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Centaur Path Racer

Humber Duplex

Centaur featherweight 1902

From the Online Bicycle Museum, an illustration of the many different styles of the X Frame design

I've only ridden one two stroke design (briefly at a bike show in Auvergne), but I often wonder what the experience is like compared to a modern ebike (an evil I am long hoping to delay).

'We also make bicycles!'

Another nice period Raleigh X

Velo 'plongeant' Le Midi, c.1910 Super Champion wooden rims

You have to be careful with your eggs on this bike: it's only got one cabled Bebolux front brake and a Torpedo back pedal. Fine on the flat and around town but going downhill can be pretty heart stopping stuff ..!

With the great first world war approaching, the French nerve centre of bicycle production and innovation the city of Saint Etienne really took off. Mercier was founded there in 1919, Clement and Ideale saddles set up shop, but before then massive investment in production started around the turn...

Those X Frame designs were very popular in France, you still see them knocking around today.

I'm thinking of buying the above Mosquito 38cc engine and converting an old GT just to piss off my neighbour who never stops banging on about his 14,000e Spesh electric...

There's a new prime minister, political chaos everywhere, there are national strikes planned for next week, the trains are running to a halt, however.... It's going to be a nice day here today, 30C at midday, no chance of rain, so it's time to dust off the old Peugeot clunker and head into town...

The above shop is in Tokyo, if you ever get the chance to visit you'll get a cup of tea and a biscuit. Here's the lovely baby blue RH of Wataru Hasegawa, he must be all of 5'2". If you come across any small Herse he'll give you top dollar, spot cash!

This is CS Hirose. He makes bikes like Herse did, and also has one of the nicest collections of RH in the world. Between him and the other deducated collector Mr. Wataru Hasegawa, they've got 400+ RH. You can see from the photo he's not exactly tall. I met him in Paris a few years ago at a Foire...

The MBK Crono takes it's split seat tube cue from the Mecacycle production, particularly the Mecacycle Turbo. This one from 1981

MBK Chrono

1 bid, £104, 20hrs to go . Bugger...

Voila

To be fair, you can see why it went for 1200 bucks: it's too big for the Japanese, still the biggest market by far for RH, and it's missing the three vital parts that add value to a vintage RH: the stem, chainset and cantilever brakes, all hand made by the great man himself in his...