As French as it gets. This is another bike from the collection of my friend Real Le Bel of French-speaking Quebec, Canada: a 1920's loop frame bicycle (considered a "unisex" bike, suitable for men and women, in Europe) with 650B wheels. When I found the bike it was hanging on a hook in Real's garage, missing its original wheels. Many of us have a love/hate relationship with eBay, but we can now source hard-to-find bicycle parts that would simply have been unobtainable in the days before the internet. So, my L' Automotion now sports correct French 650B wheels with a Peugeot freewheel. Close enough for government work.
The head badge on my L' Automotion (the name reflecting the glamour of the burgeoning automobile industry of the new century) is worth the price of admission: a beautiful royal blue cloisonne with an oak leaf motif, which is repeated in the chainring. I have outfitted the bike with an umbrella, kerosene lamp, bell, and a Parisian's (replaceable) tax badge. I would like to find a colorful skirt guard to complete "the look."
The head badge on my L' Automotion (the name reflecting the glamour of the burgeoning automobile industry of the new century) is worth the price of admission: a beautiful royal blue cloisonne with an oak leaf motif, which is repeated in the chainring. I have outfitted the bike with an umbrella, kerosene lamp, bell, and a Parisian's (replaceable) tax badge. I would like to find a colorful skirt guard to complete "the look."
1920's L'Automotion ©Daniel Dahlquist