my boy approaching all hallows
be warned these are the BIGGEST pics I've uploaded yet
so click away
ive had his blog pinged to the sidebar for a while now
realised there are some good pics from visiting his shop last year
Mr I of Grand Bois fame
pic of Ernest Csuka of Alex Singer fame on the wall behind
Mr I is the one we have to thank for the lovely tyres
and now
in no particular order
some highlights
Barra's integrated lever front derailleur
the brazing is flawless
and despite my dislike of aluminium as a frame material
probably the single, sexiest bike I've ever seen
sexy in exactly the same way my blue, woolly socks in the mandatory shop slippers
aren't
Lefol Le Martele mudguards
Cyclo rear derailleur
you can see the massive step between the big and small rings
the cover star of my blog
not spoke-wire instead of cable for the cantis
the cute little streetcar/tram/train/light-rail from Hanazono station
which is the way to get there
this frameset was lying around
dunno if it was newly-made
or more likely
something old
stripped bare
like the bride by her bachelors, even
as soon as I saw it
I knew
it fitted my inner template for a new bike
brake bosses at centrepull
not canti
height
twin plate fork crown
fillet-brazed
bit fuzzy
sorry
internal brake cable
love to know what it was
unfortunately there was some tool in there
who was monopolising Mr I's time with dumb questions
and I had to dash
house upstairs
shop below full of steamy bikes
living the dream certainly
the ceiling
a Herse with my favourite mudguards:
Lefol Le Paon
and various bits of Italian shit
more Italian rubbish in the FG
although there may be some English lightweights down the back
I think I spied a vintage Mercian when I was there
noticeboard with participation medals from the Poly Japon
which I suppose is a randonee
as well as their custom catalogue
and a whole swag of medals from TOMs over the years
TOM = Toei Owners' Meeting
the packages by the door are
I would guess
the meilleur of fillet brazing
another massive step between small and big ring
proprietary Routens front mech
cable operated from below
Barra frame has ovalised top and down tubes
but they start as circular section where they join the head tube
that's some virtuosity in metal-forming
considering where talking 1940s or 50s
the whole sexy beast
with price tag visible
10 grand is reasonable I reckon
people pay more for shit like
this
Jo through the window in the winter light
I's Bicycle is called
Cycles Grand Bois
in the online
go there and buy stuff
not a sponsor of this blog
