We are stocking a new city bar. I call this the Milan bar because it's a great bar for converting old Italian racing frames with a short top tube. Actually it's great for converting any frame with a short top tube into a city bar. Folks who like a more aggressive position on a city bike will like it too. The width is about 59cm, there is around 25mm (one inch) of rise, and the bulge is 25.4mm. The material is polished alloy. The price is only $19. You might consider cutting this bar down a few centimeters to make it narrower. European city bars are actually not very wide, better to fit between cars and scooters.
The lower photos show a very rare 44mm Phillipe randonneur in a shiny black finish. The engraving is filled with white. I usually don't like black components, but this bar is just beautiful.
The final photo shows the very pretty engraving on a French racing
bar made by a manufacturer I've never heard of. Anyone recognize those logos?
BTW, I'm starting to post Follis/Pinto tandem photos here.
19 November, 2007
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14 comments:
Regarding the oddball Franch bars, bars with the "Guid" brand name (probably short of course for "guidons") are not unkown, but there's not much info about them out there. The way the name is written, some folks have apparently read it as "Gruid," which is understandable given the superimposition of the little handlebar engraving over the name. The logo immediately above the "Guid" is the coat of arms of St. Etienne, which so much of the French bicycle industry has traditionally been located. No idea what the one on the other side of the clamp area is.
and the new city bar, what sort of levers will fit?
best,
mike white
Chris, didn't you have a bike with that same set of bars on it?
Mike, The Milan bar uses MTB or regular (non-inverse) city bike levers. That's what Italian city bikes usually had.
Ed, My bike has similar, but not identical, bars.
Not to be a pain, but the engravings look identical, unless I'm missing something?
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e200/ChrisKulczycki/100_07521.jpg
Ed, I thought you meant the Milan bars.
Why the emphasis on "short top tube" in your description of the Milan bar? What if your bike's top tube isn't too short? Thanks.
chris,
yes, I recall seeing virtually all Italian city bikes as conversions with a narrow city bar (much narrower than we're used to here), and brake levers which resemble the cheap Weinmann 3 spd brake levers. You know, that might be another niche for VO--a decent brake lever for a city bike which isn't a big, clunky mtn lever, but otoh isn't super cheap.
best,
mw
j,
I believe when Chris uses the phrase "short top tube" he's referring to geometry designed for drop bars, which have built in reach. Look at flat bar geo, as in mtn bikes, and you'll see that it runs an inch longer in the tt. So, a flat bar with built in reach could bridge the gap, and maybe be used on old ten spds without a stem swap.
best,
mw
The bars on my wife's mid-70s Mercier have the same globe-and-star stamp on them, located on the starboard side. The Port side has a stamp with what looks to say 'KIPPIM' (although I always assumed it said 'Atom'); however, I am reading into it somewhat, as there is a scratch (caused by someone other than me) accross the engraving.
mburdge
that's a great shape for a bar-I had a similar steel one salvaged from a cheap bike but the clamp area wasn't round and it slipped...your example looks very nice indeed.
darcy
Chris, the french handlebar looks great!!! The shape of the milan bar is exactly the same as a bar manufactured by wald (chrome plated and made in U.S.A.)and $4 cheaper. Any chance of manufacturing good copies of inverse brake levers found on the old french porteur bicycles? Keep up the good work, happy turkey day.
Chris, I recently found a "Guid" handlebar with the same logos, but the center is bulged, not sleeved, and the logos are placed opposite the way yours are. Do you have any more information on who made these and when?
I have a 1970's Gavillot bike, made to order by Peugeot, and this has Guid bars on as original equipment, I don't know anything about the bars tho'...................Richard in France...
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