbe

Hobbs of Barbican Superbe Frame Reynolds 531 Tubing Hand Cut Lugs Rear Derailleur Mount Rear Brake Mount Fender/Rack Mounts Dynamo Mount Cable Guides Hobbs of Barbican Fork Reynolds 531 Tubing Elegant Rake Minimalist Box Crown Front Brake Mount  Fender Mounts Mid-Rise Rack Mounts Brampton Headset (Steel) Reynolds Twin Bolt Stem (Aluminum) GB Handlebar (Aluminum) Williams Crankset…

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Tech Specs: 1967 Jo Routens Randonneur

Jo Routens Frame Reynolds 531 Tubing Lovely Fillet Brazing Reinforcing Gussets Wraparound Seat Stays Front Derailleur Mount Rear Derailleur Mount Inward Cantilever Posts Fender/Rack Mounts Left Chain Stay Light Mount Dynamo Mount Internal Wiring Shift Lever Mounts Cable Guides Pump Pegs Jo Routens Fork Reynolds 531 Tubing Elegant Rake Twin Plate Box Crown Chrome Crown Top Rear Lower…

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Jo Routens: Randonneur de l’Excellence

Joseph “Jo” Routens was one of the greatest makers of randonneur, cyclotouring and cyclosportif bicycles in all of cycling history. The only other name regularly considered alongside his more aged contemporaries, Rene Herse and Alex Singer, Routens was distinct from these seminal influences in his unwavering commitment to the everyday cyclist. Initially through his partnership with…

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Hetchins Bicycles: Meticulously Lugged

Bicycle companies faced a historical deletion around the time World War II hit as the prevalence of automobiles and weight of war became overwhelming. Manufacturers, racers and race organizers found their livelihoods interrupted – and in some unfortunate cases, even ended. It was around this time that several European bicycle companies found themselves struggling through…

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Duralumin History & Use in Bicycle Building

Durable but lightweight materials have appealed to bicycle builders since the beginning of bicycle time. From steel alloys to aluminum alloys to carbon composites, the nexus of these two build qualities is something of a holy grail among materials engineers. That’s because durable and lightweight translate to fast and expensive in most every language worldwide….

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